ISLAMABAD: Senator Chauhdry Aitzaz Ahsan of the Pakistan People’s Party is likely to become next opposition leader in the Senate.
Senator Ishaq Dar of the PML-N on Monday tendered his resignation as opposition leader in the Senate. In his resignation submitted to the Senate Secretariat, Senator Ishaq Dar said as the PML-N had emerged as the single largest party in the National Assembly, therefore, he has resigned as the opposition leader.
PPP Parliamentarians sources said that Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan will be nominated by the party leadership for the slot of the opposition leader.The opposition led by the PPPP will be in the majority in the Senate. The PPPP is represented by the 39 membersin the Senate and it is the largest party in the upper house.
As the PPPP is out of the government in the center, it would have to sit on the opposition benches. Awami National Party (ANP) having a strength of 12 senators, MQM with seven and PML-Q with five members will be the other opposition parties in the upper house of 104 member while JUI-F with seven members will decide whether to sit on opposition or treasury benches later.
There are also eleven independent members in the Senate while four members hail from Balochistan National Awami Party.The PML-N will be the largest party on the treasury benches with 15 members. However, it is likely to get support from JUI-F and eleven independent members but will depend on the opposition benches to see any legislation in the house get through.
INP adds:
Farooq H Naek, a senior leader of the Pakistan People’s Party, on Tuesday resigned as leader of the house in Senate.According to sources, Naek has sent his resignation to the party leaders.
Naek said that leader of the house in Senate is supposed to be the representative of the prime minister, adding since elections the situation has changed as PML-N has emerged as the single largest party in the National Assembly.
In this context there was no moral justification to remain as leader of the house, he added.Veteran PML-N leader and Senator Raja Zafarul Haq is likely to take over slot of Leader of the House in the Senate. The position would be vacated by PPPP senator Jahangir Badar
