ISLAMABAD: The PTI formally requested the appointment of Pashtunkhawa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai as the National Assembly (NA) opposition leader on Tuesday, with party Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan confirming the submission of his nomination papers. This is the second time that the party has formally proposed Achakzai’s name for the opposition leader’s post in the lower house of Parliament. The development comes a day after NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq began afresh the process for the appointment of the opposition leader — a slot that has been lying vacant for almost five months since the disqualification of PTI’s Omar Ayub in August 2025. Addressing the NA speaker, the written proposal for Achakzai’s nomination — seen by Dawn and dated January 12 — stated: “We, the undersigned members of the National Assembly belonging to the opposition benches, have the honour to nominate Mehmood Khan Achakzai MNA (NA-266) for appointment as the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly of Pakistan.” It referred to rule 39 of the Rules of Procedures of Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007, saying that the “leader of the opposition is to be appointed from among the members of the house who belong to the opposition and who commands the confidence of the majority of the members sitting on the opposition benches”. “In view of the foregoing, we hereby affirm that Mehmood Khan Achakzai enjoys the confidence and support of the majority of the members belonging to the opposition, and is, therefore, the most suitable person to hold this constitutional office. “The timely appointment of the leader of the opposition will ensure the effective discharge of constitutional and parliamentary responsibilities entrusted to the opposition,” it read. The document added: “We therefore request that, after following necessary procedures for the appointment of the leader of the opposition in accordance with the Rules of Procedure and the previous parliamentary practices, MNA Mehmood Khan Achakzai may please be appointed as leader of the opposition in the National Assembly of Pakistan at the earliest.” Separately, Barrister Gohar confirmed while speaking to Geo News in Parliament that Achakzai’s nomination papers had been submitted. The PTI chairman said he was expecting that the PkMAP leader would be notified as the new leader of the opposition in the NA on Thursday. In response to a question, he said his party had just one nominee for the vacant slot — Achakzai — and only his nomination papers had been submitted. Incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan had named Achakzai for the opposition leader’s slot in the NA in August last year, nearly two weeks after the Election Commission of Pakistan disqualified following his conviction in cases pertaining to riots on May 9, 2023. The opposition has repe­atedly accused the government of delaying Achakzai’s appointment, while the NA speaker maintained until recently that the matter was “sub judice” — apparently a reference to Ayub’s appeal against his disqualification. Ayub had filed pleas in the Supreme Court and high courts against his removal but later withdrew the petitions. Subsequently, the NA Secretariat sent a letter to PTI Chief Whip Amir Dogar in December, seeking details about the status of cases concerning Ayub. The letter said the provision of the details in writing was necessary for the completion of the process for the appointment of an opposition leader in the lower house of Parliament. More to follow