Mahmood Khan Achakzai has rejected a reported demand from a senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) committee to step down as leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, according to people familiar with the matter.
Speaking to close associates late Sunday after a meeting of his Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Aain, or Movement for the Restoration of the Constitution, Mr. Achakzai said he would resign only if Imran Khan, the jailed PTI founder who nominated him for the position, asked him to do so.
“If the man in Adiala jail who nominated me as opposition leader asks me to leave the position, I will resign,” he said.
Mr. Achakzai, whose Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party is based in Quetta, was appointed opposition leader by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in January, following a prolonged dispute over his credentials and eligibility. He is the sole member of Parliament from his party.
Mr. Khan, who is serving prison sentences in criminal cases, nominated Mr. Achakzai for the post, although PTI itself does not have representation in the National Assembly.
Mr. Achakzai did not participate in the long march led by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister last week, which, according to the report, culminated in the end of PTI’s 13-year rule in the province.
People familiar with the developments said PTI-backed independent lawmakers were deeply divided over the decision to launch the march and its intended destination.
