PML-N cries foul as Gilani notified as Senate opposition leader

ISLAMABAD: Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani on Friday declared Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Yousuf Raza Gilani as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, a development which took by surprise allies Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), who described it as a “setback” for the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) cause.

Chairman Sanjrani declared Gilani as leader of the opposition, in pursuance of Rule 16 (3) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate 2012, said a notification issued here on Friday. The PPP nominated Gilani for the slot with the support of 30 lawmakers.

Talking to the media, Senator Sherry Rehman said the PPP’s nomination papers had the support of 21 senators from the party, two from the Awami National Party (ANP), one from the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), two from erstwhile Fata and four members of the Upper House from Dilawar Khan’s independent group.

The PML-N, who had nominated Azam Nazeer Tarar for the post, voiced disappointment over the PPP’s decision to seek support from independent senators who the PML-N hinted were affiliated with the Balochistan Awami Party to get Gilani nominated as Senate opposition leader.

“If the BAP senators are included to attain the post of the leader of the Opposition in Senate, then indeed PDM’s objectives, its struggle and the opposition alliance have suffered a setback,” PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal said in a press conference flanked by Tarar and Rana Sanaullah.

Referring to the BAP senators, Iqbal said “the entire Islamabad knows on whose directions they vote”. Referring to it as a “suspicious transaction” he said such a move was not in line with the PDM’s transparent politics.

“If this post [leader of the Opposition] was so necessary for the PPP, the party should have informed Nawaz Sharif about it. He would have happily given it to them,” the PML-N leader said. He then issued a warning to the PPP, saying that whoever betrays the PDM’s objectives would “pay a heavy price”.

Responding to the PML-N’s objections Gilani, in a press conference, voiced the PPP’s desire to keep the PDM alliance united. “Two members [who supported the PPP for the Senate opposition leader bid] are those who have no association with BAP,” he said.

“Dilawar Sahab has been associated with the PML-N in the past but now has an independent group of four [senators],” he said. “So for them to say it is a Sarkari [government] Opposition; we must not make such remarks if we want the PDM to remain intact,” added the PPP leader. Gilani said the PPP wanted the PDM to “remain intact” and further its agenda for constitutional, human and economic rights, and to especially highlight the inflation issue.

Defending the PPP’s move to contest the recently-held elections, Gilani said, “The Parliament is the voice of the people of Pakistan and we must not neglect this voice.”

Shedding light on the PDM meeting where Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari participated via video link, he said the PPP was told by the opposition alliance that the long march and Dharna will begin from March 26 and that opposition lawmakers should resign before the anti-government movement would begin.

He said this was “a new development for the PPP” hence the party requested the PDM to grant it time to consult with its Central Executive Committee before arriving at a decision. “I told Maryam Nawaz that now the scenario has changed,” he said.

Speaking about reports of cracks within the PDM alliance, Gilani said JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman spoke to both Zardari and Sharif a few days ago and urged them to keep the opposition alliance united.

In response to Fazl’s message, the PPP Co-chairman assured Fazl that PPP members have been told not to issue inflammatory remarks against the PDM.—News Desk/APP