Rulers’ Internal Corruption and Incompetence Have Brought the Country to the Brink of Ruin; Stop Calling Government Criticism Treason: Mahmood Khan Achakzai

QUETTA (Daily Qudrat Quetta): Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party’s popular chairman, head of the Movement for the Protection of the Constitution of Pakistan, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and great leader of the country’s democratic ranks, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, said in his presidential address to the zonal conference of the Pashtunkhwa Students Organisation’s Southern Pashtunkhwa Zone that Pakistan is in an extremely critical state. This crisis is not due to external enemies but because of our internal corruption, bribery and dishonesty that Pakistan is in difficulty. Criticism of rulers is considered treason. We are not against the state; we want our right to rule in Pakistan in proportion to our population.

He said that during the long march in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, negotiations were underway and proved fruitful. Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was demanding that he would end the sit-in if he were allowed to meet his leader Imran Khan. Those conducting the negotiations agreed without asking anyone that it was fine, that Sunday was in between and on Monday we would meet Imran Khan. When Maulana Fazlur Rehman, as a negotiator, went there in the morning, he said a cabinet meeting would be held, and in the meeting a decision was again taken to impose Governor’s Rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa because there is terrorism there. Which terrorism? In Sindh’s katcha area, children and women are being abducted, and the Sindh government has repeatedly said it does not have control there. What is happening in our province is worse than the situation in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but why has Governor’s Rule not been imposed there?

He said that even today Pakistan can become a good country, and the only way is to strengthen democratic institutions here, make the elected parliament the source of power, and ensure every institution remains within the limits defined by the Constitution.

Mahmood Khan Achakzai said that the current government has sat on others’ mandate by terrorising 240 million people. The only cure for this terrorism is that we repent, negotiate, and help one another in building a democratic Pakistan.

Mahmood Khan Achakzai congratulated all workers of the organisation and the elected cabinet on the successful conference of the Southern Pashtunkhwa Zone.