ISLAMABAD, JAN 19: The treasury and opposition benches have agreed on the name of Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) chief Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas as leader of the opposition in the Senate, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Barrister Ali Zafar said on Monday.

This development came a week after Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai was appointed leader of the opposition in the National Assembly.

Talking to the media, the PTI leader said Senate Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani and senators from the treasury and opposition benches had consulted on the appointment of the leader of the opposition in the Senate.

Confirming the development, Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the MWM chief — an ally of the PTI — would be the opposition leader in the Senate, adding that a notification in this regard was being issued.

The post has been lying vacant since August last year, when then-opposition leader in the upper house of the parliament Shibli Faraz was disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) following his conviction in cases related to riots on May 9, 2023.

The PTI parliamentary leader in the Senate, earlier, penned a letter to the Senate chairman, urging the appointment of a leader of the opposition in the upper house of the parliament.

The PTI leader told the Senate chairman that his party has nominated MWM chief for the post and urged that he be appointed as the opposition leader in the Senate without any delay.

Zafar said the office of the opposition leader was crucial in a parliamentary democracy, adding that the position was essential for effective governance, constitutional oversight and transparency in the parliamentary system.

The vacant post of leader of the opposition in the Senate is raising questions about the parliamentary system, the PTI leader added.

He noted that without a leader of the opposition, the House remained institutionally incomplete.