Islamabad: Mahmood Khan Achakzai, the chief of Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), said on Wednesday that the opposition alliance, Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP), has decided to stand against “unconstitutional and undemocratic forces” in the country.
Achakzai made this statement at the end of the first day of the Grand Alliance Conference. The opposition parties will continue their discussions tomorrow.
“We will fight this battle for democracy in a peaceful way,” Achakzai told journalists in Islamabad, joined by other opposition leaders.
The meeting was attended by key opposition figures, including PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, SIC chief Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Awam Pakistan’s Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and MWM’s Nasir Shirazi.
Speaking to the media, Abbasi claimed that the government pressured an Islamabad hotel to cancel permission for the second day of the conference. He said the alliance had been trying to organize this event for a month but faced obstacles.
“We were told that holding the conference in a marquee was opposed because cricket teams pass by the venue,” Abbasi said. “We were only discussing the Constitution and rule of law. The government fears even a simple conference.”
He also said that the hotel administration was pressured into not allowing the event to continue, but the alliance remains firm in holding the conference. “This is our right, and we will not back down,” he added.
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Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub condemned the authorities for interfering with the conference and restricting free speech.
“We are here to talk about strengthening the country. The hotel administration told us they were pressured, which shows the lack of rule of law,” he said.
The opposition parties have been trying to negotiate with the ruling coalition, but talks have not been successful. In response, PTI has launched a contact campaign and reached out to various political groups to work together for upholding the Constitution and ensuring an independent judiciary and parliament.
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