ISLAMABAD: The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday formally submitted a request to Speaker National Assembly for the appointment of Mehmood Khan Achakzai, the leader of Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), as the PTI-backed new opposition leader in National Assembly.
Talking to reporters, PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan confirmed that Achakzai’s nomination papers had been submitted to National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.
This marks the second time the PTI has formally proposed Achakzai’s name for the position of opposition leader in the Lower House of Parliament.
The request follows a day after Speaker Sadiq resumed the process of appointing the opposition leader – a position that has remained vacant since August 2025, following the disqualification of PTI’s Omar Ayub in connection with the May 9 unrest.
In a letter to NA Speaker, PTI’s chief whip in National Assembly, Malik Aamir Dogar, wrote: “We, the undersigned members of the National Assembly from the opposition benches, are pleased to nominate Mehmood Khan Achakzai MNA (NA-266) for the position of opposition leader in National Assembly.”
The letter cited Rule 39 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007, which stipulates that the leader of the opposition must be appointed from among the opposition members who command the confidence of the majority on the opposition benches.
The PTI’s letter further affirmed that Achakzai enjoys the support of the majority of opposition members and is therefore the most qualified candidate for the role.
It stressed the need for promptly appointing the leader of the opposition to effectively fulfil constitutional and parliamentary responsibilities.
“We, therefore, request that, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure and established parliamentary practices, MNA Mehmood Khan Achakzai be appointed as the opposition leader in National Assembly without delay,” the letter stated.
Barrister Gohar also confirmed the submission of Achakzai’s nomination papers and expressed hope that the PkMAP leader would be formally appointed as opposition leader by Thursday.
In response to queries, he clarified that Achakzai was the only nominee put forward by PTI, with no other nominations submitted.
Imran Khan, the incarcerated founding chairman of PTI, had named Achakzai for the opposition leader’s role in August last year, shortly after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified Omar Ayub following his conviction in connection with May 9, 2023 riots.
The opposition had also submitted Achakzai’s nomination papers to the speaker’s office in October 2025.
The opposition PTI has consistently accused the government of delaying Achakzai’s appointment while the NA Speaker had maintained that the matter was “sub judice,” referring to Ayub’s appeal against his disqualification in Peshawar High Court (PHC).
Ayub had filed appeals against his disqualification in PHC, which he recently withdrew to clear legal hurdles for the appointment of Achakzai as the new opposition leader.
These appeals had repeatedly been cited by NA Speaker as a barrier to the appointment of a new opposition leader in National Assembly.
In December, the NA Secretariat sent a letter to PTI chief whip Aamir Dogar, requesting updates on the status of Ayub’s legal challenges.
Dogar submitted the required documents to the speaker on 5th January, after which the speaker indicated that the constitutional process for appointing a new opposition leader would be restarted in the next parliamentary session.
During Monday’s NA session, the speaker formally initiated the process for appointing the new opposition leader by requesting proposals for nominations.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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