PTI finalises Achakzai as NA opposition leader, Nasir Abbas for Senate

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has finalised Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai as Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) Head Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas for the same role in the Senate, sources privy to the matter said on Monday.

The two names were finalised during a meeting of the PTI's parliamentary committee.

PTI MNAs have acceded to the appointment of Achakzai as the opposition leader in the lower house, while Senators have endorsed Abbas's name for the same role in the upper house, sources said.

Following the agreement, the opposition will submit their names to the NA and Senate Secretariat, respectively, tomorrow (Tuesday).

PTI was forced to name new opposition leaders in both houses after Omar Ayub, Leader of Opposition in NA, and Shibli Faraz, opposition leader in the Senate, were denotified from the top parliamentary positions on August 9, following their convictions in the May 9 cases.

Several PTI leaders, including Ayub, Faraz, and Zartaj Gul, were sentenced to 10 years in prison each on July 31, in connection with a case registered in the aftermath of the May 9, 2023.

Meanwhile, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said that party founder and former prime minister Imran Khan endorsed Achakzai and Abbas for the top parliamentary positions.

Speaking to Geo.tv, Raja said that the party has begun the process for the two politicians' nominations in both houses following Khan's directives to the parliamentary committee.

"Our movement will begin with a new zeal. Omar Ayub and Shibli Faraz remain our leaders. They will assume their duties when their matters get sorted out in the courts," he added.

The PTI has been facing legal and political woes for over two years following the May 9 riots, which saw violent protests across the country after the PTI founder was arrested from the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in a graft case.

Several PTI leaders and workers were released on bail after their arrests, while many still remain behind bars.

The deposed prime minister, who was ousted from power via the opposition's no-confidence motion in April 2022, has also been behind bars since August 2023.