Achakzai Warns of Rising Separatist Sentiment, Criticizes Government Policies

ISLAMABAD: Opposition leader in the Senate Mahmood Khan Achakzai has warned that separatist slogans have already emerged in Balochistan and cautioned that similar sentiments could spread to Pashtun regions due to government policies.
He made these remarks while addressing a gathering organized under the platform of Tehreek Tahaffuz Ayeen Pakistan. Several political leaders, including Raja Nasir Abbas, former senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, and Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, were also present at the event.
Achakzai said the country was heading toward dangerous circumstances and alleged that seven political parties had been brought together through “power and money.” He claimed those who undermined democracy were responsible for the current crisis.
He urged major political leaders, including Nawaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari, and Fazlur Rehman, to come forward to protect the Constitution, similar to the consensus achieved during the passage of the 18th Amendment.
The opposition leader further alleged that Pakistan’s prisons held more prisoners than Israeli jails and warned that policies being pursued by the authorities were fueling unrest in Balochistan.
Criticizing recent constitutional amendments, Achakzai said those who voted for the 26th and 27th Amendments had committed injustice. He stressed that the Constitution was the only force holding the country together and warned that weakening it could endanger national unity.
He also called for identifying and addressing the root causes of terrorism, saying that once those causes were removed, terrorism should be dealt with firmly.
Meanwhile, Raja Nasir Abbas strongly criticized state institutions and Parliament, claiming that Pakistan was currently “not truly free.” He alleged that the judiciary, Election Commission, and Parliament lacked independence and remarked that Parliament had become “like a graveyard,” reflecting what he described as the decline of dignity and integrity in the institution.