QUETTA:
Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai on Tuesday warned of severe public backlash if the democratic mandate of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is undermined or any attempt is made to impose Governor’s rule. Speaking at a large public gathering at Ayub Stadium on the 52nd death anniversary of Khan Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai, he stated that the people would take to the streets to protect their vote.
Addressing thousands of supporters, Achakzai criticized what he described as the erosion of constitutional values, saying the Constitution has been reduced to a ceremonial document while its principles are ignored. He questioned the legitimacy of a parliament formed through pressure, manipulation, or engineered processes, highlighting that such assemblies lack moral authority to amend the Constitution.
“The public voted decisively, yet candidates trailing in the polls were declared winners through manipulated procedures and financial deals,” he said, condemning the mass disqualification of opposition lawmakers as an attempt to create an artificial majority disconnected from the people’s mandate. Achakzai added that raising concerns about electoral transparency has only provoked anger from those in parliamentary power, while the judiciary’s credibility continues to wane.
On governance and law and order in the Pashtun and Baloch regions, he highlighted the link between resource wealth and recurring unrest.
