Prof Khurshid likely MMA parliamentary leader in Senate

By Mohammad Imran

ISLAMABAD: The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) is likely to nominate Senator Professor Khurshid Ahmed as its opposition leader in the Senate but the final decision in this regard would be taken at the alliance’s supreme council meeting, sources told Daily Times on Monday.

“In an informal consultation it was decided that the MMA would nominate the opposition leader in the Senate and not select Senator Maulana Gul Naseeb Khan,” MMA Deputy Secretary General Liaqat Baloch told Daily Times.

Sources said that Mr Gul Naseeb, in a recent press conference, had claimed that the MMA Supreme Council in a meeting had decided that the late Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani would be the opposition leader in the upper house of the parliament and he (Gul Naseeb) would be the parliamentary leader of the MMA. However, the Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami and the Islami Tehrik had rejected Mr Naseeb’s claim.

“The supreme council decided to name Senator Prof Khurshid as the opposition leader in the Senate after Maulana Noorani’s death,” he said. Mr Baloch said that MMA Secretary General Maulana Fazlur Rehman proposed the name of Prof Khurshid so there would be no Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl opposition to the candidature.

Mr Baloch said that the decision for to nominate Prof Khurshid was taken because Mr Naseeb was not competent to hold the post and another candidate, Professor Ghafoor, was not healthy enough.

However, Mr Baloch said that the final decision in this regard would be taken at the MMA Supreme Council meeting to be held shortly. “The council meeting will also discuss an extension in the Frontier cabinet,” he said. He added that the MMA would give representation to smaller parties of the alliance in this cabinet extension.

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