ISLAMABAD: A fresh legal confrontation is likely to emerge on the possible appointment of Mahmood Khan Achakzai as the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly.
According to sources, several founding PTI leaders, including Akbar S. Babar, have joined hands and are preparing to challenge the move on the judicial front in case the National Assembly speaker approves Achakzai’s appointment. It is learnt that serious consideration is being given to taking the matter either to the Federal Constitutional Court or the Election Commission of Pakistan.
Sources revealed that the Supreme Court, in a landmark judgment delivered in 2018 in a case related to the Election Act 2017 — in which Imran Khan himself was a petitioner — had clearly ruled that a convicted person cannot interfere in political matters. In light of the verdict, sources argue that the PTI founder is legally barred from making political decisions or nominations.
At the same time, senior PTI officials have publicly stated that Achakzai has been nominated for the coveted position by the PTI founder. Sources maintain that the apparent contradiction is likely to become the central point of any legal challenge. According to insiders, if the National Assembly speaker issues a formal notification appointing the opposition leader on the nomination made by the PTI founder, Babar and other leaders of the party are expected to immediately approach the Federal Constitutional Court or the Election Commission. Sources add that consultations with legal experts and senior lawyers have already begun to finalise the strategy for a possible court battle.
