Real Source of Power Is the Elected Parliament; Authority Over Domestic, Internal and External Decisions Must Rest with the House: Mahmood Khan Achakzai

ISLAMABAD (Daily Qudrat Quetta) — Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Chairman, Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Aaeen Pakistan head, and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai expressed his views in the National Assembly session, which the National Assembly censored. Mahmood Khan Achakzai said: dialogue for what? You give us unconditional support; come, we will take an oath. The dialogue will be on this point that the source of power will be this elected parliament. Decisions on national, internal and external matters will be made here. The people of the provinces will have authority over the provinces’ resources, and there will be complete provincial autonomy.

“All problems will be resolved from this House. The people of the provinces must have complete authority over their resources. Provincial autonomy will be respected. The Senate should also be given the same powers that the National Assembly has. We will provide you unconditional support. Come, make Parliament the real source of power. What kind of system is this? Is this martial law? This is even worse than martial law. I apologize, but a person who is not even an elected representative of the people — not a single word can be spoken here against his will. Not a single word can be said. Whatever is happening, all of it is happening by his will.”

Mahmood Khan Achakzai said that Pakistan is a voluntary federation. Here there is neither a victor nor a vanquished. The Constitution was framed with great difficulty, after Pakistan was broken — and Pakistan was broken because of our excesses. Mujibur Rahman was a middle-class worker. He used to work for the party riding a bicycle. But the powerful circles here kept a sick man sitting as Governor-General whose language no one understood. He used to hurl abuses, and his English secretary would interpret it as: ‘His Excellency is saying this.’ You tolerated this kind of thing because he belonged to a particularly powerful quarter. It is famous about Sikandar Mirza that he was the grandson of the man who betrayed Siraj-ud-Daulah in the field and through whom Lord Clive defeated Muslim armies for the first time. He was the master of Pakistan’s black and white. A sick man! In those days, as I mentioned earlier, the political parties of East Pakistan formed a united front, while he abolished all political parties of West Pakistan. This situation was intolerable to him; it was the same saying: ‘My cat and only I should say meow.’ The rot started from there. According to Hamid Sahib’s book, ultimately six generals decided that East Pakistan should be separated. Mr. Speaker! How is this possible? Will you beat us in the hundreds — no, in the thousands — for violating Section 144?” “Your members were caught by secret agencies exactly the way a cat catches a mouse, and you did nothing. The Speaker is the custodian of the House. The day you become the true custodian of this House, I will be the first person to salute you. Among all of us, you sit on this chair, but you are not fulfilling your responsibility.”

Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai said: “What has been done to Parliament? What kind of parliament has this become? Everyone is saying it is martial law. It is even worse than martial law. I apologize — a man who is not even elected, not a single word can be said against his will. Not a single word can be said. Against his will, whatever he says, you will have to accept. And if permission has to be sought, you cannot seek it; he will go and ask somewhere else. You have reduced Parliament to this state. For Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Aaeen Pakistan and for any Pakistani who believes in democracy, this is absolutely unacceptable. We will stop them, we will certainly stop them. We will form a front of all democratic parties that believe in the Constitution.”

Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai said that people were protesting that our Speaker was removed and the government was broken. They were fired upon directly; someone was shot here, someone was shot there. Have we produced our children so that you do not even allow them to cry for their rights? Will you not even let them protest? Fear that day! Believe in God — I spread my lap before you. Fear that day when, God forbid, the people show a reaction to this oppression; then you will not even find a place to hide. For God’s sake! Have mercy on this country.”

Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai said: “All four assemblies were broken under these same allegations. Under 58(2)(b), four assemblies were broken by Ghulam Ishaq Khan, Fazal Ilahi, and once by Farooq Leghari. The same allegations were leveled: you are a thief, you are a dacoit, you are corrupt, you are this, you are that. Our assemblies were broken. If your speeches are dug out, all of you condemned this practice. Everyone condemned this practice. Now you are saying this is terrorism. Mr. Prime Minister! You people have abducted him. Along with him, you abducted MPAs; along with him, you abducted MNAs. You are abductors, you are terrorists! You have attacked an elected parliament that represents tens of millions of people. The elections held on February 8 — swear by God as witness, place your hand on your heart and take an oath: were these elections real?”

