ISLAMABAD: Behind-the-scenes negotiations are under way in the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to resolve differences between the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the two arch-rivals of the past, on the issue of new opposition leader in the upper house of parliament as the deadline for Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani to nominate someone will expire on Saturday.

Sources in the two parties told Dawn that both the parties were sticking to their claim over the key Senate office, but at the same time they were busy in finding a middle path to settle the dispute amicably.

On Thursday, PDM president Maulana Fazlur Rehman talked to PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. Although the official handout issued by the PPP said the two leaders “discussed the prevailing political situation”, the sources said the opposition leader’s issue had also come under discussion between the two leaders.

According to the sources, the PML-N has already submitted an application to the Senate Secretariat, nominating Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar as the opposition leader, whereas the PPP has yet to formally submit any such request to the Senate chairman.

Senate chairman has until Saturday to name the leader of the opposition

The nomination of Mr Tarar carries signatures of 17 PML-N members whereas the five senators of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) and two members each of the National Party (NP) and the Pakhtun­khwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) had also assured their support in line with the decision taken by the PDM.

On the other hand, the PPP with 21 senators has succeeded in getting the support of two senators of the Awami National Party (ANP) and the lone member of the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) for its nominee. Though the PPP has not officially announced any name for the office, the sources said, the PPP leaders had told the allies about their intention to nominate Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani for the post.

This development has made the situation very interesting and votes of the two senators of Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) have become decisive ones.

The situation presently goes in favour of the PPP as the Senate rules say that “if two or more members have equal support for the office of Leader of the Opposition, the member belonging to the party having largest numerical strength in the opposition shall be declared by the chairman as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate”.

The sources said there was a possibility that the PPP might use the upcoming by-election on a National Assembly seat (NA-249) in Karachi for bargaining as the PML-N had already sought the PPP’s support for the party which had nominated former finance minister Miftah Ismail as its candidate.

A senior PPP leader, while talking to Dawn, said that if this happened it would be a good deal for the party that did not have a vote bank in the Karachi constituency, which was vacated by PTI’s Faisal Vawda after becoming senator, as it comprises mostly the migrants from other provinces.

Speaking at a news conference in Lahore on Thursday, PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz, however, once again declared that Mr Tarar would be the new opposition leader in the Senate and that the party had no intention to either change him or surrender the office.

The PPP has already formally lodged its protest with the PML-N leadership at the highest level over Mr Tarar’s nomination because of him being a lawyer for the accused police officials in the Benazir Bhutto murder case.

A source in the PPP told Dawn that former president Asif Ali Zardari had conveyed his reservations to PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif over the move a day before the meeting of the heads of the PDM component parties in Islamabad on March 16. Mr Zardari, the source said, had also talked to former finance minister Ishaq Dar over the issue and expressed his dismay over the PML-N’s decision.

Meanwhile, under Rule 16 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate 2012, the Senate chairman is required to nominate the opposition leader by Saturday (tomorrow).

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2021