While the Pir Pagara-led party claims its nominee represents a consensus of all opposition parties, not a single member of the Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim-led Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (Likeminded) signed the application to nominate her, alleging their party “was not taken into confidence”.
Seven members of the PML-F, two from the National Peoples Party (NPP) and one of the PML-Q were signatories on the application, which was submitted at the Sindh Assembly speaker’s office on Wednesday by a delegation led by PML-F parliamentary leader Jam Madad Ali.
Speaker Nisar Khuhro accepted the application, saying it would be processed as per the rules. “The leader of the opposition is to be nominated from a party, which has the majority of opposition votes in the house. We will start it with the verification of signatures of the MPAs who have supported Abbasi,” he said.
The PML-F leaders told Khuhro that some opposition members were out of the city and would endorse the nomination later.
Abbasi told the media that PML-F chief Pir Pagara had nominated her for the slot soon after the ruling party members misbehaved with her and other female MPAs over the issue of local government system.
Earlier, Pir Pagara had agreed to nominate Arbab Rahim as the opposition leader in Sindh Assembly but it seems they (PML-F) have backtracked, PML-Q (Likeminded) leader Raza Rahimoon told The Express Tribune.
The seat of the opposition leader in the assembly has been vacant for more than one year now. PML-F leader Jam Madad Ali led the opposition for about three years until his party joined the coalition government and he was appointed a minister. The party parted ways with the government in September on the new local bodies system.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 20th, 2012.
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