PTI files Mehmood Khan Achakzai’s nomination papers for NA opposition leader

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday once again moved to have Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai appointed as leader of the opposition in the National Assembly.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan confirmed that the party has submitted Achakzai’s nomination papers. This is the second formal attempt by PTI to nominate Achakzai for the opposition leader’s position in the lower house.

The move comes a day after National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq restarted the procedure to fill the post, which has remained vacant for nearly five months. The position fell empty after PTI’s Omar Ayub was disqualified in August 2025.

Talking to a private TV channel, Barrister Gohar said that the required documents had been filed and expressed hope that Achakzai would be officially notified as opposition leader by Thursday. He said PTI had put forward only one name for the slot and no other nominations were submitted.

PTI founder Imran Khan, who is currently in jail, had nominated Achakzai for the role in August last year. This was done shortly after the Election Commission of Pakistan disqualified Omar Ayub following his conviction in cases linked to the May 9, 2023 riots.