ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has nominated Mahmood Khan Achakzai as opposition leader in the National Assembly, while Azam Khan Swati has been nominated for the same role in the Senate.
Mahmood Khan Achakzai is the chairman of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP). He has been a member of the National Assembly since February 29, 2024, representing constituency NA-266 (Killa Abdullah-cum-Chaman) in Balochistan. He is a senior politician with decades of parliamentary experience.
Speaking to the media outside the Supreme Court, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja confirmed that Imran Khan had replaced Omar Ayub with Mahmood Khan Achakzai in the National Assembly and Shibli Faraz with Azam Swati in the Senate.
He said Imran Khan had left the decision on participating in the upcoming by-elections to PTI’s political committee. The committee is scheduled to meet today and will decide whether to contest the polls across the country.
Raja also said that Imran Khan had asked for five names for the position of opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly, from which he would select one.
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According to reports, Imran Khan suggested Mahmood Achakzai’s name during a meeting with Advocate Ali Bukhari, saying that Achakzai would be suitable under the current circumstances. However, the final decision will be made by the political committee.
Earlier, PTI’s Omar Ayub lost his position as opposition leader in the National Assembly after being convicted in May 9 cases by an anti-terrorism court. He was also removed from the Public Accounts Committee and other parliamentary committees. The Election Commission issued a notification of disqualification against both Ayub and Shibli Faraz, who have challenged the decision in the Peshawar High Court.
Supreme Court hearing on Imran Khan’s bail pleas
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Wednesday heard Imran Khan’s bail petitions. The three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and including Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui and Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb, conducted the hearing.
The court was informed that special prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi could not appear due to food poisoning and was admitted to hospital. The defence requested an adjournment until next week, but the chief justice remarked that the case would be taken up again tomorrow to review the situation.
Imran Khan’s lawyer Salman Safdar argued that the Lahore High Court had dismissed his client’s bail last November after six months of hearings, during which eight different prosecutors were changed and repeated adjournments delayed the process. He said the prosecution’s conduct had caused frustration.
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Chief Justice Afridi observed that the court would not allow long delays and directed that the prosecution first present its arguments, adding that they must explain how the Lahore High Court’s decision to dismiss bail could be justified.
The court rejected a request to allow Khan’s family members to speak during proceedings, stating that only the lawyer could address the bench. The hearing was adjourned until Wednesday at 10:30am.
