ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai has refused to resign, despite an alleged demand from a senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) committee.
According to details, the PTI committee raised the demand during a meeting held late Saturday that continued until midnight.
Speaking to close associates after a meeting of his Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Aain, or Movement for the Protection of the Constitution, late Sunday night, Achakzai said he would resign only if the person who nominated him asked him to step down.
“If the person in Adiala jail who nominated me as opposition leader asks me to leave the position, I will resign,” he said.
Achakzai, the sole parliamentarian from his Quetta-based Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), became opposition leader in January after National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq appointed him to the post.
PTI founder Imran Khan had nominated Achakzai for the position. Khan remains in jail after convictions in criminal cases, while PTI has no representation in the National Assembly, according to the report.
The speaker appointed Achakzai after a prolonged dispute over his credentials and eligibility for the role.
Achakzai also stayed away from the so-called long march led by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister last week. The march ended with the reported end of PTI’s 13-year rule in the province.
Sources said PTI-backed independent members of the National Assembly were deeply divided over the decision to launch the march and its intended destination.
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