Amid criticism over delay in opposition leader’s appointment, NA Secretariat seeks details of cases registered against PTI’s Omar Ayub

Amid mounting criticism over the delay in the opposition leader’s appointment, the National Assembly (NA) Secretariat has sent a letter to PTI’s Chief Whip Malik Aamir Dogar and sought details about the status of cases registered against party leader Omar Ayub.

Two key parliamentary offices, the leader of the opposition in the NA and the leader of the opposition in the Senate, have been lying vacant since August after the disqualification of PTI’s Ayub and Shibli Faraz by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in connection with their conviction in the May 9 cases.

The PTI has nominated Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas for the opposition leader slots in the NA and Senate, respectively. However, they have not yet been notified.

In a statement issued today, a spokesperson for the NA Secretariat said that in the letter, the chief whip of the opposition had been asked to provide a written clarification regarding the status of the cases of Ayub and “whether they are pending in any court or not”.

According to the spokesperson, the letter sought the latest updates on the court proceedings against Ayub.

The spokesperson further said that the opposition had informed the NA Secretariat earlier that Ayub’s cases were not pending, but no written confirmation was submitted.

According to the spokesperson, written information is essential to complete the process of nominating the opposition leader.

Therefore, Dogar has been asked to provide the current status of any pending court cases concerning Ayub, the spokesperson said.

The procedure for the appointment of the leader of the opposition of the NA can move forward upon receipt of written confirmation, the spokesperson said, adding that Dogar has been requested to provide the required documents at the earliest.

It should be mentioned that PTI leader and former NA speaker Asad Qaiser has previously stated that the opposition has provided the necessary documents to Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.

For his part, Sadiq has stated that matter of the nomination of the opposition leader in the house is “sub judice”.

Meanwhile, veteran parliamentarians, constitutional experts and parliamentary reporters have almost unanimously demanded that Sadiq and Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani immediately recognise the democratic right of the opposition members by appointing their nominated persons as the opposition leaders in both houses of parliament.