Former chief minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim is ineligible to lead the opposition in Sindh Assembly, speaker of the House Nisar Ahmed Khuhro declared on Thursday.
Speaking with the media a day before the assembly session, he said that after contesting the last elections and taking oath as an MPA, Rahim neither stayed with his voters, nor did he attend any sessions. “How can a person, who is not present in the country, be appointed the leader of the opposition in the assembly?” Khuhro remarked.
Four MPAs of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) Likeminded had submitted their applications to the Sindh Assembly speaker for the appointment of Rahim as the leader of the opposition in the House.
The MPAs also submitted a leave application on behalf of Rahim, stating that the former chief minister cannot attend the assembly sessions on medical grounds.
After joining the treasury benches, Jam Madad Ali of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional is no longer the leader of the opposition and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement also rejoined the government, leaving the slot vacant.
Khuhro said the MPAs have furnished their applications as the PML-Q Likeminded, which is not registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan.
“The party demanding the opposition leader’s slot does not exist according to the Election Commission of Pakistan and therefore this appointment is impossible,” he added.
The next session of the assembly will therefore be held without a leader of the opposition.
“The tenure of the assembly can be run without a leader of the opposition. The members of the House can play the role of the opposition. They can raise questions and issues and support or oppose any matter,” Assembly Secretary Hadi Bux Buriro told Pakistan Today. “There is no mention of treasury or opposition benches in the assembly’s rules of procedure,” he added. “It is up to the speaker to decide about the seating arrangement.”
