ISLAMABAD: Mahmood Khan Achakzai, head of the Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) and chairman of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, lamented on Saturday that the Constitution and the law “have been torn to shreds” in the country and asked that the sovereignty of Parliament be acknowledged.
He expressed these views in the inaugural address at the two-day national conference titled “Protection of the Consensus Constitution: The Need of the Hour and a Way Forward through Collective Wisdom”, organised by TTAP – an alliance of opposition parties.
The opposition alliance had announced the national conference after Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry assailed Imran Khan for creating and spreading an “anti-army” rhetoric, stating that such narratives were now out of the realm of politics and had become a “national security threat”.
“The current situation in the country is such that the Constitution and the law have been torn to shreds, and raising one’s voice against it is the responsibility of every conscious citizen,” Achakzai said.
The veteran politician said that until now, they had remained under the illusion that at some stage constitutional supremacy would be established in the country, but that these hopes were now fading.
He stressed that all political forces must rise above temporary party interests, power-sharing considerations, and political affiliations, and think seriously about formulating a consensus course of action.
Achakzai said, “It has now become inevitable to raise a fundamental question: Is this country meant for the military, or is the military meant for the country? If the military is subordinate to the country, then what is the justification for constitutional exemptions?”
Speaking about negotiations with the government, he said it must be clear who the talks would be held with, on what points, and under what conditions.
“The first prerequisite for paving the way for negotiations is the immediate lifting of restrictions on meetings with incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan by his family members, lawyers, and political leaders.”
“On the one hand, meetings with Imran Khan are being restricted despite court orders, while on the other hand, those who go to meet him carrying court orders are subjected to state violence and cases are registered against them—an outright injustice,” he said.
