Opposition leader condemns treatment of protesters, accuses govt of turning provinces into colonies
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addresses the National Assembly budget debate on June 13, 2026. SCREENGRAB
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday used the floor of the National Assembly to respond to a wide-ranging speech by Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai, defending the government’s record on Balochistan and counterterrorism while promising a detailed reply to the opposition leader’s remarks at an appropriate time.
The exchange took place during the ongoing budget debate, chaired by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and attended by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.
The session began with a quorum shortfall, with only 52 members present against the required 84. Despite the lack of quorum, proceedings continued. Speaker Sadiq also announced the establishment of a budget desk in the Parliament House library to assist lawmakers with budget-related information.
Separately, the speaker censured Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Iqbal Afridi, accusing him of misbehaviour, using abusive language and assaulting people. Sadiq said he had no right to occupy the chair if he could not ensure the protection of others.
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Opening the debate before what he described as “near-empty chairs”, Achakzai condemned what he called a campaign against the Pashtun people in Balochistan and rejected attempts to portray Pashtuns as terrorists.
“We condemn those who say that Pashtuns are terrorists,” he said, adding that Pashtuns had never compromised their freedom or acted as agents of any external power. “I consider it a grave sin to discriminate against any human being on the basis of colour, race or language,” he added.
Achakzai invoked historical grievances in Balochistan, referring to the execution of Nawab Nauroz Khan and his sons during the era of Field Marshal Ayub Khan, the raid on Ataullah Mengal’s residence, the disappearance of Mengal’s son and the killing of Akbar Bugti, whose funeral prayers, he said, were not permitted.
“Pakistan cannot be run in this manner,” he remarked.
The opposition leader also paid tribute to former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, saying he had helped unite Pakistan after the country’s dismemberment. He recalled visiting Nusrat Bhutto following Bhutto’s execution and finding her distressed over the confiscation of her property, claiming he had intervened to protect it.
Achakzai further criticised the government’s handling of protests, alleging that children gathered at D-Chowk to demand the release of PTI founder Imran Khan had been shot and that women and children faced unacceptable treatment following the May 9 unrest.
He accused successive governments of treating Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh like colonies, remarking that “even the British were better by comparison”.
Commenting on the merger of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Achakzai argued that India had responded by revoking the special constitutional status of occupied Kashmir. He added that many who once rallied in support of Kashmir were now protesting domestically.
Reaffirming the constitutional right to protest, Achakzai turned his attention to Waziristan, describing it as a region where every piece of land had a recognised owner. He said the deployment of the military there had produced consequences that were still being felt today.
Appealing for restraint, he urged the government not to “entangle the army and the state”, warning that young people on both the civilian and security sides were losing their lives. “The people of Waziristan are the owners of Waziristan,” he said.
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Despite his criticism, Achakzai adopted a conciliatory tone towards the end of his speech, addressing the prime minister directly and proposing that political forces sign a memorandum of understanding to move forward collectively.
He recalled holding late-night meetings with Shehbaz Sharif to ease tensions between the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, facilitating a meeting between Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto in London, meeting Nawaz during his exile, and helping unite 36 political parties around a common agenda.
He concluded with a pointed question: “Is it not a violation of the Constitution to make winning candidates lose?”
Responding from the floor, Prime Minister Shehbaz said he had listened carefully to Achakzai’s speech but would reserve a detailed response for a later occasion. “I will not give a detailed response to it at this time. I will do so at an appropriate occasion,” he said.
Describing parliament as a house representing all four provinces, the prime minister said political differences were natural but Pakistan’s existence remained the foundation of everyone’s collective future. “Any sacrifice made for Pakistan is too little,” he said.
Rejecting Achakzai’s criticism regarding provincial rights, Shehbaz said there could be no disagreement over the provinces’ entitlement to national resources. He cited Balochistan’s share in the Reko Diq project and noted that the province’s allocation under the 2010 National Finance Commission Award had doubled, with Punjab contributing Rs11 billion to the arrangement.
The prime minister also highlighted development initiatives in Balochistan, including a Rs75 billion solarisation programme for farmers and the construction of a dual carriageway costing Rs300 billion.
Addressing security issues, Shehbaz said external actors were involved in fuelling terrorism in Balochistan and defended the fencing of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border as a necessary measure.
He added that members of the armed forces and police continued to sacrifice their lives daily in the fight against terrorism, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“These martyrs leave their own children orphaned to save the nation’s children from becoming orphans,” he said, urging lawmakers to honour and respect those who had laid down their lives.
Following the prime minister’s remarks, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan briefly addressed the House, saying the speech “did not answer our questions”. Speaker Sadiq instructed him to keep his comments brief.