ISLAMABAD: National Assembly member Naveed Qamar on Thursday said the speaker of the house does not have the authority to decide who becomes the leader of the opposition, stressing that the decision is a prerogative of parliamentarians.
He was speaking after the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), with approval from its incarcerated founder Imran Khan, nominated Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas to lead the opposition in the National Assembly and Senate, respectively.
Despite these nominations in October, the government has not yet formally recognised them, with NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq describing the matter as “sub judice.”
In an interview on a local news channel, Qamar said it was not the speaker’s role to withhold action on the nominations. “At one time it was definitely the entitlement of the speaker,” he noted, referring to 2002, when Maulana Fazlur Rehman was appointed opposition leader over PPP’s Amin Fahim, despite the latter’s party having greater representation, a decision Qamar described as “manifestly not politically correct.”
He added that the Rules of Procedure were subsequently amended to ensure that the opposition bloc selects its own leader.
“Whoever has the most members submits the nomination and that person will be made the leader of the opposition,” Qamar explained. “This is not the discretion of the speaker. Whoever has the majority among opposition members — it is in their hands, and whoever they decide on, that person should be the opposition leader.”
The nominations of Achakzai and Abbas followed the Election Commission of Pakistan’s August decision to disqualify PTI’s Omar Ayub Khan as NA opposition leader and Shibli Faraz from the Senate role, along with other opposition MNAs and MPAs, following their convictions in May 9 cases.
Qamar said that the delay in recognition by the government undermines parliamentary norms. He emphasised that the appointment of opposition leaders is a matter of parliamentary procedure and must reflect the choice of opposition members.
Ex-premier Imran Khan had earlier expressed concern over the continued delay in officially acknowledging his party’s nominees, reiterating that the nominations should be implemented without interference.
The current situation highlights the importance of adhering to established parliamentary rules, ensuring that opposition members can exercise their constitutional right to select their leadership freely.
