ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has said that Mahmood Khan Achakzai will be officially notified as the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly by Thursday.
Speaking to reporters at the National Assembly on Tuesday, Barrister Gohar said the nomination papers of Achakzai — who also heads the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) — have been submitted and are currently undergoing verification, which is expected to be completed on Wednesday.
He said only one nomination has been filed so far.
Addressing internal party matters, Barrister Gohar dismissed speculation about a forward bloc within PTI and reiterated that Imran Khan remains the undisputed chairman of the party.
“Khan Sahib was, he is, and will remain the PTI chairman,” he said, adding that no political body or apex committee could override Imran Khan’s decisions.
PTI was compelled to nominate new opposition leaders in both houses after Omar Ayub, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, and Shibli Faraz, Senate Opposition Leader, were removed from their posts on August 9 following convictions related to the May 9 cases.
In a separate development, PTI Chief Whip Malik Aamir Dogar formally wrote to National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, stating that the opposition had unanimously nominated Achakzai for the position.
The letter noted that the opposition leader’s post has remained vacant since August last year and stressed that democratic norms grant the opposition the right to select its own leader. Dogar urged the speaker to issue the notification under Rule 39 of the National Assembly Rules of Procedure and Conduct, 2007.
A day earlier, a PTI delegation led by Barrister Gohar met Speaker Sadiq to discuss the matter. The delegation included Asad Qaiser, Aamir Dogar, Atif Khan, and other MNAs.
According to The News, the speaker assured the delegation that the appointment would be finalised by Thursday. Speaker Sadiq had earlier directed the opposition to submit nominations by 3pm on January 13, with verification and counting of signatures scheduled for January 14.