The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) has decided to field Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) lawmaker Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri as its nominee for the Senate deputy chairman slot.
The decision was taken by the steering committee of the joint opposition alliance in a meeting chaired by ex-prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday.
The elections for the coveted slots of Senate chairman and deputy chairman are slated to be held on March 12 and the opposition is contesting these polls jointly. It has already nominated Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Yousaf Raza Gillani as its candidate for the Senate chairman seat.
Gillani had pulled an upset on March 3 by defeating Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, who is the finance minister, in a hotly-contested election on Islamabad’s Senate seat.
It may be noted here that the government has decided to support incumbent Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani for the top slot. It has yet to announce its nominee for the deputy chairman slot, however.
Meanwhile, the PDM has decided to nominate a candidate from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for the post of Opposition Leader in the Senate. The seat was previously held by PPP’s Sherry Rehman.
In a related development, the Election Commission of Pakistan rejected a plea filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) urging it to withhold the victory notification of Gillani. The PTI alleged that the PPP leader won the election as a result of rigging.
