‘We want a democratic ‘new Pakistan’: Achakzai addresses lawyers in Karachi

KARACHI: National Assembly Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai on Monday called for a “new Pakistan”, which is democratic, where there is rule of law, and where there is no cruelty.

Achakzai — who is on a four-day visit to Sindh along with a delegation of opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP) to mobilise the masses for a nationwide strike and protest rallies scheduled for February 8 — expressed these views while addressing lawyers at the Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) in Karachi.

Apart from him, other TTAP leaders, including Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen chief Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and PTI’s Asad Qaiser, also spoke at the seminar titled “Protecting the Basic Structure of the Constitution of Pakistan”.

“Let’s make Pakistan a democratic country, a country where people have the power, and there is rule of law and the Constitution,” said Achakzai, adding that democracy had not been allowed to flourish in the country.

“The country is ailing like a cancer patient.”

“Let’s comply with the social contract with the people. Injustice breeds disharmony among people. We want the formation of a new Pakistan, where there is no cruelty.”

He also said, “We are a group of decent people,” and that the line of respect should not be crossed in politics. Moreover, he stressed that small provinces had also rendered sacrifices in the freedom movement for Pakistan.

“We are not here to fight people […] Countries are not run at gunpoint,” Achakzai further stated, adding that people of all races and languages should be treated equally. “Our country is facing difficulties because of rogue and arbitrary behaviours. [But] we don’t want a civil war,” he said.

The opposition leader also mentioned that there was no accountability for the expenditure of funds received through the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan.

Speaking about the inferno at Karachi’s Gul Plaza shopping mall, he asked why the building did not have emergency exits. “The matter should be investigated and those responsible should be punished.”

Achakzai also asserted that the PTI founder had won the 2024 general election and “blocking his way [to Parliament] is constitutionally and religiously wrong”.

Saying that the “spirit of freedom his being crushed among the youth”, he urged people to stand up “against cruelty”.

Moreover, he said the TTAP protesters would not resort to violence on February 8 and urged the people of Sindh to take to the streets.

“We have come out to save the country, come join us,” he said, concluding his speech.

Before him, TTAP Vice Chairman Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas also addressed the seminar, saying that presently, the Constitution in the country was “controversial”.

He criticised the incumbent government, maintaining that people were losing confidence in the rulers, and the public was facing oppression.

“The entire system is being employed for unlawful acts,” he further alleged.

The senator also mentioned Form 47 — an allusion to the alleged rigging in the 2024 general elections — saying that “some people had been given a fake mandate”.

He further lamented the “weakening of the three pillars of the country”. While he did not specify the “three pillars”, this ostensibly was a reference to the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. Abbas said February 8 was a very important day, “when we will show the government the power of the people”. Staff Report