PPP divided over Senate chairman nominee

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is divided over the party’s nominee for the post of Senate chairman, sources informed Geo News on Thursday.

According to reports, several party stalwarts have expressed their reservations over not naming Raza Rabbani as the nominee. There has also been resistance to naming Saleem Mandviwalla as the party’s nominee for the post.

Sources add that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) and Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) have also backed Rabbani for the Senate chairman post.

On Wednesday, PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari in a news conference alongside JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman was asked about the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) willingness to support Rabbani. Zardari responded: “Thank you very much, I do not want that.”

Later, JUI-F sources informed Geo News that the PPP co-chairman had expressed his wish to get Saleem Mandviwalla elected as chairman of the upper house.

Meanwhile, the PML-N has claimed that the party has a majority in the Senate to appoint the chairman and deputy chairman. The party has, however, not announced any nominees for the post.

PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif appearing before the accountability court reiterated that he personally wanted Rabbani as the next Senate chairman.

PTI chairman Imran Khan has announced that his party would try to stonewall attempts by the ruling party in its effort to have a PML-N nominee appointed Senate chairman.

Sources have informed Geo News that the PTI has entered into an agreement with PPP to elect Saleem Mandviwalla as the chairman.