Rulers Are Arrogant but Weak, Must Restore Constitution’s Supremacy” — Mahmood Khan Achakzai at Arshad Sharif Commemoration

Islamabad:Chairman of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and convener of the Movement for the Protection of Pakistan’s Constitution, **Mahmood Khan Achakzai**, launched a fierce critique of the country’s political and security establishment while speaking at a programme organized by the journalistic community to mark the martyrdom of journalist **Arshad Sharif**.

Addressing the gathering at the National Press Club, Achakzai said the country’s rulers were “weak compared with tyrants” yet dangerously arrogant, accusing them of strangling democratic voices and breaking the country without accountability. He said sections of the nation — Sindhis, Baloch, Punjabis and Pashtuns — had been silenced under restrictions such as Section 144, and warned that the erosion of constitutional rights cannot continue.

Achakzai recalled his family’s journalistic legacy — noting that his father, **Abdulsamad Khan Achakzai**, was also a journalist — and drew a personal parallel with the slain Arshad Sharif. He emphasized that the struggle for the supremacy of the constitution, genuine parliamentary rule, and an end to political interference by the military and intelligence agencies must unite political forces.

“The parliament must be the source of power and public policy; intelligence agencies and the military must not interfere in politics,” he said, referencing the oath taken by military leaders to uphold the constitution and arguing that such commitments must be respected in practice, not treated as a joke.

Achakzai urged major political parties — including leaders he named such as Nawaz Sharif, Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman and the Pakistan Peoples Party — to gather and agree on a few core points to restore constitutional governance, insisting that unity on fundamental principles was essential to prevent further national disintegration.

He also recounted the political and moral example of his father, who promoted non-violent political struggle, and drew on religious and historical references to underline the duty of speaking truth to power even at personal cost. He warned that continued labeling and persecution could push the country toward a major crisis.

Urging repentance and a return to democratic norms, Achakzai called for an independent, honest Election Commission, respect for the supremacy of the constitution, and clear limits on the role of security institutions. “If a single Pakistani is killed — Muslim or non-Muslim — we must all rise against it,” he said, stressing that the struggle for rights is for all citizens.

The speech closed with a call for political parties to set aside differences and agree on a compact to protect the constitution and democratic rule, a step Achakzai framed as necessary to steer Pakistan back from the brink and ensure lasting stability.