Impasse over NA Opposition leader continues

Ruling alliance not accepting SIC as parliamentary party

ISLAMABAD:

The stalemate over who will become the opposition leader in the National Assembly continued on Wednesday between both sides of the aisle.

Two weeks have passed since the formation of the new government but the process of appointing the opposition leader in the NA could not be completed.

The delay in the appointment of the opposition leader by NA Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has raised many questions.

According to sources, more than 85 MNAs presented signed documents to the speaker nominating PTI-backed independent member Omar Ayub Khan as the opposition leader.

The nomination was formally presented to the office of the NA speaker.

Malik Amir Dogar presented the documents of Ayub’s nomination to the NA speaker.

Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) chief Sahibzada Hamid Raza, MNAs Ali Mohammad Khan, Riaz Fatyana, and Dr Nisar Ahmad Jatt among other opposition members were also present on the occasion.

The realisation that the formal process of appointing a leader of the opposition had not been completed struck the PTI-SIC coalition during the NA session earlier this month.

Also read: Omar Ayub nominated for NA opposition leader

It occurred when former NA speaker Asad Qaiser urged the current one to give the floor to the leader of the opposition.
Sadiq, in response, questioned who had declared Ayub as the opposition leader.

The speaker guided the PTI-SIC lawmakers, stating that they needed to follow the formal process, and only then would Ayub officially become the opposition leader.

It is a parliamentary tradition that whenever the leader of the opposition rises to speak, they receive the floor to express their views.

However, the ruling alliance is refusing to accept the SIC as a parliamentary party. The vast presence of PTI-backed independent members has created difficulties in the appointment of the opposition leader.

The sources said because of the lack of the appointment of the NA opposition leader, a deadlock had arisen in the formation of important parliamentary committees.

They added that the formation of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) as well as special and standing bodies of the House would be decided after the appointment of the NA opposition leader.

For now, the formation of these essential parliamentary bodies, including that on Kashmir, has hit a snag in the absence of an NA opposition leader.

The PAC is usually headed by the opposition leader but PTI’s Sher Afzal Marwat recently maintained that he had been nominated by party’s founding chairman Imran Khan for this slot.