The Salim Saifullah-led Likeminded group of the PML-Q on Friday put its weight behind the single largest opposition party in the Upper House of parliament – the JUI-F – while ignoring the PML-N’s request for the same. PML-N senators, including Ishaq Dar and Pervez Rashid, on Friday met Salim Saifullah to win over the group’s support for Dar as the opposition leader in the Senate.
A source in the PML-Q Likeminded group told Pakistan Today that Saifullah plainly refused to support the PML-N candidate for the slot. Later, a JUI-F delegation of Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Maulana Muhammad Khan Sherani, Azam Swati and Khalid Soomro met Saifullah to convince him to back the JUI-F candidate for the Senate opposition leader’s slot. Saifullah told the JUI-F delegation that he himself was a candidate for the slot, however, on insistence of the JUI-F senators, Saifullah announced to withdraw his candidacy for the opposition leader’s office.
He asked the JUI-F to bring a unanimous candidate for the opposition leader’s slot. Saifullah claimed the support of four PML-Q Likeminded senators –Saifullah himself, Haroon Akhtar Khan, Ghaffar Qureshi, and Fauzia Fakharuz Zaman. But a split in the ranks of the PML-Q is likely, as another group of “rebels” led by Senator Tariq Azeem will support PML-N leader Senator Ishaq Dar.
A source told Pakistan Today that the infighting between the two PML-Q dissident leaders – Senator Tariq Azeem and Salim Saifullah Khan – would help the PML-N nominee win the opposition leader’s slot.
