Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai claimed on Friday that PTI founder Imran Khan is being forced into an agreement similar to those once given to former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto.
Mr Achakzai spoke at a news conference at the Peshawar High Court, alongside TTAP leaders Sardar Akhtar Mengal and Senator Raja Nasir Abbas.
What the Imran Khan deal claim refers to
The opposition leader was referring to the arrangements under which the two former prime ministers went into self-imposed exile after their respective ousters.
Mr Sharif was ousted and imprisoned after the 1999 military coup by then-army chief Pervez Musharraf. He left the country in 2000 after a deal negotiated by Saudi and Lebanese leaders.
Benazir Bhutto went into self-exile after losing the 1997 elections following her dismissal by then-president Farooq Leghari. Her husband Asif Ali Zardari was imprisoned on corruption charges and released in 2004.
“The same is happening today with the PML-N and PPP in government,” Mr Achakzai said.
Opposition’s demands and next moves
Mr Achakzai said the opposition was in contact with all opposition parties and would soon convene a multi-party conference. Resigning from the assemblies was also an option, he said, adding that the alliance had submitted its demands in response to the government’s offer of negotiations.
“Nowhere in the world is a prisoner denied meetings,” he said, demanding the withdrawal of the “wrong amendment”, an empowered parliament and an independent commission for transparent elections.
He demanded that the authorities disclose the whereabouts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, calling it the opposition’s constitutional right to know.
Mr Achakzai has consistently tied any dialogue to access to the PTI founder. He earlier ruled out talks without consulting Imran Khan, a position the alliance repeated this week.
Mengal and Abbas back the challenge
Mr Mengal said those claiming to be the framers of the Constitution were trampling on it. He questioned the imposition of governor’s rule on terrorism grounds, asking whether military operations had improved or worsened conditions in Balochistan.
He said KP’s elected chief minister had been removed, while the assembly speaker and a minister were missing. Those who had won on Form 47 were now in the National Assembly, he alleged.
Raja Nasir Abbas said lawlessness had peaked. “You cannot run a country, yet you have occupied a province,” he said, adding that even a cabinet member had acknowledged the system had collapsed.
The debate over governor’s rule has divided even government allies. Rana Sanaullah defended it as a counterterrorism necessity, while Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari called it only a last option.
TTAP files petition in Peshawar High Court
On Friday, TTAP leaders moved from announcements to action, challenging the proclamation of emergency and the imposition of governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa before the Peshawar High Court.
The constitutional petition was jointly filed by TTAP chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai, vice chairman Senator Raja Nasir Abbas, BNP-Mengal chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal and STP leader Syed Zainul Abideen, through advocates Muazzam Butt and Baseem Ahmad Siddiqui.
The petition asks the court to declare the October 11 emergency proclamation, issued under Articles 232(1) and 234, unconstitutional and without lawful authority. It argues the required constitutional conditions were not met.
The petitioners challenged the transfer of the KP Assembly’s legislative powers to parliament and the displacement of the elected chief minister and cabinet. They sought the annulment of executive orders and notifications that depend on the proclamation, and challenged the KP Advisory Council and Area Development Secretariat as bodies that cannot replace provincial institutions.
They also sought the annulment of the October 11 armed forces deployment notification to the extent it violated Article 245, and asked for interim relief restraining the measures pending a final decision.
The opposition had warned it would quit assemblies if governor’s rule was imposed, making the court’s response the next key moment in the standoff.
Original reporting: Dawn
Frequently asked questions
What did Achakzai claim about Imran Khan?
He claimed the PTI founder is being forced into an agreement like those that sent Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto into self-imposed exile.
What is TTAP challenging in the Peshawar High Court?
The alliance wants the October 11 emergency proclamation and governor’s rule in KP declared unconstitutional, along with the transfer of the assembly’s powers to parliament and the advisory council.
Who filed the petition?
Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Raja Nasir Abbas, Akhtar Mengal and Syed Zainul Abideen, through advocates Muazzam Butt and Baseem Ahmad Siddiqui.
