Senate of Pakistan: Political storm brews up as Yusuf Raza Gilani becomes opposition leader

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani on Friday notified former prime minister Senator Yusuf Raza Gilani as the opposition leader in the Senate after the PPP submitted a list of 31 senators to him, expressing their confidence in Gilani.

PML-N’s Azam Nazir Tarrar had the support of 21 opposition senators while JUI-F, which has five senators, did not support any candidate. “In pursuance of Rule 16 (3) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate 2012, the chairman Senate has been pleased to declare Senator Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, with effect from 26th March, 2021,” reads a notification issued by the Senate Secretariat. The list carried the signatures of 30 senators; 21 PPP senators, two from the ANP, one from the Jamaat-e-Islami, two from the erstwhile Fata and five from the independent Senator Dilawar Khan Group.

With the appointment of Gilani as the opposition leader in the Senate, the gulf between the PPP and PML-N has widened, putting the 10-parties PDM alliance on the rocks. However, when journalists asked Senator Sherry Rehman whether the development could be termed as the funeral of PDM, Sherry Later, addressing a press conference at the Zardari House along with former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and the PPP Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, Gilani said ANP, Jamaat-e-Islami and independent senators had supported his appointment.

He also announced to take the PDM leadership into confidence on becoming the leader of the opposition. Gilani said it was the PPP’s stance that “we must not leave any parliamentary option unchallenged and that is the reason I contested the Senate elections and defeated the government’s candidate.”

He said the PPP had convinced the PDM to contest the Senate elections and the recent by-polls after legal experts opined that the Senate elections would take place even if the opposition resigned en masse from the assemblies.

“The benefit was that whatever by-elections the PDM contested, it won,” he added.He said it had always been the PPP’s stance that the election process should not be boycotted, emphasizing that “the voice of parliament is the voice of the people of Pakistan and we should not ignore it.”

”We were ready for the long march and all the preparations were in place but then resignations were bracketed with the long march, which was a new thing for us. It’s not misunderstanding but difference of opinion. It is the spirit of democracy. When you agree to disagree, it is democracy,” he added.

He said the PPP wanted to consult the new scenario of bracketing the long march with resignations with its CEC and the PDM gave it time to do so.He said the issue of leader of the opposition was discussed in a smaller committee of PDM and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf has also said in that meeting that since the PPP was the largest opposition party in the Senate, it had the right to get the office of opposition leader.

He said former president Asif Ali Zardari had also contacted other parties of the PDM, and said the position of opposition leader in the Senate was the PPP’s right being the single largest opposition party in the Upper House of the Senate.

Gilani said Jamaat-e-Islami and Awami National Party (ANP) also promised the PPP of their votes, while independent senators also supported the PPP. He said Senator Dilawar affiliated with the PML-N had constituted a group of four senators and supported the PPP, as it had the support of 30 opposition senators.

“So calling it a ‘government opposition’ is not appropriate and we should refrain from saying this to keep the PDM intact,” he said.Gilani said PDM chief Fazlur Rehman had contacted Zardari and said no controversial statement would be issued but that day a PML-N senior office-bearer said they had the majority with the help of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), which was not correct.

“We should not issue such statements for the sake of PDM, as we want the PDM to be intact to struggle against price hike, poverty and unemployment and for supremacy of the Constitution,” Gilani said.

Gilani said he was the first unanimously elected prime minister of Pakistan and assured the PDM that they will remain together.The opposition leader said he will continue to fight for the rights of people.

Replying to a question, Gilani said he had won the Senate election and was Chairman Senate in the eyes of the people but the matter was in the court.“The PPP always appeared before courts and respected their decisions. We have also filed an intra-court appeal with the Islamabad High Court,” he said.

Replying to another question regarding the spy cameras, he said a parliamentary committee had been constituted on the demand of the PPP.Asked about whether it was safe to assume now that the PDM had come apart, he did not agree with the questioner saying the PDM was still intact and will remain so in the future.

“I will meet the PDM leaders and ensure justice is served,” he added.Gilani said unofficially many leaders of the PML-N had contacted him and even Zardari contacted them through the back channel diplomacy and said they did not want to re-open the issue.

“Even Maulana Fazlur Rehman also pleaded my case,” he said.Asked whether his appointment as the opposition leader was the PTI’s success or defeat, Gilani said it was their defeat.

Meanwhile, Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Friday called up ANP leader Aimal Wali Khan and thanked him for supporting his party in the election for the opposition leader.

Aimal congratulated Bilawal over Gilani’s appointment.

Bilawal also called up Gilani and congratulated him.

“The Joint opposition could defeat the government at every forum outside and inside of the parliament,” Bilawal remarked.Reacting to the development, the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) Friday decided to lodge a formal complaint with the PDM chief Fazlur Rahman.

Party sources said a heated debate took place among the PML-N leaders in a meeting held at the Sharifs’ Jati Umra residence in Lahore after a breakfast was arranged by Maryam Nawaz for the PDM leaders.

The PML-N leaders expressed strong reservations about the PPP’s move, as it had already been decided in the last PDM meeting that the slot would be given to the PML-N and Maryam had announced Azam Nazir as the party candidate for the slot.

