- Government and opposition senators are discussing the matter in the Senate, says Tarar.
- Zafar also wrote to the Senate chairman about the opposition leader.
- Says vacancy that raises questions about the parliamentary system.
The Finance Ministry and the opposition benches have agreed on the name of Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) Chief Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas as the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Barrister Ali Zafar said on Monday.
This development came a week after Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai was named the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly.
Talking to the media, the PTI leader said that Senate Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani and senators from the Treasury and Opposition benches had consulted on the appointment of the Leader of Opposition in the Senate.
Confirming the development, Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the MWM chief – an ally of the PTI – would be the Leader of Opposition in the Senate, adding that a notification in this regard was being issued.
The post has been vacant since August last year, when the then Leader of the Opposition in the Upper House of Parliament, Shibli Faraz, was disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) following his conviction in cases related to the May 9, 2023 riots.
PTI’s parliamentary leader in the senate earlier wrote a letter to the senate chairman calling for the appointment of a leader of the opposition in the upper house of the parliament.
The PTI leader told the Senate Speaker that his party has nominated MWM chief for the post and urged that he be appointed as the Leader of Opposition in the Senate without any delay.
Zafar said the office of the Leader of the Opposition was crucial in a parliamentary democracy, adding that the post was essential for effective governance, constitutional oversight and transparency in the parliamentary system.
The vacant post of Leader of the Opposition in the Senate raises questions about the parliamentary system, the PTI leader added.
He noted that without a Leader of the Opposition, Parliament remained institutionally incomplete.
