Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani on Friday declared Pakistan People’s Party’s Yousaf Raza Gilani as Leader of the opposition house.The former prime minister earlier today filed the nomination papers for the slot according to the news shared by PPP Senator Rubina Khalid on Twitter.
According to sources Gilani managed to secure 30 votes for the position.Pakistan People’s Party managed to become the single largest in the senate, Daily Times sources stated.
Gilani managed to get 21 votes from PPP, two from ANP, one from Jamat-e-Islami, two from FATA and four members of the upper house from Dilawar Khan’s independent group.On the other hand, Azam Nazir Tarar, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate, by far managed to win the support of 28 Senators.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz earlier stressed that Tarar will be the leader of the opposition in Senate.
Addressing a news conference in Lahore on Sunday last, Maryam Nawaz had made it clear that the opposition leader in Senate will be from her party as it was decided at the PDM meetings ahead of elections for chairman and deputy chairman of the upper house.
PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said on Friday that whoever betrayed the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) would pay an unimaginable price and that any political party wanting to see its politics flourish must not back away from the PDM's objectives.
Iqbal was addressing a press conference at Jati Umra, flanked by other PML-N leaders and personalities, after the news of the submission of Yousuf Raza Gilani's nomination papers for the leader of the opposition in the Senate surfaced.
"Whoever betrays PDM's objectives, he will pay a price so high he might not even have imagined," he warned.
"So any party that wants to see its politics successful, it cannot think of backing away from PDM's objectives."He had also said on Twitter that Gilani was worthy of respect but it was expected from him to take the PDM into confidence "without whose votes he could never have been elected as a senator instead of taking a unilateral step".
"Instead, he found the senators of the BAP (Balochistan Awami Party) to be more trustworthy."Iqbal criticised the PPP's decision to go ahead with Gilani's nomination and called upon its senators to honour the PDM's decision to support the PML-N candidate Azam Nazeer Tarar as the opposition leader.
"If this office of the leader of the opposition was so necessary for the PPP, I think if they had mentioned their need to [PML-N supremo] Nawaz Sharif sahab, he would have happily given them this position," said Iqbal, lamenting that the move without taking the PDM into confidence was not "appropriate and it has affected the opposition's unity".
"The specific senators whose support was used to get the numbers, the whole of Islamabad knows whose instructions they vote on.
"These type of suspect transactions are not appropriate for the transparent politics of the PDM."
He also criticised the Awami National Party (ANP) for extending its support to the PPP when a decision had already been taken by the PDM's member parties. "We are very saddened that ANP unilaterally took a decision against the PDM decision so we will raise these questions in PDM's next session."
PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah said that the matter would be taken up in a meeting of the leaders of the PDM's constituent member parties and "whatever decision is taken there will decide the future of the PDM".
"PDM is the centre of the hopes of Pakistan's 220 million people," said Iqbal, adding that the people wanted this "game of musical chairs" to come to an end and for the country to be run in accordance with the Constitution.
"The PDM's objectives will not be disturbed by a party moving forward or back. PML-N will keep playing this role through PDM and its own platform."
Iqbal, at the end. expressed the hope that "the PPP will consider that everyone's unity is in the struggle we are doing from PDM."
Iqbal had, earlier in the day, also pointed out that the PPP had taken the application to the same person whom they had challenged in the court for the Senate chairman. "Doesn't seem appropriate."
