PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Saturday that the PML-N backed candidate for the leader of the opposition in the Senate, Azam Nazeer Tarar, was "controversial" and PPP members could not have been expected to vote for him.

Addressing a press conference at Bilawal House, he touched upon a range of topics around the issue of the leader of the opposition in the Senate and the disagreements that seem to have lately cropped up between the PML-N and the PPP in the run up to the decision and after it.

Gilani was successful in the bid for the post — with 30 votes in his support compared to 17 for the PML-N-backed candidate Azam Nazeer Tarar — and was confirmed as the leader of the opposition in a notification issued by the Senate Secretariat on Friday.

"How can you expect that I say to my majority members to not make Yousuf Raza Gilani the leader of the opposition [in the Senate] but to give vote for PML-N's Tarar?" he questioned.

"I don't want to get into that but this candidate was very controversial in our party," said Bilawal, adding that neither he nor his father had been approached by the the leaders of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to give up the PPP's right to the position in favour of their candidate.

Addressing the media earlier in the day outside the Lahore High Court, PML-N vice-president Maryam Nawaz had lashed out at the PPP's decision to submit Yousuf Raza Gilani's nomination for the post.

She added that while she would wait for PDM chief Fazlur Rehman's stance on the issue, she herself was very "saddened by this — despite having an idea and having all understanding — that you [PPP] for a small position, dealt a very big loss to a democratic cause, democracy and the struggle for the supremacy of the people's rights".

During his press conference, Bilawal denied that he or his father had ever agreed to any suggestion of the PDM to give away the office of the leader of the opposition in the Senate to any other party or individual. He said if the opposition felt it appropriate to nominate a member from the PML-N, then he or his father should have been approached.

"If they had, then we might have accepted and we would have definitely said the candidate you're nominating [is controversial]," said Bilawal. The PPP chairman said the main bone of contention with regards to Tarar was the fact that he was the lawyer for the accused in the Benazir Bhutto murder case.

He, again, reiterated how he could have been expected to support such a candidate — without even an effort of the opposition to approach him or make him understand — over Gilani who "was disqualified because of the joint scheme of the establishment and some political parties [and] who fought [a] political struggle with Benazir".

"If there was a phone call then in that situation we could've maybe found a solution. I never hid this from you or anyone that I want to get the position of leader of opposition [in Senate] for Yousuf Raza Gilani and am fighting for that."

Bilawal said that the PPP as the single biggest opposition party in the Senate, held the right as per parliamentary norms and the history of the Senate to "becoming the Senate chairman and claiming and becoming the opposition leader [in the Senate]".

"With sadness, I don't know why one party takes such a tough or stubborn decision that some people of my party feel that the PPP is being driven against the wall."

He said that before the independent group of Senator Dilawar Khan extended its support to the PPP, both the PPP and PML-N were tied at 26 votes for the position of the opposition leader in the Senate.

"You maybe don't know about the rules of the Senate but when two candidates have equal strength then the right is given to the one with the single largest majority. So in that situation, the PPP would still have become the opposition leader [in the Senate]."

Bilawal noted with dismay that he hadn't been expecting the reaction of the PML-N's reation to Gilani's win to resemble the prime minister's when Gilani won the Senate seat.

PDM's future

Bilawal maintained throughout the presser that the only effective way for the opposition to move forward was together and that he personally had well wishes for the PDM's continuity.

"At the end of the day, you know and I know that the only way we can deal damage to the government especially in the parliament, that can only happen in the situation when we work together.

"Absolutely I want [the PDM's continuation] because I laid the basis of the PDM and will want that the unity of the PDM continues."

He said he didn't want to cause any harm to the PDM and didn't want to encourage disagreement thus he would not respond to the allegations and accusations that PML-N members had levelled against him throughout the day. "We have great respect for Maryam (Nawaz) and many officeholders of the PML-N who are now engaging in making statements [against PPP]."

Bilawal also praised Maryam's role in the PML-N and hailed it as a "good step" for Punjab's politics. He pointed out that he had never criticised her in the past and would not do so now and recalled that he had been the first to raise a voice in her defence in parliament when she was arrested.

"Despite the difference of opinion with the PDM over the past few days and despite some public statements from the PML-N, I gave instructions to my party to definitely go and show solidarity with Maryam (Nawaz) when she was being summoned by the NAB (National Accountability Bureau).

"We can carry political differences but we don't want there to be injustice with anyone or wrongdoing as happens with politicians by NAB. I will request the PML-N leadership to ponder over who are actually their allies and who are giving them wrong advice to pick a fight with the PPP."

He urged the media to focus on points and issues on which the PDM was united and agreed upon, instead of focusing on points of disagreement.

He did, however, respond to a question that there were now allegations against him and the PPP of becoming part of the "selected", to which he answered, "I gave that word so I know who it is merited to be used for."

"I think if we try to run this alliance with respect and equality, then it will be successful and continue. [But] an alliance can't run on anyone's dictation.

"We have to [rise] above our energy and passion — keeping them aside — [and] should take this political decision and that is why I request my PML-N friends to drink some water, take deep breaths, have patience."

He said at the end of the day, the member parties of the opposition in the PDM would still face off against each other in democracy and the elections. There "we should respect and accept everyone's victory and Yousuf Raza Gilani has worked with every party in the past and wants to in the future."