ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, on Friday appointed Mahmood Khan Achakzai as the leader of the opposition, an official notification said, following months of delay in appointment on the key post.
The position had been vacant for almost five months since the disqualification of Omar Ayub, a member of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, in Aug. 2025 after his conviction in cases relating to violent riots in May 2023.
Khan had later nominated Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Chairman Mahmood Khan Achakzai and PTI’s Azam Swati for the post of opposition leaders in the National Assembly and Senate, the upper house of Pakistan parliament, according to the PTI.
An opposition leader plays a central role in ensuring parliamentary oversight and democratic accountability. He scrutinizes government policies, legislation and executive actions, raising concerns on behalf of citizens and highlighting alternative viewpoints.
“In pursuance of rule 39 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, Honorable Speaker has been pleased to declare Mehmood Khan Achakzai... as leader of the opposition in the National Assembly,” the NA Secretariat said in a notification.
