PTI-backed Raja Nasir Abbas appointed Opposition Leader in Senate

The head of Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen and PTI-backed Senator Raja Nasir Abbas has been appointed as the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate.

Senate Secretary Hafeezullah Sheikh has issued the official notification confirming the appointment.

Senate Chairman Yusuf Raza Gillani stated that Raja Nasir Abbas enjoys the support of 22 out of the 32 opposition members in the Senate.

He said that the authority to declare the Leader of the Opposition rests with the Chairman of the Senate, adding that Senator Raja Nasir Abbas is hereby declared Leader of the Opposition.

The Senate Chairman further explained that the matter of the notification had remained pending with the Senate Secretariat due to judicial procedures, but he has now acted in accordance with the rules

Later, addressing on the Senate floor, Raja Nasir Abbas said that no system can function by keeping people under ‘pressure’.

Raja Nasir Abbas reiterated his demand for the release of the PTI founder, claiming that cases against him have not been heard in the high court for the past year. He stressed that a country cannot move forward by keeping a popular leader behind bars.

He also questioned the continued imprisonment of Dr Yasmin Rashid, asking whether she was a terrorist, and criticised the registration of cases that, according to him, have no legal basis.