ISLAMABAD:
Top opposition leaders on Wednesday called for a renewed national political consensus to safeguard the Constitution, urging all political actors to unite in the spirit of the 18th Constitutional Amendment.
The call came at a press conference held to mark the joining of Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan into Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ain Pakistan (TTAP), an alliance of opposition parties.
At the press conference, senior opposition figures announced an expanded political alignment and raised concerns about governance, institutional functioning and economic conditions.
Leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai said political forces must work together to protect the Constitution and restore the true spirit of parliamentary democracy.
He called on all top political leaders including Shehbaz Sharif, Nawaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari and Maulana Fazlur Rehman to come forward to protect the Constitution that was collectively framed.
“Just as all political parties reached consensus during the 18th Amendment, they must come together again to protect the Constitution,” he said.
He added that parliament has weakened over time and must be restored as the true representative institution of the people, adding that his political platform was ready to provide “unconditional support” to strengthen parliamentary democracy.
Achakzai said inflation had become unbearable for ordinary citizens and called for collective political action to address public grievances.
He also warned that leaders were wary of taking political unrest to the streets, saying the situation in the country was already fragile and required responsible management.
“We are worried about what could happen to the country in such circumstances,” he noted.
Leader of the opposition in the Senate, Raja Nasir Abbas, said Pakistan was facing institutional and democratic challenges, adding that parliament had been reduced to a symbolic forum rather than a functional representative body.
He said citizens were facing rising inflation, unemployment and a reduction in civic space.
TTAP Vice President Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and Economic Spokesperson Muhammad Zubair also spoke on the occasion and reiterated that the alliance aimed to address constitutional violations and economic hardships affecting public rights.
“The economy is under severe stress, with inflation, unemployment and heavy taxes affecting ordinary citizens. The government must focus on public aid and economic stability,” he said.
