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• Newly appointed NA opposition leader terms preventing Imran from meeting his family a violation of fundamental rights
• Urges political parties to decide whether ‘voice of majority’ or ‘undemocratic forces’ will be supreme
SANN (Jamshoro): The leader of the country’s main opposition alliance believes that there can only be talks if the other side realises that excesses have been committed that need to be redressed.
Dawn caught up with Mehmood Khan Achakzai, the newly-appointed Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, at the residence of Syed Zain Shah on Saturday, where he had arrived to attend the 122nd birth anniversary celebrations of G.M. Syed.
However, Mr Achakzai made it clear that he was speaking in his capacity as leader of the Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) alliance.
“I haven’t yet received the notification, that’s why I will comment as TTAP leader,” he said in response to a question about how he would manifest his role as the opposition leader in the assembly.
On the subject of possible talks with the rulers to defuse prevailing political tensions, Mr Achakzai said, “If someone has the realisation that excesses have been committed, then there is recourse and treatment too. Let’s then talk.”
The TTAP leader was adamant that denying Imran Khan’s family access to him was a violation of fundamental rights, basic ethics, and humanity.
Questioned about Rana Sanaullah’s claim that while PTI leaders want negotiations, but Mr Khan doesn’t, Mr Achakzai posed a counter-question: “Talks on what issue? If someone robs the home of Saeen [Zain Shah] and loots everyone,” he said, gesturing towards his surroundings, “then talks will be held [with the robbers] to recover the looted goods”.
He said everyone knows it was Imran Khan who won the elections with a resounding majority, and the fact that the most popular leader in the country was not even being allowed to meet his family while in prison, was deplorable.
“A car can be invented, not a political leader. A leader emerges from amongst the masses,” he said.
Talking about his bitter past with the incarcerated PTI founder, he said it was no longer an issue since he and MWM chief Raja Nasir Abbas had joined hands with Mr Khan when he was in trouble.
While his associates are being punished or offered bribes, “I am one of those jumping in to help people in trouble”, he said.
Mr Achakzai urged major political parties to generate a consensus on a few crucial things — Pakistan being a federation; constitutional supremacy; parliament to serve as a bastion of power and to frame external and internal policies; people of federating units to have first right over their resources; and, respect for their languages and cultures.
“There should be talks whether Jamhoor (the people) will be supreme or the undemocratic forces,” he opined. He said that Pakistan was a pluralist state where people’s languages and cultures should be respected. Injustices engender hate and this leads to conflict, he said.
He was of the view that ever since the inception of Pakistan, civilian authority had not been allowed to establish itself.
On whether 26th and 27th Amendments served democracy, he said: “Many believe there has been constitutional demise in their wake. Two judges, who are supposed to interpret the Constitution, resigned. The judiciary’s wings are clipped, journalism is banned. Now, parliament is no longer even a debating society. To date, nothing has been brought before parliament for debate.”
He noted that a single individual could not handle the current situation. “Collective wisdom” could work.
“The TTAP was formed because we had foreseen then that this parliament [after the Feb 8 polls] will come after the Constitution, because everything is being done through the assembly,” he said, recalling that after Gen Ayub Khan’s martial law, parliament had passed a two-line resolution to forgive him for his crimes.
Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2026
