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• Suggested slug: faisal-vawda-no-one-bigger-than-pakistan
• Category: Politics
• Focus keyphrase: Faisal Vawda interview Pakistan
• SEO title: Faisal Vawda: No One Is Bigger Than Pakistan
• Meta description: Senator Faisal Vawda says Pakistan is heading towards neither dictatorship nor a presidential system, hitting out at “sham democracy”.
• Tags: Faisal Vawda, Senate, PTI, K-P governor’s rule, Express News, Centre Stage, Ali Muhammad Khan, Pakistani politics
• Original element: explainer context — Vawda’s remarks land a day after parliament approved governor’s rule in K-P; the piece explains the system-change debate he was responding to and why the PTI’s removal in Peshawar has reopened it
• Source: Tribune (“No one is bigger than Pakistan: Vawda”, published 17 Oct 2026)

Faisal Vawda: No One Is Bigger Than Pakistan

Senator Faisal Vawda has said Pakistan is heading towards neither dictatorship nor a presidential system, as he criticised what he described as “sham democracy” and declared that no prime minister or chief minister was greater than the country.

Speaking on Express News programme Centre Stage, Vawda said ordinary Pakistanis needed basic necessities and services, including flour, sugar, schools, colleges and affordable transport, but those who controlled such resources had become rulers. He said the living standards of ordinary people had continued to deteriorate, adding that public patience had run out.

A swipe at the political class

Vawda said education in Sindh and Punjab was in a worse state than in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, but stressed that the country did not belong to any individual or family. His remarks appeared aimed at the dynastic politics that have long defined Pakistan’s two largest provinces, where the Sharifs and the Bhutto-Zardaris remain the dominant forces.

He said terrorism could not be eliminated within two to four months, although efforts to tackle it would begin. Recalling his remarks in 2018, he said he had called for the military to be respected, arguing that its role had enabled Pakistan to establish itself internationally.

Vawda also said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf also had capable people who would be given opportunities, whether as parliamentarians or in other roles. The comment is notable because Vawda was once among the PTI’s most outspoken voices before parting ways with the party, and his acknowledgment of its bench strength carries weight in the current standoff.

PTI sees more room for dialogue

PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan, who appeared alongside Vawda, said there was now greater room for dialogue than before, following the removal of the party’s provincial government in K-P. He said securing the release of PTI founder Imran Khan was currently a greater priority than access to medication.

Ali Muhammad Khan said a government enjoying what he described as three-fourths public support had been removed, throwing the country into a volatile situation. He questioned whether the fight against terrorism could be won without the PTI, saying the party had been cooperating. He described the imposition of governor’s rule in K-P as an arbitrary decision.

Why the timing matters

Vawda’s interview comes a day after a joint sitting of parliament approved governor’s rule in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, following the National Assembly and Senate’s earlier endorsement of the emergency proclamation. The opposition has vowed a joint struggle against the move, with opposition leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai announcing plans for an all-parties conference.

For the PTI, the priority has visibly shifted. With its K-P government gone and its founder in jail, the party’s spokesmen are talking less about street agitation and more about dialogue and Imran Khan’s release.

What to watch

The immediate question is whether the all-parties conference announced by the opposition materialises and what it demands. The second is whether the government’s offer of talks turns into a real negotiation or another round of shadow-boxing.

Frequently asked questions

What did Faisal Vawda say about Pakistan’s political system?

He said Pakistan was heading towards neither dictatorship nor a presidential system, and criticised what he called “sham democracy”, adding that no prime minister or chief minister was bigger than the country.

Where did Vawda make these remarks?

He was speaking on the Express News programme Centre Stage, in an interview aired on Friday.

What did the PTI’s Ali Muhammad Khan say?

He said there was now greater room for dialogue following the removal of the PTI’s K-P government, and that securing Imran Khan’s release was a bigger priority than access to medication.