Opposition leaders call for fresh consensus to protect Constitution

ISLAMABAD: Senior opposition leaders on Wednesday urged political parties to forge a renewed national consensus to safeguard the Constitution, saying all stakeholders should come together in the same spirit that led to the 18th Constitutional Amendment.

The call was made at a press conference held on the occasion of Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan joining the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ain Pakistan (TTAP), an alliance of opposition parties. During the media interaction, opposition leaders announced a broader political alignment and raised concerns about governance, the functioning of institutions and the country’s economic situation.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai said political forces needed to work jointly to defend the Constitution and revive the real spirit of parliamentary democracy. He appealed to major political leaders, including Shehbaz Sharif, Nawaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari and Maulana Fazlur Rehman, to play their role in protecting the Constitution that had been framed collectively.

"Just as all political parties reached consensus during the 18th Amendment, they must come together again to protect the Constitution," he said.

Achakzai said parliament had gradually been weakened and needed to be restored as the genuine representative institution of the people. He said his political platform was ready to offer unconditional support for the strengthening of parliamentary democracy.

He also said inflation had become unbearable for ordinary people and called for collective political efforts to address public problems. At the same time, he said the opposition leadership was cautious about taking agitation to the streets, adding that the country’s situation was already delicate and required responsible conduct.

"We are concerned about what could happen to the country in such circumstances," he remarked.

Concerns over parliament and economy

Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Raja Nasir Abbas said the country was confronting institutional and democratic difficulties. He said parliament had been reduced to a symbolic forum instead of functioning as a representative body.

According to Abbas, citizens were dealing with rising inflation, unemployment and a shrinking civic space.

TTAP Vice Chairman Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and the alliance’s economic spokesperson Muhammad Zubair also addressed the press conference. They said the alliance was seeking to respond to constitutional violations and economic hardship affecting the public’s rights.

"The economy is under severe strain, with inflation, unemployment, and heavy taxation affecting ordinary citizens. The government must focus on public relief and economic stability," he said.

The press conference marked an expansion in the opposition alliance with the inclusion of Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, while the speakers collectively stressed the need for constitutional protection, stronger parliamentary democracy and measures to ease economic pressure on the public.