The opposition leader condemns the treatment of protesters and accuses the government 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, who defended the government’s record on Balochistan and counter-terrorism, while promising a detailed response 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 meeting began with a lack of quorum, 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 criticized Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Iqbal Afridi, accusing him of misbehaving, using foul 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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Achakzai opened the debate before what he described as “almost empty seats”, condemning what he called a campaign against the Pashtuns in Balochistan and rejecting attempts to portray Pashtuns as terrorists.
“We condemn those who say the Pashtuns are terrorists,” he said, adding that the 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 color, race or language,” he added.
Achakzai invoked historical grievances in Balochistan citing 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 said, whose burial was not allowed.
“Pakistan cannot be governed this way,” 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 partition. He recalled visiting Nusrat Bhutto after Bhutto’s execution and finding her distressed by the confiscation of her property, claiming that he had intervened to protect it.
Achakzai further criticized the government’s handling of protests, claiming 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 9 May riots.
He accused successive governments of treating Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh as colonies, noting that “even the British were better in comparison”.
Commenting on the merger of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Achakzai claimed that India had responded by revoking occupied Kashmir’s special constitutional status. He added that many who once rallied in support of Kashmir were now protesting internally.
To assert the constitutional right to protest, Achakzai turned his attention to Waziristan, describing it as a region where every piece of land had a recognized owner. He said the deployment of the military there had had consequences that are 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 suggesting that political forces sign a memorandum of understanding to move forward collectively.
He recalled that he held meetings at night with Shehbaz Sharif to ease tensions between Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, facilitate a meeting between Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto in London, meet Nawaz during his exile and help unite 36 political parties around a common agenda.
He concluded with a pointed question: “Isn’t it 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 reply for a later occasion. “I will not give a detailed answer to that at this time. I will do so on 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 basis of everyone’s collective future. “Any sacrifice made for Pakistan is too little,” he said.
Shehbaz rejected Achakzai’s criticism regarding provincial rights and said there could be no dispute about the right of provinces to national resources. Citing Balochistan’s share in the Reko Diq project, he 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 Rs 75 billion solarization program for farmers.
On security issues, Shehbaz said that external actors were involved in fueling 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 the police continued to sacrifice their lives daily in the fight against terrorism, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“These martyrs leave their own children orphaned to save the nation’s children from becoming orphans,” he said, urging lawmakers to honor and respect those who had given their lives.
After 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.
