Who is Mahmood Khan Achakzai, the opposition candidate for president?

Backed by the Imran Khan’s PTI, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, a Pashtun nationalist leader from Balochistan, officially entered the race for the upcoming presidential election on March 9, opposing PPP’s Asif Ali Zardari.

He submitted his nomination papers on Saturday, along with three other contenders, to the presiding officer, Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, through their representatives.

The president is chosen by an electoral college comprising members from the Senate, the National Assembly, and the four provincial assemblies, with voting conducted through a secret ballot.

Achakzai, elected as an MNA from the NA-266 seat in Qilla Abdullah, Chaman, on February 8, was born on December 12, 1948, in Inayatullah Karez Gulistan, Killa Abdullah district. His educational journey began at the Government Primary School in his hometown, followed by matriculation at the Government High School and intermediate studies at the Government Degree College, both in Quetta. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in engineering from the Mechanical Engineering College at the University of Peshawar.

Starting his political career with the Pashtoon Students Organisation, later renamed the Pashtoonkhwa Students Organisation, Achakzai assumed leadership of the Pashtoonkhwa National Awami Party at the age of 25 after his father’s demise in 1973. In 1989, he was elected as the party chairman.

Achakzai survived an attack during a Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD) procession in Quetta on October 7, 1983, led by him, though four of his companions lost their lives. Following this incident, he went into hiding for over six years until the end of martial law. Upon his return in 1989, he advocated for a loya jirga, sparking the War of Gulistan.

He has served as a member of the provincial assembly from Gulistan, Dobandi, Qilla Abdullah, and Chaman since 1974 and as a member of the National Assembly from Qilla Abdullah in 1990, 1993, 2002, and 2013.

Active in various political movements such as MRD, APDM, Poonam, and PDM, Achakzai is known for his unwavering commitment to the Constitution. He was elected as the president of Poonam in 2006 and also served as the central deputy president of the PDM.

Achakzai, emphasizing the importance of upholding the Constitution in his speech, expressed the people’s high expectations from Parliament. He is married and has three sons (Atal, Asal, and Azal) and three daughters.