Mehmood Achakzai blames ‘agencies’ for fragile democracy

Calls upon parties to expel from their midst anyone in contact with agencies

ISLAMABAD: A Pashtun nationalist politician, who has been quite vocal against the powerful security establishment, stirred up a storm on Friday with a fiery speech in parliament and an outspoken interview to a British broadcaster.

Mehmood Khan Achakzai, the chief of Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) which is a key ally of the PML-N government, came out all guns blazing against the establishment blaming the agencies – a reference to the country’s top military intelligence agency – for the truncated history of democracy in Pakistan.

“If clubbed together the incomplete tenures of 28 prime ministers of Pakistan is less than the military rule of three generals,” Achakzai said while referring to the military coups of Gen Ayub Khan, Gen Ziaul Haq and Gen Pervez Musharraf.

Achakzai was speaking on the floor of the National Assembly weeks after prime minister Nawaz Sharif was sent packing by the Supreme Court for hiding his financial assets. Sharif has since become more vocal and open in his criticism of the judiciary – and indirectly of the security establishment.



“We must support Nawaz Sharif who has learnt from his [past] experience that the army employs wrong methods,” Achakzai said of the deposed premier who has seldom been on good terms with the army chiefs during his three incomplete stints as prime minister.

Achakzai impliedly said the military used ‘corruption’ as a ruse against politicians in Pakistan. “You [security establishment] make people corrupt and then say politicians are corrupt,” he said and urged all political parties “to expel anyone in their cadres who is in contact with the agencies”.

The PkMAP chief said no general has ever been held accountable in Pakistan. “Is the only purpose of the Constitution is to give indemnity to [army] generals only,” he questioned.

The Pashtun nationalist asked who would stop the agencies from meddling in political affairs of the country. “Why the commander-in-chief does not pass an order that the agencies will not make parliament their cantonment?”



Separately in an interview with BBC Urdu, Achakzai heaped criticism on the establishment, impliedly though, for the country’s ‘flawed foreign policy.

“Why don’t we adopt a new policy on [the disputed state of] Kashmir? Let Kashmir be free from both India and Pakistan. Kashmir is the root cause of all issues between the two countries,” he said about the Himalayan region which has bedeviled ties between the two nuclear-tipped neighbours since their independence from the colonial British rulers.

India considers Kashmir, which it had forcibly annexed in 1947, its integral part and refuses to discuss it with Pakistan. “Why don’t we [Pakistan] take the first step [by pulling out from its part of Kashmir] to solve this festering dispute,” Achakzai said. “This is how Pakistan can make the international community believe that we are sincere in resolving this dispute.”

He said Pakistan and India should normalise their relationship for the greater good of their people and the region. New Delhi has publicly voiced opposition to the multibillion-dollar road and rail infrastructure project between Pakistan and China which Islamabad has dubbed ‘game-changer’ for the region.



Islamabad also accuses ‘hostile agencies’ – a reference to spy networks of India and Afghanistan – of colluding to sabotage the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). “It would be sheer foolishness to expect zero interference from our rivals. We will not be able to complete CPEC without peace. We have to make peace with Afghanistan, Iran and India.”

Achakzai said Pakistan and the United States had trained and armed ‘Afghan mujahideen’ to fight the jihad against the Soviet Union in the 1980s. “Now they should get rid of them,” he said while referring to the Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan. “If they do not take it seriously, this region will burn to ashes”.

He also parroted a charge often made by Kabul: Pakistan’s security establishment interferes in Afghanistan’s internal affairs. “Our establishment must step back. Please put an end to the game of ‘safe havens’”, he said while referring to Kabul’s allegation that the Afghan Taliban have sanctuaries on Pakistan’s soil.

Achakzai also impliedly accused the country of insincerity in its dealing with Afghanistan. “If Pakistan works with sincerity, 60% of issues with Afghanistan will be resolved,” he added.