MQM-P nominates Rana Ansar as opposition leader amid deadlock with GDA

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) has nominated Rana Ansar for the opposition leader’s slot in the Sindh Assembly amid deadlock with another opposition party, Grand Opposition Alliance (GDA), ARY News reported on Friday.

MQM-P’s Rana Ansar has been nominated for the position of Sindh opposition leader. She would be the first woman opposition leader in Sindh Assembly if elected.

However, the deadlock is still persisting between MQM-P and GDA for the opposition leader’s slot as the nominated Ansar would require a specific number of votes for replacing the current opposition leader Haleem Adil Sheikh.

READ: MQM-P to apply for opposition leader’s slot in Sindh Assembly

The MQM-P lawmakers filed her nomination to the Sindh Assembly Secretariat after getting the signatures of the lawmakers. The application was filed in the PA Secretariat by MQM-P’s Farooq Sattar, Nasreen Jalil, Rana Ansar and other lawmakers.

While talking to journalists, Farooq Sattar said that the current opposition leader is not present in the Sindh Assembly to represent the entire opposition. He added that neither the opposition leader nor other lawmakers belonging to his political party are attending sessions at the provincial assembly.

He said that there is a need to fill the gap in the Sindh Assembly to represent the opposition benches.

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Farooq Sattar said that the Leader of the House and the Opposition Leader have to decide about the caretaker chief minister. He added that MQM-P has full confidence in Rana Ansar who is also the party’s parliamentary leader.

Amid the deadlock with GDA, it would be difficult for MQM-P to ensure the success of Ansar as no GDA lawmakers announced to support of the new candidate so far. The application for the opposition leader’s slot was submitted to the PA Speaker by the MQM-P’s 20 lawmakers.

At the time of Haleem Adil Sheikh’s appointment, 59 lawmakers signed the application for the opposition leader. As per the assembly’s rules, the new opposition leader would require support from the majority of the opposition benches.

Sources said that the signatures of over 30 provincial lawmakers are mandatory for filing the application.

In Sindh Assembly, there are 30 lawmakers from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on the opposition benches, 21 from MQM-P, 14 from Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), three from Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and one from Jamaat-e-Islami (JI).