Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai addresses a meeting at the Lahore High Court on Friday, January 9, 2026. Photo: X
ISLAMABAD:
Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai will take over as leader of the opposition in the National Assembly unopposed after the deadline for filing nominations closed on Tuesday.
No other candidates filed nomination papers, leaving Achakzai – who also heads the opposition alliance Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin Pakistan (TTAP) – as the only candidate. Independent legislators backed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) filed their nomination papers in his favour.
Verification of signatures on nomination papers is scheduled for Wednesday. Once the process is complete, an official notification of Achakzai’s appointment will be issued.
The development follows a letter sent by PTI chief Malik Amir Dogar to National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq earlier in the day. The letter said that the majority of the opposition had unanimously nominated Mahmood Khan Achakzai as its leader.
He stressed that according to democratic traditions, the opposition has the right to elect its leader and urged the president to issue the notification immediately in accordance with Article 39 of the 2007 Rules of Procedure and Conduct of the National Assembly.
Rule 39 states that the leader of the opposition must be chosen from among the opposition members of the House who enjoy the confidence of the majority of opposition legislators.
Read: President launches the process of appointing the leader of the opposition
Earlier, a PTI delegation concluded a meeting with the National Assembly Speaker. The delegation included Barrister Gohar, Asad Qaiser and Malik Amir Dogar, who described the talks as constructive.
“We addressed all concerns and there are no objections regarding the nomination papers submitted,” Barrister Gohar said. He added that verification of the signatures will be completed on Wednesday and that the opposition leader will be formally announced later.
He also said the National Assembly would have its own opposition leader during Friday’s session, noting that no other nominations had been made. “There were no discussions about negotiations in the president’s office,” he added.
President Ayaz Sadiq on Monday began the process to appoint the opposition leader in accordance with parliamentary rules, ordering opposition lawmakers to submit their nominations by 3pm on Tuesday.
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It had also asked opposition parties to resubmit a signed list of members to the President’s Office after fixing a new date for the process.
Speaking on a point of order in the House, PTI Opposition Chief Malik Amir Dogar said 76 opposition members had already signed documents nominating Mahmood Khan Achakzai as opposition leader and submitted them to the Speaker’s Office. He said the opposition would resubmit the list as per the President’s directive, while again demanding immediate issuance of the notification.
