ISLAMABAD: Former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani has urged the National Assembly speaker and the Senate chairman to immediately fill the vacant posts of opposition leader in both houses, warning that the continued absence of opposition leadership is undermining Parliament’s constitutional role.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Rabbani said that Parliament could not be considered complete or effective when key positions meant to ensure accountability and dissent were left unoccupied.
He described the situation as a troubling contradiction, noting that political actors frequently invoke parliamentary supremacy while failing to uphold its basic institutional requirements.
The positions of opposition leader in the National Assembly and the Senate have remained vacant since August last year, after PTI leaders Omar Ayub and Shibli Faraz were disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan following their convictions in cases linked to the May 9, 2023 unrest. Since then, the PTI has nominated Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai for the National Assembly role and Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen’s Allama Raja Nasir Abbas for the Senate slot, but neither appointment has been formally notified.
Rabbani said the prolonged delay was particularly damaging at a time when the political environment was already deeply polarised. He warned that keeping opposition offices vacant was not a procedural technicality but a decision that effectively muted dissent and weakened parliamentary oversight. Such practices, he said, risked further eroding public confidence in democratic institutions.
His remarks came as National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq indicated that the process for appointing an opposition leader in the lower house would be restarted. The speaker made the comments during a meeting with PTI Chief Whip Amir Dogar, who raised concerns over the delay and submitted documents related to the withdrawal of cases involving Omar Ayub.
According to parliamentary sources, Dogar again pressed for the notification of Mahmood Khan Achakzai as opposition leader, while Sadiq reiterated that all steps would be taken strictly in line with constitutional provisions and the rules of the House. He said members would be briefed on the matter during the next National Assembly session.
The issue has remained stalled for months due to correspondence between the opposition and the National Assembly Secretariat over the legal status of Omar Ayub’s cases. While the opposition has maintained that the cases were no longer pending, the Secretariat had sought written confirmation to complete the formal procedure.
Ayub had earlier challenged his disqualification before the Supreme Court but withdrew the petition in October last year. A by-election on the vacated seat has since been held, with a ruling PML-N candidate winning the contest.
The speaker later confirmed that the required documents had now been received and said the appointment process would proceed after verification of opposition members’ signatures, paving the way for a formal decision in the upcoming session.
