Opposition leader Achakzai says Imran Khan is being forced into a deal — Dawn
In Peshawar, Pakistan, the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, said that PTI founder Imran Khan is allegedly being forced into an arrangement similar to those after which former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto went into self-imposed exile. Dawn reports.
At a press conference at the Peshawar High Court, Achakzai claimed that the current situation was unfolding with the involvement of the ruling PML-N and PPP parties. He also reported contacts with all opposition parties and an intention to convene a multi-party conference. According to him, the opposition is also considering resigning from the assemblies.
Opposition demands
Achakzai said he had submitted demands in response to a proposal for talks. Among them, he named the repeal of an amendment that he considers wrong, strengthening parliament's role, and establishing an independent commission to ensure transparent elections. He also said that prisoners must not be barred from meetings.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Separately, Achakzai demanded that the authorities disclose the whereabouts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and other lawmakers. He called it a constitutional right. Balochistan National Party-Mengal leader Sardar Akhtar Mengal, who attended the press conference, said that people who call themselves the makers of the constitution are “trampling on it.”
Lawsuit against the state of emergency
On the same day, representatives of the opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-Ayin-i-Pakistan filed a constitutional petition with the Peshawar High Court, challenging the imposition of a state of emergency and governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The petitioners ask the court to declare unconstitutional and unlawful the October 11 order issued under Articles 232(1) and 234 of Pakistan's Constitution.
They also challenge the transfer to parliament of the provincial assembly's legislative powers, the removal of the elected chief minister and provincial cabinet, and the establishment of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Advisory Council and the Areas Development Secretariat. Pending a final court decision, the applicants ask for the contested measures to be suspended.
