Protesters Are Shot to Preserve Those in Power, Says Mahmood Achakzai

Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Leader of the Opposition in Pakistan’s National Assembly, chairman of the Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP), and head of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), has said that the country’s current rulers are murderers who fire directly at peaceful rallies to protect their hold on power. Speaking to the media in Peshawar, Achakzai cited examples from other countries, saying that large-scale demonstrations take place in countries such as France, but no one is shot at during such protests.

More than 120 Kashmiris, along with workers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), have allegedly been killed during demonstrations in Pakistan. Remaining silent and refusing to speak out against what he described as an oppressive government and system has now itself become a serious offence, he said. Discussing national elections and the public mandate, Achakzai said the votes of 40 million people had been subjected to a blatant mockery, and that this must be stopped immediately.

“Whether Imran Khan is good or bad, it is an undeniable fact that Imran Khan and his party clearly won the 2024 elections. However, the ruling elite were not prepared to hand over the mandate,” he said. According to Achakzai, the authorities had been pursuing this course from the very beginning and intimidated people into reducing the party’s representation in the National Assembly to just 70 seats.

Criticising the role of the courts and other state institutions, the opposition leader said the judiciary and powerful quarters had joined forces against the public mandate. He alleged that the courts had stripped a political party of its electoral symbol, something he said did not happen anywhere else in the world. PTI members were allegedly pulled out of the electoral process, while the party’s reserved seats for women and minorities were distributed among other parties as if they were spoils of war.

“It is deeply regrettable that not a single political party refused to accept these seats on the grounds that they did not rightfully belong to it,” he said. The PkMAP chief warned that the last remaining stronghold of Imran Khan’s party—which had received 40 million votes from the public—was now also under attack. He said that everyone who believed in justice, politics and fundamental rights, including judges, should recognise that people were being denied the right to protest after their electoral mandate and governments had allegedly been taken away. “If the courts do not deliver fair decisions in accordance with the Constitution and the law, decisions will be made on the streets, which could prove extremely dangerous for the country,” Achakzai warned. He urged all political forces and those in positions of responsibility to come to their senses immediately and prevent the country from being pushed into a devastating crisis.