Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief, Mahmood Khan Achakzai’s name is once again surfacing in the country’s political spectrum after the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) filed his nomination papers for the presidential elections. He will be up against PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.
The president is elected by an electoral college comprising members of the Senate, the National Assembly, and the four provincial assemblies. Voting is held through a secret ballot.
Achakzai was elected as an MNA from the NA-266 seat in Qilla Abdullah, Chaman on February 8.
Family Background:
Achakzai was born on December 14, 1948, to Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai in Inayatullah Karez Gulistan, Killa Abdullah district, Balochistan. His father initiated a non-violent movement against British imperialism and was jailed by the Pakistani government for secessionist activities. After his father’s assassination in a bomb attack in Quetta in December 1973, he assumed leadership of the party. He has a wife and three sons: Atal, Asal, and Azal, along with three daughters.
Education:
The veteran politician completed his primary education at the Government Primary School in Inayatullah Karez Gulistan, Killa Abdullah district. He finished his matriculation from the Government High School in his hometown, while he completed his intermediate (FSc) from the Government Degree College in Quetta. The PkMAP chief earned his bachelor’s of engineering degree from the Mechanical Engineering College, University of Peshawar.
Political Journey:
Achakzai initiated his political career with the Pashtoon Students Organisation, later renamed the Pashtoonkhwa Students Organisation. He assumed leadership of the Pashtoonkhwa National Awami Party at 25 after his father’s death on December 2, 1973. In 1989, he was elected the party chairman.
Attempt on Life:
He survived an attack on the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD) procession he led in Quetta on October 7, 1983, during the rule of military dictator General Ziaul Haq. Unfortunately, the attack in the Qandhari Bazaar claimed the lives of four companions: Ulas Yar, Dawood, Ramzan, and Kaka Mehmood. The attempt on his life led him to go into hiding for over six years until martial law ended. Upon his return in 1989, Achakzai advocated for convening a loya jirga, sparking the War of Gulistan.
Achievements:
He was elected as a member of the provincial assembly in 1974 from Gulistan, Dobandi, Qilla Abdullah, and Chaman. Furthermore, the PkMAP chief was elected as a member of the National Assembly in 1990 from Qilla Abdullah. He subsequently secured seats in Qillah Abdullah, Pishin, and Quetta, making his way to the lower house of Parliament in 1993 and 2002. In 2013, he refused to become the caretaker prime minister but was elected as an MNA from Quetta, Qillah Abdullah, and Chaman in the same year.
He actively participated in democratic alliances such as MRD, APDM, Poonam, PDM, and others, earning a reputation for “never compromising” on the supremacy of the Constitution. Achakzai served as the Poonam president after BNP-M’s Sardar Akhtar Mengal in 2006, with participants from Pashtoon, Baloch, Sindh, and Siraki. He also held the position of central deputy president of the PDM. Achakzai has a wife and three sons: Atal, Asal, and Azal, along with three daughters.
