Former Prime Minister and PTI founder Imran Khan has nominated opposition alliance chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai as the new Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly.
Sources said Khan, during meetings with visitors at Adiala Jail, confirmed the nomination and instructed further consultations regarding the Senate opposition leader slot, where PTI’s Azam Swati remains the leading candidate.
The development comes after PTI’s Omar Ayub lost his position as opposition leader following his conviction in the May 9 cases by an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC). He was also removed from the Public Accounts Committee and all standing committees.
Following the verdict, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued disqualification notices for both Omar Ayub and Shibli Faraz under Article 63(1)(h) of the Constitution, which bars convicted individuals of offences involving moral turpitude from Parliament. The two leaders have since challenged the decision in the Peshawar High Court.
The ECP’s notification cited the ATC Faisalabad’s ruling, which sentenced Ayub and Faraz to prison terms of up to 10 years in connection with the May 9 violence cases. The decision came shortly after the ATC concluded hearings in three separate cases related to violent protests that erupted following Imran Khan’s arrest.
