Barrister Saif’s Statement About Mahmood Khan Achakzai Is a Product of the “Minus Imran Khan” Conspiracy and a Compromise with the Hybrid System: PkMAP

QUETTA (Daily Qudrat Quetta): The Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) has strongly condemned Barrister Saif’s statement in a TV interview describing Mahmood Khan Achakzai’s National Assembly seat as the result of Nawaz Sharif’s recommendation, terming it an attempt to distort political facts, make principled politics controversial, defame the democratic struggle, and remove the last obstacle standing in the way of “minus Imran Khan” and breaking the PTI.

The party’s statement said that Mahmood Khan Achakzai’s politics is not indebted to any individual, party or forces present in the corridors of power, but is a continuation of a long political struggle for the supremacy of the Constitution, parliamentary autonomy, democracy and the people’s right to rule. Attributing his parliamentary status to another political leader’s recommendation is not only a negation of his political struggle but is tantamount to ignoring the importance of democratic principles and the public mandate.

The statement said that after the February 2024 elections, when the hybrid system established in the country faced difficulties in strengthening its grip, elements of this kind pushed the Tehreek-e-Insaf, in the name of parliamentary role, negotiations and reconciliation, toward such a strategy that gave the regime an opportunity to dig in its claws and, by wasting time, weakened the public protest power. Repeated withdrawals from protest calls announced from the platform of the Movement for the Protection of the Constitution of Pakistan — especially the cancellation of the 22 August 2024 Sangjani/Tarnol Islamabad rally and the lack of effective implementation of the 8 February 2026 protest, shutter-down and wheel-jam call — harmed the morale of workers and the political strength of the movement.

The statement further said that serious questions exist about the role of elements like Barrister Saif within the Tehreek-e-Insaf who are considered supporters of a strategy to minus Imran Khan in a manner, limit his political status, politically isolate him and break the party to bring it to a compromise with the existing system. Targeting Imran Khan’s sisters first, who stood in their way, and after their arrests, efforts to make the principled politics of the last obstacle, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, controversial, have further strengthened these concerns. In such circumstances, Barrister Saif linking Achakzai’s seat to Nawaz Sharif’s recommendation is not merely an irresponsible political statement but also an attempt to cast doubt on the role of a genuine principled opposition.

The statement made clear that if Mahmood Khan Achakzai had made power, positions or personal interests the axis of his politics, he could have accepted the offer made before the February 2024 elections by Nawaz Sharif’s party through his confidant, which included National and Provincial Assembly seats and an appropriate share in government. But he refused to accept such an understanding on the basis of principles and to become part of the hybrid system. He also had to pay the political price for this principled stance, and the party had to lose several of its won seats.

According to the statement, Mahmood Khan Achakzai’s current National Assembly seat remained secure due to the courageous role of an honest returning officer of the constituency, who refused to change the election results despite alleged pressure. This fact indicates that the real test of democratic politics in Pakistan is not to obtain the patronage of power centres but to protect the public mandate and remain steadfast on principles in the face of pressure.

The Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party said that instead of describing Mahmood Khan Achakzai’s political struggle as the result of anyone’s recommendation or political favour, it should be judged on the basis of his principled stance, democratic role and struggle for constitutional supremacy. The way to take Pakistan out of the current political crisis is not through allegations, making personalities controversial and weakening political parties from within, but through respect for the public mandate, free elections, parliamentary supremacy and the restoration of a genuine democratic system.