ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Mehmood Khan Achakzai has hinted that opposition parties may quit the assemblies if the treatment being meted out to ex-premier Imran Khan does not change.

“I fear that if the current attitude towards Imran Khan continues, we will not be able to stay in the assemblies,” he said during an interview on DawnNewsTV.

“What has he [Imran] done? Has he committed murders that they are talking about a 50-year imprisonment? He has only said that his snatched mandate should be returned to him,” he said.

“They want to try him in a military court; tell me, is he a general or a colonel?” the opposition leader questioned.

“If the central committee suggests pulling out of the assemblies in Punjab, Sindh and the Centre, and only running the government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it will be implemented. What is the benefit of these assemblies if they cannot even ensure a meeting with a prisoner?” Mr Achakzai said.

Asked if he feared that the central committee might suggest quitting the assemblies, Mr Achakzai, who has been empowered by Imran Khan to take decisions regarding protests, negotiations and dealings with the government, said that he did not fear it; rather, he could see it happening.

He said the opposition had been left with no other option, so there was no question of whether such a step would be right or wrong. “We will have no option but to leave the assemblies and parliamentary committees.

“Criminals and murderers are free, but [Imran Khan’s political opponents] are saying his nikah was invalid and keeping him in jail. You are pushing us to quit the assemblies. There are 50 to 60 seats of PTI in the assembly; what will you do if PTI pulls out?” he asked.

In a recent speech in the National Assembly, the opposition leader had asked the government to meet their demands or face a complete boycott of the upcoming budget session.

“What will the budget session even look like without the participation of the opposition? You can just pass it in two days without any debate; what will the international community think?” Mr Achakzai had asked while speaking on a point of order during lacklustre proceedings on the last day of the recent NA session.

Pointing towards the empty treasury benches, he had said it reflected the government’s seriousness in running the house. “If the PTI members leave this house, there will be no quorum,” he said. Under the rules, the presence of one-fourth (86 lawmakers) of the total 332-member house is required to meet the quorum for the continuation of proceedings.

The government plans to convene the NA session in the first half of June for the presentation of the federal budget.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2026