PDM 'names' Yousuf Raza Gilani as candidate for Senate chairman

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) has approved the name of newly-elected Senator Yousuf Raza Gillani as the joint candidate of the opposition alliance for the Senate chairman, ARY NEWS reported quoting sources.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman chaired a meeting of PDM leaders at Sindh House in Islamabad which was attended by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz and others.

According to sources, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) nominated Yousuf Raza Gilani for Senate chairman as PML-N and Awami National Party also supported his candidature from the platform of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

Speaking during the PDM meeting headed by its chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Bilawal Bhutto said that they were given the challenge to ensure an upper hand in Senate and they had successfully achieved it.

“I congratulate all of you over the victory,” he said and asked as to what would have happened if they had boycotted the Senate polls if PPP had not intervened.

No-confidence motion in Punjab

Besides this, the sources privy to the details said the PPP has also suggested giving authority of the no-confidence motion in Punjab Assembly to the PML-N.

“The PPP will give the suggestion for the non-confidence motion at the PDM platform while the PML-N being the majority party will have a final say in this regard,” they said while divulging the decisions of the opposition alliance’s meeting headed by Fazlur Rehman.

“PPP will completely back the PML-N in the no-confidence motion,” they said.

The Punjab Assembly currently has 369 members of which the treasury benches have the support of 191 of them while PML-N has 166 lawmakers, followed by PPP with seven MPAs.