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Ex-PM Khan names Achakzai, Swati as backup opposition leaders amid legal battles

PTI lawyer says Achakzai and Swati will step in only if courts disqualify Omar Ayub and Shibli Faraz

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Javed Hussain

Correspondent

I have almost 20 years of experience in print, radio, and TV media. I started my career with "Daily Jang" after which I got the opportunity to work in FM 103, Radio Pakistan, News One, Ab Tak News, Dawn News TV, Dunya News, 92 News and regional channels Rohi TV, Apna Channel and Sach TV where I worked and gained experience in different areas of all three mediums. My journey from reporting to news anchor in these organisations was excellent. Now, I am working as a correspondent with Nukta in Islamabad, where I get the opportunity of in-depth journalism and storytelling while I am now covering parliamentary affairs, politics, and technology.

Ex-PM Khan names Achakzai, Swati as backup opposition leaders amid legal battles

Photo collage featuring Mahmood Khan Achakzai (L), PTI Chairman Imran Khan (C) and Azam Khan Swati (R).

Nukta

Former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan has nominated veteran politician Mahmood Khan Achakzai for opposition leader in the National Assembly and Senator Azam Khan Swati in the Senate, naming them as “last-resort” options if ongoing court cases unseat PTI’s current parliamentary leaders.

PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja confirmed the development to reporters outside the Supreme Court on Wednesday. He said Khan had also referred the matter of by-election tickets and nominations to the party’s political committee, which will finalize decisions in an upcoming meeting.

Contingency nominations

According to PTI’s legal team member Ali Bukhari, who met Khan in Adiala Jail on Tuesday, Achakzai’s and Swati’s nominations are conditional. They would step in only if courts rule unfavorably in the cases involving PTI leaders Omar Ayub and Shibli Faraz. “Otherwise, Ayub and Faraz will remain opposition leaders, and the legal battle will be fought to the last,” Bukhari told Nukta.

Khan reportedly stressed that these nominations would be temporary until the political situation stabilizes. He also directed the political committee to propose a candidate for opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly, after reviewing a full list of members. The committee’s decision, Khan said, would be binding.

PTI political committee to meet

Party sources confirmed that PTI’s political committee has been convened for Wednesday night to settle the question of opposition leaders and by-election strategies.

Akhunzada Hussain, spokesperson for Khan’s ally party Tehreek-e-Tahafuz Ain Pakistan (TTAP), told Nukta that Achakzai’s nomination would be subject to consultation within the alliance. “If PTI stands by Mahmood Khan Achakzai’s narrative in the Assembly, he will accept the role. Otherwise, he will not risk his four-decade political career for a position that undermines his principles,” he said.

Achakzai’s political weight

Achakzai, head of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and TTAP, has been a staunch advocate of constitutional supremacy and rule of law — qualities that, PTI insiders say, influenced Khan’s decision to nominate him. Allies argue that if appointed, Achakzai’s narrative would become PTI’s responsibility to uphold, making internal cohesion vital.

Senior PTI leader Advocate Shaista Khosa hailed the nomination as a boost for parliamentary democracy. “Mahmood Khan Achakzai is a courageous, principled and democratic leader. His leadership will strengthen the opposition’s voice in parliament,” she said, expressing hope that his long political experience would help unify opposition forces and promote democratic traditions.

Analysts believe Achakzai’s potential elevation could reshape dynamics among Pakistan’s opposition parties, with significant implications for the country’s political future.

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