The Senate Secretariat on Monday notified Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) as new leader of the opposition in the Upper House of the Parliament. The decision invited strong criticism from rest of the opposition parties including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), PML-Q's dissidents and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PaKMAP) that had extended support to PML-N candidate Senator Ishaq Dar.
"In pursuance of rule-2 of the Rules of Procedure And Conduct of Business in Senate, 1988, the Senate Chairman has been pleased to recognise Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri as leader of the opposition in the Senate with effect from June 06, 2011," said a brief notification issued here on Monday.
Meanwhile, Senate Chairman Farooq H Naek informed the House amid strong protest over the notification that he had received majority of votes in favour of Haidri as the leader of opposition. As many as 19 senators have voted in favour of Haidri with five key votes of the senators belonging to Fata while 15 members extended their support to Dar.
Nine dissident senators of PML-Q who have contrary to the Chaudhry's League, joined the opposition benches had also extended their support to PML-N candidate but their votes were not considered under the election laws, which had referred in his letter by PML-Q Chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain to the chairman Senate.
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, as chief of the party, had written a letter to the Chairman that his party had joined the ruling coalition, therefore, those senators belonging to PML-Q should not be considered as opposition members, which resulted in loss of nine votes to the PML-N candidate.