Maula Fazl ‘agrees’ to back Achakzai for opposition leader slot

ISLAMABAD: The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has agreed to support the nomination of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai as the opposition leader in the National Assembly.

The development came after a delegation from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) formally requested support for Achakzai — whose party is part of the opposition alliance “Tehreek Tahafuz Aain-e-Pakistan (TTAP)”, which includes six parties led by PTI.

The opposition leader’s slot in the lower house has been vacant since August 5, after PTI’s Omar Ayub was disqualified.

According to a statement posted on JUI-F’s official account on X (formerly Twitter), a PTI delegation met party chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman at his Islamabad residence, where “the JUI-F agreed to support the nomination of Mahmood Khan Achakzai.”

The PTI delegation included Asad Qaiser, PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Junaid Akbar, and Shehram Khan Tarakai, while Maulana Fazlur Rehman was accompanied by Maulana Salahuddin Ayubi, Advocate Jalaluddin, and his son Maulana Asjad Mahmood.

During the meeting, the PTI delegation urged the JUI-F chief to play a role in uniting the opposition within Parliament and also sought the party’s “cooperation” regarding the vacant Senate seat from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Both sides also discussed the prevailing political and regional situation in detail.

The statement added that the PTI also consulted the JUI-F chief on its proposal to convene a “national jirga” on law and order in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — a suggestion welcomed by Maulana Fazl.

Later, in a post shared from the TTAP account, it was stated that Asad Qaiser briefed Achakzai on his meeting with Maulana Fazlur Rehman and took him into confidence.

The post further said that it was decided the TTAP alliance would hold public gatherings across the country in November.

Earlier this week, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja had said he did not believe JUI-F would back PTI’s choice for the opposition leader’s slot in the National Assembly.

Commenting on the matter, Raja had said, “Given past experience, I don’t think they will eventually side with us. Whether they align with the PPP or the PML-N, I cannot say — but we (PTI) are not particularly interested in the post.”

On the same day, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also met Maulana Fazlur Rehman to discuss the formulation of a joint strategy on key national issues.