ISLAMABAD; Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan has nominated Mahmood Khan Achakzai, chief of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and leader of the Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz alliance, as Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly. While, Azam Khan Swati was named earlier as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, PTI Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja announced on Wednesday.
Announcing the decision Raja said, Imran Khan nominated Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai as Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly. Achakzai, a veteran politician and strong advocate of provincial autonomy, also heads the multi-party opposition alliance Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz.
Confirming details, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja further added that senior party leader Azam Khan Swati has been nominated as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate.
The reshuffle in opposition ranks comes after former opposition leader Omar Ayub Khan lost his National Assembly seat following his conviction in cases linked to the May 9 riots. His disqualification also led to his removal from the Public Accounts Committee and all other standing committees.
Following the court order, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued disqualification notifications for both Omar Ayub and Shibli Faraz. Shibli Faraz, a former federal minister and close aide of Imran Khan, had been serving as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. Both leaders have since challenged their disqualification before the Peshawar High Court (PHC), where the case is still pending.
The nomination of Mahmood Khan Achakzai, who has long maintained a strong political base in Balochistan and has recently emerged as a unifying figure for the opposition, signals PTI’s strategy to strengthen parliamentary resistance against the government.
