ISLAMABAD: PTI Senator Ali Zafar said on Monday that Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani had communicated to him that Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) chief Allama Raja Nasir Abbas would be notified as the opposition leader in the upper house of Parliament by tomorrow (Tuesday).
Speaking to Dawn, Zafar said he had submitted a letter to the Senate chairperson, seeking the appointment of Abbas.
According to the PTI senator, Gilani had accepted the opposition’s demand of appointing Abbas to the vacant position and said that an announcement about his appointment would also be made in the House.
In a post on X, Zafar said that he had a meeting with the Senate chairman regarding the appointment of the opposition leader.
“[The] chairman informed me that he has approved the appointment and directed the secretariat to issue a formal notification,” Zafar said.
He welcomed the decision, saying that the party would be able convey its perspective in the Senate more effectively.
The opposition leader’s posts in the Senate and the National Assembly (NA) had fallen vacant in August 2025, following the disqualification of PTI’s Shibli Faraz and Omar Ayub, respectively. The two were disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan after their convictions in cases related to the May 9, 2023 riots.
The PTI had then nominated Abbas as its candidate for the opposition leader’s position in the Senate and Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai to fill the NA slot. After a months-long delay, Achakzai was notified as the NA opposition leader last week.
