Leaders of opposition in NA, Senate: PTI nominates Achakzai, Abbas

ISLAMABAD: In a strategic move to tighten the noose around the ruling coalition, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday locked in Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas as its picks for opposition leaders in the National Assembly and Senate, signalling a fresh, assertive chapter in parliamentary battles ahead.

The decision was made during a parliamentary party meeting chaired by PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, and endorsed on the basis of direct instructions conveyed by jailed party founding chairman Khan from Adiala Jail, where he remains incarcerated amid multiple legal proceedings.

Party sources confirmed that formal letters have been dispatched to National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani, with the assertion that both nominees enjoy the support of a majority of opposition lawmakers in their respective chambers.

Achakzai, a veteran politician and long-time advocate for democratic values, is not a formal member of the PTI – a detail that has reportedly caused some concern within the party’s ranks.

His nomination is being viewed as a strategic move aimed at expanding the opposition’s reach beyond PTI’s traditional cadre.

“There were initial reservations, particularly from those who supported former National Assembly Speaker AsadQaiser,” a senior party leader told Business Recorder on condition of anonymity. “However, once Khan’s message was conveyed, the matter was settled.”

The office of opposition leader in the National Assembly has remained vacant since the disqualification of Omar Ayub earlier this year, following court verdict linked to the events of May 9, 2023.

Qaiser, a senior PTI leader, had been widely considered a leading contender for the role, especially among party members who believed the position should remain within PTI’s core leadership.

However, insiders defended the eventual nominations as part of a broader political calculus to foster unity among opposition ranks.

The decision comes in the wake of an earlier directive from Khan instructing PTI lawmakers to resign from standing committees in both houses – a symbolic protest against what the party describes as a “compromised and engineered” parliamentary setup.

Despite internal differences, party leaders expressed confidence that Achakzai’s political stature and Abbas’s long-standing advocacy on key national issues would help bolster the opposition’s capacity to challenge government policy and raise concerns about alleged electoral irregularities.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025