QUETA:
Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai on Tuesday warned of severe public backlash if Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s democratic mandate is undermined or attempts are made to impose governor’s rule. Speaking at a large public gathering at Ayub Stadium on the occasion of the 52nd death anniversary of Khan Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai, he stated that 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, and highlighted that such assemblies lack the moral authority to modify the Constitution.
“The public voted decisively, but candidates who were losing in the polls were declared winners through rigged 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 raised the ire of those who wield parliamentary power, while the credibility of the judiciary continues to decline.
Regarding governance and public order in the Pashtun and Baloch regions, he highlighted the link between resource wealth and recurrent unrest.
