Islamabad -UNS: The head of the Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ain-e-Pakistan (Movement for the Protection of the Constitution of Pakistan) and Chairman of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, said in his inaugural address at the two-day national conference titled “Protection of the Consensus Constitution: The Need of the Hour and a Way Forward through Collective Wisdom” that even after 78 years, we as citizens are still compelled to demand our basic right: that the supremacy of the Constitution, the rule of law, and the sovereignty of Parliament be acknowledged.
He said that the current situation in the country is such that the Constitution and the law have been torn to shreds, and raising one’s voice against this is the responsibility of every conscious citizen.
The seasoned veteran politician said that until now we remained under the illusion that at some stage popular and constitutional supremacy would be established in the country, but now these hopes appear to be fading.
He stressed that all political forces must rise above temporary party interests, power-sharing considerations, and political affiliations, and think seriously to formulate a consensus course of action.
Mahmood Khan Achakzai said that it has now become inevitable to raise the fundamental question: Is this country meant for the military, or is the military meant for the country? If the military is subordinate to the country, then what is the justification for constitutional exemptions?
Speaking about negotiations with the government, he said it must be clear who the talks will be held with, on what points, and under what conditions. He added that the first prerequisite for paving the way for negotiations is the immediate lifting of restrictions on meetings with PTI founder Imran Khan by his family members, lawyers, and political leaders.
He said that on the one hand, meetings with Imran Khan are being restricted despite court orders, while on the other hand, those who go to meet him carrying court orders are subjected to state violence and cases are registered against them—an outright injustice.
He further stated that no army can fight a war or achieve real victory without the support of its people.
He appealed to all political parties, civil society, and various schools of thought to step forward, raise their voices, and offer suggestions so that the country can be taken out of this dead end.
On the first day of the conference, various political leaders participated, including PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan, Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, Asad Qaiser, BNP chief Akhtar Mengal, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, Javed Hashmi, Mohsin Dawar, Afrasiab Khattak, Safdar Abbasi, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, Senator Mushtaq Ahmed, Syed Zain Shah, as well as journalists, lawyers, and other representatives of civil society.