“The elections held on February 8 — you believe in God, in Allah, in the Prophet, in the Quran. Take an oath: did you win these elections? By the oath of your daughter-in-law, your daughter-in-law’s oath, your wife’s oath, let your son swear: did you win these elections? You have terrorized 240 million people. What is terror, what is terror? You came through the wrong means, and then, riding on others’ horses, you want to trample the politics of this world? We have made sacrifices for democracy with great difficulty. They say they are terrorists.”

Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai said: “Who carried out assassination attempts on us? Who carried out the assassination attempt by entering Asfandyar Wali Khan’s home? Was Sohail the Chief Minister at that time? Maulana Fazlur Rehman was attacked three times — three attacks! Is there anyone to ask? My vehicle was completely destroyed — did you investigate it? Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao and his nephew were attacked twice; in one attack 42 people were martyred and in the other 34 people were martyred. Did you investigate them? Was it Sohail Afridi? These are all clear indications; this was not the work of any gentleman. What terrorism are you talking about? The mother who gave birth to this terrorism is you yourselves. We Pakistanis… when Soviet forces entered Afghanistan, without asking us, without taking Parliament’s permission, you made Pakistan a frontline state.”

Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai said that Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Asfandyar Wali, Sherpao, or any Pashtun politician… no politician from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could go into FATA. Could not go there; one had to go there with a permit. You sent 6,000 terrorists there. 6,000 terrorists! Maulana Fazlur Rehman could not go there, Asfandyar could not go, Sherpao could not go. You distributed 6,000 terrorists there. Your Parliament member Maulana Noor Muhammad was martyred in his office along with 12 people. Maulana Mirajuddin was our member; he was martyred — who did this? Mr. Speaker! 1,200 social figures were shot dead in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. At that time Sohail Afridi was a schoolchild. Mr. Speaker! You brought terrorism. You brought terrorism. Where was the world’s biggest terrorist arrested? When we say something and do something else, the result is that we become disgraced. The world’s most dangerous terrorist — the world says he is with you. We say no, we are Muslims, we are against terrorism. Then what happened — two helicopters. Two helicopters came. Mr. Law Minister! I am telling you. Two helicopters came. Because of these things of ours — that we say something and do something else — two helicopters came; they shredded our sovereignty. One went down, and all of us, 240 million Pakistanis, including the Pakistan Armed Forces, sat at home. Even then we did not repent; even then we did not repent. This fire that Pakistan has carried to the mountains of Waziristan, to the mountains of Balochistan — where does this fire fly in from? Actually, your brain was ruined by reading the Englishmen’s books. The Englishman used to say: in Afghanistan there should be governance of my choosing. As long as Taliban… as long as the Taliban accepted this demand of yours, the Taliban are your creation. The Taliban are your creation. You, by becoming a frontline state, showed all the routes to your cantonments to all the people of Afghanistan, gave them training here, armed them here, and released them into the world. Then when the Soviet Union left, you, from them, their rulers… just as we today — someone should at least fear God.”

“Someone should at least fear God. Did we teach them to blow up bridges, blow up madrasas, and destroy constructions? Did we teach all this? And then when the war ended, we should have warned those countries that such-and-such person is a walking threat, handle him. He can do anything. You did not stop them; wherever our terrorists went, they started the same spectacle. In Algeria, whoever was caught would say: I trained in ‘Charat.’ In Saudi Arabia, whoever was caught would say: I trained in ‘Pishin’ or ‘Zhob.’ The historian of Alexander the Great, Toynbee — I challenge: if any historian has written that the Pashtun as a nation is either sectarian or terrorist, then I will give up my seat too, apologize to you, and go home.”

Mahmood Khan Achakzai said that many people have written the history of Afghanistan. Hindu spies went, English spies went, French spies went, and other spies also went; the opinion of all of them is that these are friendly people. Here lodging and food are free; bread and bed are free. However, Pashtuns, Afghans, or whoever they are — you occupied all the provinces of Pakistan, but one province was not according to your will.”

