By Ikram Junaidi
ISLAMABAD: The PTI chief on Wednesday nominated party outsider Mahmood Khan AchaÂkzai — the head of the PashtÂunkÂhwa Milli Awami Party and a PTI-led opposition alliance — and party veteran Azam Swati as oppoÂsition leaders in the NatiÂonal Assembly and the Senate, respectively.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja told reporters that they had received a message from party founder Imran Khan nominating Mr Achakzai as the NA opposition leader and Senator Swati as the Senate opposition leader. Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan, a PTI-led opposition alliance, is also headed by the PkMAP chief.
Mr Achakzai is a veteran political figure from Balochistan, particularly known for his outspoken stance against the establishment. If all goes as per Mr Khan’s plan, this would be the first time the PkMAP chief will be leading the opposition in the lower house of parliament.
Swati, a PTI veteran who joined the party before the 2013 elections, was jailed and allegedly tortured for his tweet against then army chief Q