Govt endorses Rabbani’s candidature for Senate chair

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday urged for a consensus on Pakistan Peoples Party’s proposed candidate Senator Raza Rabbani for Senate chairman.

Asif Ali Zardari has supported Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s endorsement for Raza Rabbani’s candidature as Senate chairperson.

Nawaz Sharif mentioned that PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari held a meeting on Monday for all parties to come to a consensus on a candidate for Senate chairmanship and said that his party too endorses Raza Rabbani, in order to further promote the culture of mutual consensus between political parties.

“Raza Rabbani is more than acceptable to us as proposed by the PPP,” the premier said, while addressing a lunch of heads of all political parties at the PM House.

PM claimed that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz wanted all parties to work together, and also wanted the new Senate chairman to be appointed through a consensus of all political parties.

“If any one party has absolute majority then they have a right to bring their candidate as Senate chairman or deputy chairman. But we should all work together for the appointment,” he added.

Following the premier’s nod to Raza Rabbani, Rabbani is visiting the PM House in Islamabad, according to sources.

Political leaders of various parties have responded in the affirmative to Prime Minister’s decision of Raza Rabbani as new chairman of Senate.

Earlier talking to political leaders on the luncheon, PM said that PML-N will not field any candidate for the slot of deputy chairman senate.

Talking to media in Islamabad on Tuesday after nomination, the consensus candidate for the Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani has said being Chairman of the Upper House he will work hard to further strengthen political and democratic traditions.

He said he will work as a neutral man in the house and ensure supremacy of the law and rules of procedures of the Senate to ensure impartiality.
He said all political parties are equal before him and he will work to activate legislative work which is prime responsibilty of the parliament.
Raza Rabbani opined that the deputy chairman of the upper house should be nominated from smaller province especially from Balochistan to remove their sense of deprivation.