Achakzai calls for ‘new Pakistan’ as opposition alliance mobilises for Feb 8 protests

KARACHI: National Assembly Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai on Monday called for the creation of a “new Pakistan” founded on democracy, rule of law and an end to cruelty, as the opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP) intensified mobilisation for a nationwide strike and protest rallies scheduled for February 8.

Addressing a seminar at the Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) during a four-day visit to Sindh, Achakzai said democracy had not been allowed to take root in the country and described Pakistan’s condition as that of “a cancer patient”.

“Let’s make Pakistan a democratic country, a country where people have the power, where there is rule of law and the Constitution,” he said, stressing that injustice breeds disharmony and that the social contract with the people must be honoured.

“We want the formation of a new Pakistan, where there is no cruelty.”

Achakzai urged political actors to observe limits of respect in politics, saying that small provinces had also made sacrifices in the struggle for Pakistan’s freedom. “Countries are not run at gunpoint,” he said, calling for equal treatment of people of all races and languages and warning against arbitrary and rogue behaviour that, he said, had pushed the country into crisis. However, he emphasised that the opposition did not seek confrontation or civil war.

Raising concerns over governance, Achakzai questioned the lack of accountability for funds obtained through International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans and referred to the recent deadly fire at Karachi’s Gul Plaza shopping mall, asking why the building lacked emergency exits. He demanded a thorough investigation and punishment for those responsible.

The opposition leader also reiterated his stance that the PTI founder had won the 2024 general election, calling efforts to block his entry into parliament “constitutionally and religiously wrong”.

Warning that the “spirit of freedom is being crushed among the youth”, Achakzai urged citizens to stand up against oppression and appealed to the people of Sindh to participate peacefully in the February 8 protests. “We have come out to save the country, come join us,” he said.

Earlier, TTAP Vice Chairman Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas told the gathering that the Constitution had become “controversial” under the current system, alleging that the entire state apparatus was being used for unlawful acts. He said public confidence in the rulers was eroding and referred to Form 47, an allusion to alleged rigging in the 2024 elections, claiming that some people had been given a “fake mandate”.

Abbas also lamented the weakening of what he described as the country’s three pillars — a reference to the legislature, executive and judiciary — and said February 8 would be a decisive day to demonstrate “the power of the people”. Highlighting Pakistan’s strategic importance as the “heart of Asia”, he claimed global powers had historically sought to keep the country under their control.

PTI leader Asad Qaiser, also addressing the seminar titled “Protecting the Basic Structure of the Constitution of Pakistan”, said the manner in which the country was being run had made progress impossible. He alleged interference in lawyers’ bodies and claimed the executive had become dominant over the judiciary, eroding public trust.

“What option are people left with then?” Qaiser asked, criticising what he called the unfair distribution of resources and describing conditions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan as chaotic. He said the 1973 Constitution had effectively been discarded, questioning the purpose of elections under such circumstances.

Qaiser said the February 8 protests aimed to restore judicial independence and re-establish the supremacy of the Constitution, urging broad public support for the opposition alliance’s movement.