‘This Is a Government of Killers Driving Pakistan Towards Destruction,’ Says Mahmood Khan Achakzai
PESHAWAR: Opposition Leader in the National Assembly and Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen Pakistan chairman Mahmood Khan Achakzai has accused the ruling government of using deadly force against peaceful protesters to protect its hold on power, warning that Pakistan is being pushed towards disaster.
Speaking to the media in Peshawar, the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief said the authorities were resorting to direct gunfire against demonstrators, adding that political leaders must fulfil their responsibilities to prevent the country from descending further into crisis.
“Protests take place in France, but nobody opens fire. We take out rallies, and they shoot people directly in the head,” Achakzai said.
ہم جلوس نکالتے ہیں یہ سیدھی سر میں گولیاں مارتے ہیں۔ یہ قاتلوں کی حکومت ہے۔ ٹی ایل پی کے کارکنان کو مارا گیا، 120 سے زائد کشمیریوں کو مارا گیا، یہ قاتل ہیں۔ فرانس میں مظاہرے ہوئے کسی نے گولی نہیں چلائی۔ اس حکومت کے خلاف نہ اٹھنا جرم ہے، محمود اچکزئی https://t.co/ZZSodMNOQ3
— Rizwan Ghilzai (Remembering Arshad Sharif) (@rizwanghilzai) October 20, 2026
He claimed that more than 120 people, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) workers and Kashmiris, had been killed during protests. He argued that remaining silent and failing to raise one’s voice against what he described as an oppressive government and system had become a serious wrongdoing.
Achakzai Questions 2024 Election Results
Addressing the issue of elections and the public mandate, Achakzai alleged that the votes of 40 million people had been subjected to a serious mockery and called for an immediate end to what he described as the denial of the people’s electoral choices.
He said that, regardless of whether one considered PTI founder Imran Khan good or bad, it was an undeniable fact, in his view, that Imran Khan and his party had clearly won the 2024 general elections.
However, he alleged that the ruling establishment had refused to recognise that mandate from the outset and had used intimidation and threats to reduce the party’s representation in the National Assembly to 70 seats.
Opposition Leader Criticises Courts and Powerful Institutions
Achakzai also criticised the judiciary and powerful state institutions, alleging that they had joined forces against the public mandate.
He claimed that PTI had been deprived of its electoral symbol through court proceedings and that party members had been forcibly taken away.
He further alleged that the party’s reserved seats for women and minorities had been distributed among other political parties as if they were spoils of war.
اگر سیاسی لوگوں نے اپنی ذمہ داریاں پوری نہ کیں تو یہ بربادی پاکستان کو نگل جائے گی۔ یہ پاگل کے بچے پاکستان کو بربادی کے کنویں میں ڈال رہے ہیں، محمود اچکزئی https://t.co/tswEeRaiGV
— Umer Inam (@UmerInamPk) October 20, 2026
Expressing disappointment with the political parties that received those seats, Achakzai said none had refused to accept them on the grounds that they did not rightfully belong to them.
Warns of Dangerous Consequences if Justice Is Denied
The opposition leader warned that attempts were now being made to target what he described as the last remaining political stronghold of Imran Khan’s party, which, according to his claim, had received 40 million votes.
He urged judges and everyone who believed in justice, democracy and fundamental rights to examine the situation, arguing that people were being denied the right to protest after what he described as the seizure of their electoral mandate and governments.
Achakzai warned that if courts failed to deliver fair decisions in accordance with the Constitution and the law, disputes could ultimately be settled on the streets, a situation he said would pose a serious danger to the country.
“If political leaders fail to fulfil their responsibilities, this destruction will engulf Pakistan,” he warned.
He called on all political forces and those in positions of responsibility to act immediately, exercise restraint and take necessary steps to prevent the country from sliding further into instability.
