Raja Zafarul Haq may be appointed Senate chairman

LAHORE: PML-N chairman and incumbent leader of the house in Senate Raja Zafarul Haq is likely to be a unanimous choice of the party for the prized post of Senate chairman, party sources told The News on Thursday. However, others said Federal Finance Minister and serving Senator Ishaq Dar is also a strong option. Yet some sources said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s close aide is likely to stay in the federal cabinet as the portfolio of finance is very important. Raja Zafarul Haq is serving as the leader of the opposition in the Senate after 2012 polls.
On the other hand, in acknowledgement of his parliamentary services, Dar was decorated with a Nishan-e-Imtiaz, the highest civilian award of the country, by former president Asif Ali Zardari in March 2011. The name of PML-N Women Wing leader Nuzhat Sadiq, appointed to the Senate in 2012, is in circulation for the post of Senate deputy chairman.
As the currently serving PML-N senator bagged an impressive 157 votes in Senate polls in Punjab on Thursday and the ruling party has won 16 Senate seats from all assemblies, the election of Raja Zafarul Haq to the prestigious position is likely to be an easy feat for the ruling party. The party’s allies in Balochistan, PkMAP, led by Mehmood Khan Achakzai, and National Party, led by Hasil Bizenjo, are likely to support the PML-N and cast a vote in its favor in the upcoming Senate chairman elections. Additionally, MQM and JUI-F can also vote in favour of Raja Zafarul Haq. ANP’s support is unpredictable at this point in time; however, it has supported the PML-N in the past.