Senate Chairman Farooq Naik on Monday issued a notification naming JUI-F leader Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri as the new Senate opposition leader, but the notification was rejected outright by all opposition parties except the JUI-F. Protesting the Senate chairman’s decision in favour of the JUI-F candidate, which is numerically stronger than any other opposition party in the Upper House of parliament, senators from the PML-N, JI and the PML-Q dissidents rejected Haideri as their new leader. At least 19 senators belonging to various opposition parties, including eight PML-Q dissidents, cried foul as Haideri opened debate on the federal budget, saying his nomination was illegal and against the prescribed democratic norms.“Withdraw the fake notification,” they shouted at the chair until Haideri concluded his speech amidst the rumpus.
Eight PML-Q likeminded group senators – Gulshan Saeed, Haroon Khan, Naeem Chattha, Salim Saifullah, Jamal Leghari, Javed Shah, Abdul Ghaffar and Tariq Azeem – had decided to continue sitting on the opposition benches after the PML-Q joined the treasury benches and are backing PML-N’s Ishaq Dar for the opposition leader’s slot. As soon as the chair asked the newly-appointed leader to open debate on the budget, Senator Pervaiz Rashid asked the chairman to stop the “irrelevant person” [Haideri] from making his speech. “He is not representing the opposition and therefore cannot open debate on the budget,” he said. However, Azam Swati of the JUI-F asked Haideri to continue his speech.
Jamal Leghari also challenged Haideri’s nomination to the top opposition slot in the Senate. However, Naik told the House that the appointment was made in the light of the applications he received in support of both the contenders – Haideri and Ishaq Dar –adding that Haideri had more numbers backing him.As Haideri concluded his speech, several opposition senators asked the chairman to withdraw the notification, warning the government that they would start protesting every time the “unlawful” leader of the opposition addressed the House. Addressing a press conference outside the Parliament House later, the PML-N’s Raja Zafarul Haq said Haideri’s appointment was against the rules, as he did not enjoy the confidence of the majority of the opposition members. Meanwhile, Haideri said the protest by the PML-N and other opposition parties amounted to ridiculing democracy and parliament’s sanctity. He said a real opposition had come into being with his appointment.
