HYDERABAD: Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief and leader of Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Aiyeen Pakistan (TTAP), Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Saturday said the country can move forward only if parliamentary supremacy is ensured and all nationalities and provinces are given their due rights.
Talking to the media after meeting Qaumi Awami Tehreek (QAT) chief Ayaz Latif Palijo at his residence in Hyderabad, Achakzai said the TTAP was formed to resist attacks on the Constitution, adding that all concerns raised by the opposition have now proven to be true.
Former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas were also part of the delegation.
Referring to Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, he said Jinnah once remarked that his pockets were full of counterfeit coins, and today there is a need for a movement to remove those counterfeit coins from the system. He said Pakistan is a federation of nations and can only function smoothly if all nationalities are given equal rights and a fair share in power.
Achakzai proposed that five major political parties should form a national government for four months to hold transparent elections, after which power should be handed over to the winning party. He said the current rulers lack the capacity to govern. He also called for a three-day roundtable conference involving all stakeholders to put the country back on track.
Earlier, QAT chief Ayaz Latif Palijo said he was thankful to the delegation, including Mehmood Khan Achakzai, for visiting Hyderabad. He said Qaumi Awami Tehreek has been part of political alliances in the past, including the MRD formed to end Zia-ul-Haq’s dictatorship, and the current alliance has also been established to “restore democracy through a political struggle”.
He criticised the 26th Constitutional Amendment, alleged restrictions on courts, and termed the Peca Act a curtailment of press freedom. He maintained that Sindh’s share in the NFC and other budgets has been reduced and the province was being kept under constant pressure.
Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said in times of crisis, it is always the common people who suffer. He alleged that innocent people, including women leaders such as Yasmin Rashid, are languishing in jails, while PTI founder Imran Khan, whom he termed the most popular leader in the country, is imprisoned in what he called false cases. He demanded immediate elections, “restoration of the Constitution” and establishment of “a democratic government”.
Former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser said the country was being run in violation of law and constitutional norms, and that “institutions have been compromised”. He criticised the Sindh government over poor infrastructure, lack of clean drinking water and deteriorating road conditions. He alleged that the public mandate has been snatched through Form-47 and called on the people to support protests and a strike on February 8.
The political leaders agreed that the restoration of true democracy and constitutional rule has become inevitable for the survival of the country.
As part of marking the 122nd birth birthday of GM Syed, a delegation of TTAP attended the events in Sann and addressed the gathering. The delegation appealed to the participants to support and join the strike scheduled for February 8.
