ISLAMABAD: Backed by all 24 opposition members, including seven from Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F), Ishaq Dar of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Wednesday was declared as the new opposition leader in the Senate.

Soon after receiving signed applications by the opposition members in support of Mr Dar, newly-elected Senate Chairman Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari nominated the PML-N leader as the opposition leader in place of Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri of the JUI-F, and the Senate Secretariat immediately issued the notification in this regard.

Talking to Dawn after his nomination, Mr Dar said that he was thankful to the JUI-F for supporting him as a unanimous candidate for the opposition leader’s post and now he would be heading a joint opposition in the upper house of the parliament.

Besides the JUI-F senators, he said that Hasil Bizenjo of the National Party and two independent candidates — Mohsin Leghari and Humayun Mandokhel — had supported him as the opposition leader.

The PML-N now possesses the offices of the opposition leader in both the houses of the parliament as party stalwart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan is the opposition leader in the National Assembly.

Mr Dar has returned to the upper house unopposed on a technocrat’s seat from Punjab.

After the March 2 Senate polls, the PML-N has become the single largest party on opposition benches with 14 members. The JUI-F’s strength has been reduced to seven from 10 whereas all the nine senators belonging to the breakaway factions of the PML-Q have retired.