Pakistan authorities appoint Mehmood Khan Achakzai as leader of opposition in National Assembly

Islamabad, Jan 16 (PTI) Pakistan authorities on Friday appointed veteran Pashtun tribal politician Mehmood Khan Achakzai as the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly.
    The post was lying vacant since August last year after Omar Ayub Khan of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) was disqualified after conviction in a case of vandalism.
    Achakzai leads the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) and was nominated by PTI’s incarcerated founder Imran Khan. PTI is also part of the alliance.
    “Honourable Speaker has been pleased to declare Mr Mehmood Khan Achakzai, member of the National Assembly(NA), as leader of the opposition in the NA, with effect from January 16, 2026,” according to the notification of his appointment.
    NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, who issued the notification, handed over the appointment document to Achakzai, to PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan and PTI Chief Whip Amir Dogar, who met the speaker at his chambers in the Parliament House.
    Former opposition leader Omar Ayub Khan congratulated Achakzai on the appointment, saying he will “fulfil his responsibilities brilliantly”.
    “Heartiest congratulations to Mahmud Khan Achakzai sahib, who has been officially declared as the ‘leader of the opposition National Assembly’,” he said in a post on X.
    The appointment was a bone of contention between the PTI-led opposition and the government over the delay.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)