ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Friday officially notified Mahmood Khan Achakzai as the Leader of the Opposition in the lower house, ending a months-long vacancy in the key parliamentary position.
The notification was issued by the National Assembly Secretariat with the approval of Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, in accordance with Rule 39 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007. According to the notification, Achakzai, an MNA and chief of Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP), has assumed the office with effect from January 16, 2026.
The speaker handed over the notification to a delegation of opposition members at his chamber. The delegation included MNAs Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Junaid Akbar, Sardar Latif Khosa, Jamal Ehsan Khan, Shehram Khan, Shandana Gulzar, Makhdoom Muhammad Zain Qureshi, Ali Asghar Khan, Malik Anwar Taj, and Yousaf Khan.
Earlier during the House proceedings, the speaker had asked the opposition chief whip to collect the notification from his office.
The post of Leader of the Opposition had remained vacant since August last year following the disqualification of Omar Ayub Khan. The speaker accorded approval for Achakzai’s appointment after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) withdrew its petition from the Peshawar High Court challenging Omar Ayub’s disqualification.
Achakzai, who also heads the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), was nominated for the position by PTI founder Imran Khan after Omar Ayub’s disqualification in connection with a May 9 case.
Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar and Prime Minister’s Coordinator on Climate Change Romina Khurshid Alam were also present during notification handing over to the delegation.
Meanwhile, following the National Assembly, the process for notifying the opposition leader in Senate has also gained momentum.
Sources said consultations are actively under way within the Senate Secretariat, where legal and procedural aspects of the appointment are being closely examined. After the opposition leadership was finalised in the National Assembly, focus has now shifted to the upper house.
According to sources, the Senate secretary, in coordination with other relevant authorities, is engaged in detailed deliberations to ensure that the appointment strictly complies with constitutional and legal requirements. All procedural considerations are being carefully reviewed before the issuance of a formal notification.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had nominated Allama Raja Nasir Abbas as its candidate for the position of Leader of the Opposition in Senate. Once notified, he is expected to play a central role in coordinating opposition strategy and holding the government to account in the upper house.
Sources said the notification is expected shortly, marking another important step in the completion of parliamentary opposition leadership.
Separately, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said on Friday any meaningful political dialogue would require creation of an atmosphere of confidence, insisting that confidence-building measures must precede talks.
Speaking to reporters, he said the PTI had consistently supported dialogue, but the mandate to engage in talks now rests with opposition leaders Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas. “If talks are to be held, an atmosphere of confidence will have to be created first,” he said.
Barrister Gohar called for facilitating meetings between PTI founder Imran Khan and his family members as well as party leadership. He also demanded that meetings be arranged between Bushra Bibi and her family, expressing hope that the scheduled meeting next week would be facilitated.
Meanwhile, PTI leader Salman Akram Raja, while talking to the media in Rawalpindi, criticised the government’s engagement with the opposition, alleging it was an attempt to create a false impression of dialogue.
Referring to public sentiment, he said the situation witnessed in Karachi reflected widespread frustration with the prevailing system, adding that people were increasingly standing against it. He further claimed that official data showed Pakistan was experiencing the worst economic conditions in its history.
Suleman Akram also criticised the justice system, alleging that citizens were subjected to undue punishment while their appeals remained pending for years, calling it part of a broader systemic failure.
On the other hand, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf estranged leader and former party information secretary Akbar S. Babar announced on Friday he would challenge the appointment of Mahmood Khan Achakzai as the NA opposition leader before the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC).
Reacting to the development, he termed the notification unconstitutional and illegal, arguing that the decision had exacerbated political uncertainty. “This decision will be challenged in the Federal Constitutional Court. Such actions only reinforce the prevailing chaos in the country, which Pakistan can no longer afford,” he said.
He maintained that the Constitution and laws of Pakistan did not permit a convicted person to influence or make major political decisions from jail, an apparent reference to the incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan.
Describing the move as a “politics of muk muka” under the guise of reconciliation, Babar alleged that the ruling party was facilitating backroom arrangements. He said that while earlier there were two main players in the power struggle, a third had now entered the arena. He criticised political parties that, he said, claimed to champion democracy but failed to practise it internally. He alleged that such parties neither participated meaningfully in parliamentary proceedings nor respected Supreme Court verdicts, yet continued to portray themselves as defenders of democratic values.
Calling the prevailing system a “unique democracy,” he said it had produced prosperity for rulers while leaving the public in distress. “It is time to bury self-serving politics forever,” he added.
