Opposition leader’s appointment: PTI chief whip submits documents pertaining to Omar Ayub’s cases to NA speaker
PTI Chief Whip Amir Dogar, shared with National Assembly (NA) Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on Monday documents pertaining to the withdrawal of cases concerning PTI’s Omar Ayub and again demanded Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Chairperson Mehmood Khan Achakzai’s appointment as the opposition leader.
The development comes around a month after the NA Secretariat sent a letter to Dogar, seeking details about the status of cases concerning Ayub.
The letter said the provision of the details in writing is necessary for the completion of the process for the appointment of an opposition leader in the lower house of Parliament.
According to a post on the NA’s X account, Dogar presented the documents to Sadiq today, and the two also exchanged views on matters related to the appointment of the opposition leader.
Dogar “once again” demanded that the Achakzai be appointed as the opposition leader, the post said, adding that Ayaz gave the assurance that “everything will be done in accordance with the law and the constitution”.
The statement further quoted Ayaz as saying that he would share information with the house on the matter at the next NA session.
“The process for the appointment of the opposition leader will be initiated afresh,” he said, adding that the rules of the NA regarding the appointment of the opposition leader were clear.
The post of the opposition leader in the NA has been vacant since the disqualification in August last year by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in connection with his conviction in the May 9 cases.
The same month, incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan had nominated Achakzai for the post of opposition leader and despite the PTI‘s insistence for his appointment, his notification remains pending.
Meanwhile, Ayub had challenged his disqualification in the Supreme Court (SC). But, he withdrew his plea in October last year.
For his part, Sadiq had maintained regarding the delay in the appointment of a new opposition leader that the matter was “sub judice” — apparently a reference to Ayub’s appeal against his disqualification.
In its letter to Dogar last month, the NA Secretariat stated that the opposition had mentioned in Parliament that Ayub’s cases were not sub judice.
“However, this fact was not conveyed to the secretariat in writing,” the letter said, requesting that the current status of the cases in which the secretariat had been made a party be communicated to it in writing for the completion of the “prescribed process of the declaration of leader of the opposition in the National Assembly”.
‘No formal contact for talks’
Earlier today, NA Speaker Sadiq said that the opposition had not yet made formal contact for initiating talks with the government.
He made the remarks while speaking to the media, according to a handout issued by the NA Secretariat. It quoted him as saying that the “opposition had not yet made any formal contact to initiate a dialogue”.
“My role in the talks is only that of a facilitator,” he said.
Sadiq further stated that the committee system in the lower house of Parliament was fully functional as per constitutional requirements, adding that he was “completely independent” in his position.
On the topic of the appointment of the NA opposition leader, Sadiq said that four letters had been sent to the opposition’s chief whip in this regard. He said that after the fourth letter, the opposition had submitted a certified copy of their decision.
“The constitutional process for the appointment of the next opposition leader will be initiated in the next parliamentary session,” Sadiq said.
He added that the process will move forward “after checking and verification of the signatures of the opposition members”.
Last month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had reiterated his offer for talks with the opposition but also emphasised that dialogue between the two sides could only proceed on “legitimate matters”.
Subsequently, at a recent national conference organised by the Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP) opposition alliance, participants had agreed that the door for dialogue must never be closed in a democracy.
The same day, political leaders from across the spectrum, including stalwarts from the ruling PML-N, called for dialogue and restraint to achieve stability in the country, saying that political confrontation was causing instability and violence.
However, the PTI later said that it would not engage in negotiations with the federal government, with the party’s Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram saying the stance was taken following the instructions of party founder Imran Khan.
Last week, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah had stated that “confidence-building measures” between five major players in the country would improve the overall political situation.
Bangladesh visit
The speaker also recalled his recent visit to Bangladesh for the funeral of the former prime minister of the country, Khaleda Zia. Sadiq and India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar had shaken hands during the visit, marking the first high-level contact between Pakistani and Indian officials since the military conflict in May 2025.
“The Pakistani delegation received an unusually warm welcome from the people of Bangladesh,” Sadiq said.
He said that the Indian minister “came to greet him and shook his hand”.
Sadiq recalled that he also met with the country’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, terming the meeting “pleasant”.
He said the two “reached an agreement for the promotion of parliamentary and public relations” between the two countries during the meeting.
He further said that “he will always remember the love he received from the people of Bangladesh”.
