Imran Khan
Pakistan opposition leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai has claimed that jailed former prime minister Imran Khan is being pressured into an agreement similar to arrangements that led former premiers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto into exile, according to a report by Dawnpublished on Saturday.Achakzai, chairman of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and leader of the opposition in Pakistan's National Assembly, made the claim at a news conference at the Peshawar High Court on Friday. He alleged that the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) were involved in a similar political arrangement.“The same is happening today with the PML-N and PPP in government,” Achakzai said, according to Dawn.The claim comes amid political tensions surrounding Imran Khan, founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who remains in prison, and opposition allegations over restrictions on political activity and the functioning of elected institutions.Achakzai was accompanied by Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP) leaders Sardar Akhtar Mengal and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas. He said opposition parties were in contact and that a multi-party conference would be convened soon.
He also said resigning from the assemblies remained an option, adding that the opposition had submitted its demands in response to an offer of negotiations.
What happened in Nawaz Sharif, Benazir Bhutto's exile cases?
Achakzai's remarks referred to the circumstances in which Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, two of Pakistan's most prominent former prime ministers, spent periods outside the country following political upheavals, Dawnreported.Sharif was ousted and imprisoned after a military coup led by then-army chief Pervez Musharraf.
He left Pakistan in 2000 under a deal negotiated with the involvement of Saudi and Lebanese leaders.Bhutto, meanwhile, went into self-imposed exile after her Pakistan Peoples Party lost the 1997 general elections, following her dismissal by then-president Farooq Leghari. Her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, was imprisoned on corruption charges and was released in 2004.Achakzai's comparison suggests that he believes a similar arrangement could be pursued in Khan's case.
However, his remarks, as reported by Dawn, did not establish that an exile agreement involving the PTI founder had been reached.
Achakzai demands access to prisoners, empowered parliament
During the news conference, Achakzai criticised restrictions on prisoners' access to meetings and called for changes to what he described as a "wrong amendment". He also demanded that parliament be empowered and an independent commission be established to ensure transparent elections.“Nowhere in the world is a prisoner denied meetings,” he said, according to Dawn.He argued that political disputes could not be resolved without strengthening parliament. He also expressed concern over the whereabouts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's chief minister and other lawmakers, demanding that the authorities disclose the chief minister's location.“We stand with the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The people of this province have the first right over its minerals.
Regardless of political affiliation, everyone must unite for the homeland,” he said, adding that they would be safer if the country survived.Mengal, who accompanied Achakzai, criticised the government's actions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and questioned the imposition of governor's rule on grounds of terrorism. He also alleged that elected representatives had been displaced and questioned the legitimacy of the political system.Raja Nasir Abbas, the opposition leader in the Senate, also criticised the situation, saying: “You cannot run a country, yet you have occupied a province,” according to Dawn.
Opposition challenges governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Separately, TTAP leaders approached the Peshawar High Court on Friday, challenging the proclamation of emergency and the imposition of governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.According to Dawn, the petitioners asked the court to declare the October 11 proclamation, issued under Articles 232(1) and 234 of Pakistan's Constitution, unconstitutional and without lawful authority.
They argued that the constitutional conditions required for imposing the measures had not been met or that the government had exceeded its powers.The petition also challenged the purported transfer of the provincial assembly's legislative powers to parliament, the displacement of the elected chief minister and provincial cabinet, and the establishment of the proposed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Advisory Council and Area Development Secretariat.The petitioners sought the annulment of executive orders and notifications linked to the proclamation, including the deployment of armed forces to the extent that it allegedly violated constitutional requirements.They also requested interim relief to prevent the displacement of elected institutions and restrictions on elected representatives while the court considers the case.The legal challenge adds to the opposition's broader campaign against federal intervention in the province, as Achakzai seeks to bring opposition parties together over constitutional issues, political rights and negotiations with the government.