Constitution and law torn to shreds, says TTAP head Achakzai on first day of opposition conference

ISLAMABAD: Mahmood Khan Achakzai, head of the Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) and chairman of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, lamented on Saturday that the Constitution and the law “have been torn to shreds” in the country and asked that the sovereignty of Parliament be acknowledged.

He expressed these views in the 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”, organised by TTAP – an alliance of opposition parties.

The opposition alliance had announced the national conference after Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry assailed Imran Khan for creating and spreading an “anti-army” rhetoric, stating that such narratives were now out of the realm of politics and had become a “national security threat”.

“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 it is the responsibility of every conscious citizen,” Achakzai said.

The veteran politician said that until now, they had remained under the illusion that at some stage constitutional supremacy would be established in the country, but that these hopes were now fading.

He stressed that all political forces must rise above temporary party interests, power-sharing considerations, and political affiliations, and think seriously about formulating a consensus course of action.

Achakzai said, “It has now become inevitable to raise a 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 would be held with, on what points, and under what conditions.

“The first prerequisite for paving the way for negotiations is the immediate lifting of restrictions on meetings with incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan by his family members, lawyers, and political leaders.”

“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 said.

He further said 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.

‘Marshal law has been imposed’

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar, speaking on the occasion, claimed that a “martial law has been imposed in the country”.

“When courts can’t do justice, judges can’t protect themselves in court, and civilians can’t protect themselves before judges in open court, the judiciary becomes irrelevant,” he said.

Gohar questioned how judges could maintain the “supremacy of law and the Constitution” if they could not protect themselves.

Referring to today’s judgment, in which PTI founder Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were sentenced to 17 years in prison, Gohar said the “entire Pakistan is sad.”

“We were thinking maybe the convictions would end after May 2025, and we would walk towards justice. We tolerated everything and didn’t resort to disruption. We didn’t stage sit-ins. We didn’t take the law into our own hands. We kept hope alive that our leader would be released [from jail] and we would move forward, and the paths would open.“

“The path will open for the Constitution, law and order, and democracy. But every day, decisions are issued that are above the law and the Constitution, and they spread despair among the masses.”

Speaking about the convictions of PTI leaders, Gohar said, “Our leadership was convicted yesterday… They have been sentenced to around 70 years in total. Today, another decision is yet to come. It is expected that the leadership will be sentenced to 10 years. Another case will be taken up against them on Monday, in which the judge has said, ‘He will issue the verdict.’”

“The leadership’s sentence will be 70 years in total, while Bushra Bibi and Khan’s sentences will total 60 years. Seven cases against the PTI leadership are pending. If they are sentenced to 10 years in each of them, their total sentence will reach 140 years.”

“Till when will these sentences be issued? Every day, we hope that we will walk towards a path where the masses will get justice. Judges are no longer safe. Judges of civil courts, district courts, high courts, and the Supreme Court are not safe,” he said.

“Khan and Bushra were sentenced in a case in which all gifts were declared.”

“One of the items from the Toshakhana was again presented, and a trial was conducted in which Khan was sentenced. This is the first time in the history of the country that a person has been convicted multiple times in one case.”

“This is beyond the law and the Constitution,” he said, adding that it is visible even to a law student that “decisions are coming from somewhere else”.

“We were expecting 2026 to be a new year, a new hope, with a new path, but unfortunately, some people were barring the way for the masses. I appeal to them not to bar the way for the masses. When leaders don’t do that, the masses will find the way on their own,” he said.

On the first day of the conference, various political leaders participated, including the PTI chairman, 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.