ECP summons Achakzai for criticising security institutions

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Monday summoned the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai MNA on September 1 for his alleged controversial outburst against the national security institutions recently.

The commission ordered issuance of a notice to the Balochistan-based Pakhtun nationalist leader during hearing of a petition filed by Waheed Kamal.  He has been asked in the notice to explain his position before the Election Commission.

Kamal contended that Achakzai during his recent speech on the floor of the National Assembly after the Quetta terrorist attack tried to bring the national security institutions to disrepute by hurling allegations at them.

The petitioner argued that his speech was in total negation of Article 19 of the Constitution, which bars criticism of the armed forces and other security institutions. He sought disqualification of the PkMAP leader, whose party is in the ruling coalition in Balochistan.

It was learnt that the commission had also sought view of the National Assembly speaker in this context.  Achakzai was in the news a few weeks back also for his interview to an Afghan newspaper wherein he said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa belongs to Afghans and they could live there without fear and irritation. “If Afghans are harassed in other parts of Pakistan, they should come here to the Pakhtunkhwa province, where no one can ask them for refugee cards, because it also belongs to them,” the nationalist leader was quoted as saying in the Afghan English daily.

His remarks on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, being part of Afghans, were seen as extremely controversial and unwarranted by political and social circles.  The commission adjourned another petition by Waheed Kamal for August 17 with regard to disqualification of the prime minister.

—Originally published in The News