After getting its candidates elected as Senate chairman and deputy chairman, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is now set to occupy the office of the opposition leader as its nominee Sherry Rehman has submitted her nomination papers, supported by 33 members, to chairman Sadiq Sanjrani.
After meeting Sanjrani with Deputy Senate Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla and other PPP members, Rehman said that she had submitted a list of the opposition members who had put their signatures on her nomination papers for the office of the opposition leader, the position that was previously held by her party colleague Aitzaz Ahsan.
She said that except for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan (MQM-P), and Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), the members of all other opposition parties and independent senators had endorsed her nomination as the new leader of the opposition in the upper house of parliament.
She, however, claimed that the two members of the JI had also assured her of their support but could not sign the document as they were attending a party event in Mansoora, Lahore.
According to Rehman, besides the 21 senators from her own party, she has the backing of six independents from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), four independents from Baluchistan, and one member each from the Baluchistan National Party – Mengal and the Awami National Party.
The other contender for the opposition leader’s office is the PTI, which had supported the PPP candidate for the office of the deputy Senate chairman on Monday.
While Rehman has submitted her nomination papers, the PTI has not nominated its candidate for opposition leader.
The announcement of Rehman’s nomination had been made by PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari through his official Twitter account, expressing the hope that Rehman would become the first woman to hold the office of opposition leader in the Senate.
“(The) PPP (is) ready to make history again. We nominate Senator Sherry Rehman for the position of Leader of Opposition. Insha Allah she will be the first woman to lead the opposition in the Senate,” Bhutto-Zardari tweeted.
In the 1990s, slain PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto served as leader of the opposition in the National Assembly.
Rehman’s nomination appears to be guaranteed as the PTI nominee could get, at maximum, the support of 20 members including 13 from the PTI, five of the MQM-P, and two from the JI.
Meanwhile, in Karachi, the common stance against the PPP brought political rivals PTI and a faction of the MQM-P together as the latter announced yesterday that it would support the former’s nominee for the office of the opposition leader in the Senate.
Speaking with reporters after a meeting, leaders of the MQM-P’s Bahadurabad group and the PTI announced their agreement for the office of the opposition leader in the Senate.
A delegation of the PTI led by Imran Ismail visited the MQM-P’s Bahadurabad office to hold the meeting with its leaders.
“The PPP has ruined Sindh during its past 10-year rule in the province,” said Faisal Subzwari of the MQM-P. “The people of Sindh from Kashmore to Karachi have suffered due to corruption and bad governance of the PPP. So we have decided not to vote for the PPP’s nominee and support the PTI’s candidate.”
The same views were expressed by the PTI’s Ismail.
Related Story