ISLAMABAD: The incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman, Imran Khan, on Wednesday again nominated Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Chairman Mahmood Khan Achakzai as the opposition leader in the National Assembly until cases against Omar Ayub are decided.
Talking to reporters after the Toshakhana II case against Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, PTI leader Senator Ali Zafar said that Khan has nominated Achakzai as opposition leader.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in August this year disqualified PTI’s Omar Ayub Khan as the opposition leader in the national assembly, following his convictions in the May 9 cases.
He said that Khan has expressed annoyance over the public spat between Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur and his sister Aleem Khan and summoned Gandapur for an urgent meeting in jail today (Thursday). Khan has barred both (Gandapur and his sister) from making statements against each other in public, Zafar said while quoting Khan.
It is pertinent to mention here that both Gandapur and Aleema Khan have levelled serious allegations against each other after meeting with Khan. Gandapur accused Khan’s sister of creating a divide within the party and alleged that she was being facilitated by the Military Intelligence (MI) and establishment.
Zafar said that Khan has expressed regret over the public spat between Gandapur and his sister and emphasised that such behaviour only benefits the anti-PTI forces. “There should be no public exchange of allegations,” Zafar said while quoting Khan as saying.
He further clarified that there has been no discussion about the removal of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister. However, he (Khan) said that the Chief Minister has the authority to make administrative changes and he can make changes in the cabinet.
He said that Khan has reshuffled the party’s coordination team, appointing four new coordinators. This four-member team will now be responsible for handling legal matters, especially if the Khan is held in a solitary confinement. The team will also manage and finalize the list of people allowed to meet him, he said.
Earlier, Special Judge Central Shahrukh Arjumand, hearing Toshakhana II case against Khan and his wife at a makeshift court at Adiala Jail, adjourned the case till today (Thursday) after defence lawyer completed cross-examination of 19th prosecution witness.
During the proceedings, defence lawyer Qausain Faisal Mufti conducted cross-examination of NAB officer and prosecution witness, Mohsin Haroon. Cross-examination of the 20th prosecution witness is currently under way and is expected to be concluded in the next session.
So far, testimonies of all 20 prosecution witnesses have been recorded, and cross-examination of 19 of them has been completed.
During the hearing, both the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi were presented in the courtroom. Khan’s sister Aleema Khan, Dr Uzma Khan, and Noreen Khanam Niazi and others attended the hearing.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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