Is This Country for the Army or the People? Agencies Must Stay Out of Politics, Talks Impossible Without Meeting PTI Founder: Mahmood Khan Achakzai

Islamabad: Chairman of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), Mahmood Khan Achakzai, has strongly criticized what he described as the role of powerful institutions in politics, asserting that Pakistan belongs to its people and should not be treated like a colony.

Addressing the “Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan Conference” in Islamabad, Achakzai said that those who hold guns have no right to interfere in political affairs and that state agencies must operate strictly within their constitutional limits. He stressed that Pakistan is a democratic country and its future must be decided by the will of the people.

He termed the formation of the current government as a “theft of the public mandate” given on February 8, and said his party is open to negotiations. However, he laid down a clear condition, stating that no dialogue is possible unless Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan is allowed to meet his party leadership and family members.

Mahmood Khan Achakzai warned that the situation in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa resembles a state of war, cautioning that if the public were to come into conflict with the army, it would lead to national devastation. He emphasized that the only way out of the crisis is through a transparent Election Commission, the principle of “one person, one vote,” and complete supremacy of Parliament.

He concluded by calling for a grand national dialogue involving all institutions, political forces, and intellectuals to safeguard the Constitution and steer the country out of its current political turmoil.