“What happened to our political parties, the same mischief they are now doing. Regarding governor’s rule — this is my own province. The allegations you have leveled are not even a fraction of the situation in our province. In half the province, the writ of the government has ended. But since my friend and the Chief Minister is your right hand, the ministers are with you, and you are all party to all their matters, therefore your attention does not go there; fine, Bismillah, go ahead. I swear by God I have not spoken to anyone, but from their side too, from the Sindhi brothers’ side too, from the Baloch brothers’ side too, and from the Pashtun brothers’ side too, this is a clear message. The plan you people have made to seize our resources — over minerals, over waters, over forests and trees — we will fully resist it. We will adopt a completely political path. Scholars and all political parties will join us. Do not mess with us in the matter of what Allah has given us. We do not ask you for charity or zakat; build Pakistan together. The way to build Pakistan is to pass a resolution today and right now — if terrorism in Pakistan does not decrease by fifty percent because of it, I will quit politics. Move a resolution that: Sindhis, you have complete authority over Sindh’s coasts and resources. Baloch brothers, you have complete authority over Baloch coasts and resources. Punjabi brothers, the spectacle that your government has become, we will cure it and solve your farmers’ problems.”

Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai said: “In America, Russia, and China, and anywhere in the world, even the worst murderers do not face such restrictions. There are no restrictions on people involved in other serious crimes and serial killers, so why restrictions on Imran Khan? Why, after all? What has happened? This is a crime. You are forcing a prisoner to make a deal with you. The people you are supporting and who are using you — they are the ones who forced your leader in Attock Fort, put him on a plane, handcuffed him, and forcibly exiled him to Saudi Arabia. One person had to go to Saudi Arabia, but a whole army of 76 or 78 people, including Shehbaz Sharif, was sent off to Saudi Arabia. What was not done to Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto? And ultimately she was killed. For God’s sake, have mercy on this country. If conditions were truly like this, we would support you, but in other provinces conditions are even worse. For God’s sake, think — how can we sleep? In a country where more than 80 people are shot dead daily, 2,400 a month and 28,000 a year, and yet it is called the ‘fortress of Islam’? What kind of Islam is this in which taking bribes, beating opponents, and looting one’s own country are permissible? Yes, this fortress of Islam is only to the extent that Islam has been imprisoned in this very fortress; now it has become merely a name. If you want to make Pakistan truly a fortress of Islam and a democratic country, then we stand with you.”

“Terrorism of sect against sect, community against community, nation against nation, and the state against its own people — I oppose that too. When the state picks up the gun, what path remains for the people? Information has just come that in Swabi, Charsadda, and Mardan you have entered people’s homes. What do you want? Today I am addressing you and speaking, Mr. Speaker! I did not tell my family; I did not tell these colleagues. On the 26th, the Senate session is also due. A boy named Riaz lives with me; I did not even tell my wife. We did not register an FIR, and we will not. There is a company in Karachi; a police team and unidentified persons caught him. There were two women with them. Consider it an FIR or whatever — there were two women with them; they snatched the car from them and gave them a message: strip him. Strip him and make a video of him with that girl. What fondness have you developed for stripping people? What do you want to see? What do you want to see? It was said: strip him, make his video, and send that video to his wife. Look, I did not even register an FIR; my family will be angry with me. He also did not tell his family. I did not get an FIR registered. What do you want? Absolutely, pick him up, pick him up. Today he was sitting with me; I said Riaz is late, what happened to him? The poor man came, he was panicked. He told me: they kept me sitting for an hour, parked the car there, and also said: if we take you away, how much money will we get? He said: not a single penny; I am a poor man, I work with Mahmood. Will you run us and Pakistan this way? This way? Now those clothes — what clothes? Sisters are sitting here, otherwise I would have opened up the matter.”

Leader of the Opposition Mahmood Khan Achakzai’s address to the National Assembly, which the National Assembly censored.