Some of the PML-N leaders suggested carrying on with the PPP, as it would benefit the PDM.Sources said Maryam took a hard stance on the issue and termed it stabbing in the PDM’s back by the PPP.

The PML-N leaders also said the PPP got the support of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Awami National Party (ANP). The meeting discussed that everyone knew that who was behind the PPP and BAP alliance. It was also discussed what would happen if the PPP and the ANP quit the PDM.

They said now it would be difficult to go along the PPP, as it was going to become the official opposition.Maryam said the PML-N followed the PDM strategy, but the PPP betrayed it. She said the PML-N and the JUI-F would be sufficient to stage a long march against the government. The PML-N leader said she would demand the PDM chief to ask the PPP reasons for going against the PDM’s decisions.

Sources said the party meeting discussed the future strategy of the PML-N and the PDM without the PPP and the ANP.The meeting also discussed the strategy to stage a long march and it was decided that mass mobilisation should be started as soon as possible.

The party leadership assigned various duties to its parliamentarians, leaders, ticket-holders and workers across the country.Sources said the meeting also discussed different lines of action including tabling a no-confidence move in the Punjab.

Meanwhile, PML-N Central General Secretary Ahsan Iqbal said the PDM was shocked by Yusuf Raza Gilani’s win.He said the ANP also voted for Gilani, and the PML-N would raise the issue at the PDM forum.

Talking to the media along with Rana Sanaullah, he said if the post of opposition leader was so much necessary for the PPP, they should have talked to Nawaz Sharif, who would have given it to them happily.

“We are sorry that the ANP also voted for Gilani, and we will raise it at the PDM forum.” Ahsan said according to the PDM decision, 27 senators had expressed confidence in Azam Nazir Tarar and he should have been appointed the leader of the opposition in the Senate.

He said the scope of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) investigations was very wide, which was against the national institutions.He said Imran Khan himself was violating coronavirus SOPs and NAB should also take notice of it.

“The PDM is centre of hope of 22 crore people. The future of the nation is linked to the rule of the Constitution,” Ahsan said.He said the PDM was not a passive entity but very lethal and was very close to its main objective of sending the government packing.

“We will continue to play our role everywhere, including in the Senate and the National Assembly,” he added.PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah said, “We will take up the issue in the PDM meeting”.

He said the NAB was taking political revenge as Shahzad Akbar had the alleged videos of NAB chairman in his custody.Sources said the PDM might expel the PPP from the movement in its upcoming meeting in the first week of April 2021.

The PML-N sources said by declaring Gilani as the opposition leader, Sadiq Sanjrani had favoured the PPP as he had become the Senate chairman with their help, while the ANP voted for Gilani as Asif Zardari had changed the name of NWFP as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Meanwhile, JUP-Sawad Azam group President Pir Mehfooz Mashadi and Secretary General Pir Iqbal Shah Friday strongly condemned the PPP leadership for securing the Senate opposition leader’s slot.

They also condemned Jamaat -e-Islami for voting in favor of status quo forces.Addressing a meeting in Lahore, Pir Mehfooz Mashadi and Pir Iqbal Shah said the PPP had not only stabbed the PDM in the back, but also exposed its fake anti-establishment character by choosing to accept a charitable office from the pro-establishment government.

They said Yusuf Raza Gilani should have felt ashamed that he was stooping so low after having been prime minister.Meanwhile, commenting on Gilani becoming the Opposition Leader, ministers and government advisors said the political death of the PDM had occurred now.

Information Minister Senator Shibli Faraz said the PDM existed no more now. He said the politics of hatred has burnt to ashes everything and the opposition allies would part ways as a result of hatred against each other.

He said he would not say anything about the PPP deceiving the PML-N. He said the PPP was playing all its cards for its vested interests. He said the PML-N never gave respect to anyone and did not consult its allied parties, and ultimately it had to face humiliation.

PM’s Special Assistant Shahzad Akbar said in a tweet “Baji (Maryam Nawaz) must have been feeling the pain now” over being ditched by the PPP.Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak said, “It were not we who offered the Namaz-e-Janaza of the PDM”.

Special Assistant to Chief Minister Punjab Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said the PML-N had once again been “slaughtered” by the PPP.PM’s advisor Shahbaz Gill said Yusuf Raza Gilani ditched the corrupt opposition alliance and became the opposition leader in Senate.

Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid Ahmed said the alliance of self-interest between the PPP and PML-N had reached its logical end after Yusuf Raza Gilani’s appointment as the opposition leader.

Talking to a private news channel, he said differences among the PDM parties, especially the PPP and PML-N, had surfaced publicly and they would further intensify with every passing day. Shaikh Rashid said the PPP would not go for resignations, as it had to lose its government in Sindh.

The minister said the opposition parties were only safeguarding their personal and political interests and they had no concern with the public issues. He said the opposition should accept the government’s mandate and let the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) complete its constitutional tenure.

“If we failed to deliver, people would not vote us in the next elections,” he maintained.Meanwhile, appearing in Geo’s “Naya Pakistan” programme, senior journalist and analyst Hamid Mir said Yusuf Raza Gilani was both official and selected Opposition Leader in the Senate.

He said the word ‘selected’ now deemed appropriate for the Pakistan People’s Party. He said someone had assured the PPP of reward and it went along with them adding that it could pocket much during the AJK elections in July this year.