ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman was declared Leader of the Opposition in the Senate on Thursday.
The Senate secretariat issued a notification declaring Rehman the opposition leader in the Senate. She is the first woman opposition leader in the Upper House of the Parliament.
–@VicePresPPPP Senator @sherryrehman becomes Pakistan’s first woman Leader of the Opposition in Senate 🇵🇰 #PPPMakeHistory #PPPEmpowersWomen
— SherryRehman’sOffice (@SRehmanOffice) March 22, 2018
Rehman is the 12th Opposition leader in the Senate and seventh opposition leader of Pakistan Peoples Party. She enjoyed the support of 34 senators.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had given the go-ahead to the nomination of Senator Sherry Rehman for the slot.
#PPP ready to make history again. We nominate Senator @sherryrehman for the position of Leader of Opposition. InshAllah she will be the first woman to lead the opposition in the senate. Pakistan People’s Party; #WeMakeHistory
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) March 14, 2018
Before her election as a member of the Senate, Sherry Rehman remained on important posts in the previous PPP government. She has also served as Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States.
Previously, the office of the opposition leader was held by Aitzaz Ahsan whose six-year term in the Senate ended this month.
On March 12, Balochistan Senator Sadiq Sanjrani was elected as Senate chairman after he secured 57 votes out of the total 103 cast for the slot, defeating the PML-N’s Raja Zafarul Haq. Whereas, PPP’s Saleem Mandivwala was elected as Senate Deputy Chairman.