PPP mulls options to bring Yusuf Raza Gilani back to Senate ahead of polls

• Gilani took oath as MNA after resigning from Senate.
• PPP decides Gilani as its nominee for Senate chairman. 
• Party seeks advice from its legal and political team.

ISLAMABAD: The top leadership of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has decided that its nominee for the position of Senate chairman will be former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani — who also took oath as a member of the National Assembly after resigning from the Senate on Thursday.

However, PPP remains firm on its decision regarding Gilani as its choice for the Senate chairman, The News reported Saturday.

In this regard, the Bilawal Bhutto-led party has sought advice from its legal and political team on whether to get Gilani re-elected into the Senate in the Senate by-elections or the upcoming main Senate elections.

Though the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued the schedule for the Senate by-elections on the vacant seats of the Senate for March 14, but has not yet announced the schedule for the upcoming Senate elections as half of the senators will be retiring on March 11.

According to PPP insiders, a legal team of the party is exploring the options available to the party on how to get Gilani back in the Senate — through the by-election or the Senate election. Apparently, the majority think he should contest the upcoming Senate elections for the next six-year term.

The final decision will be taken in a day or two as the PPP lawyers will obtain the nomination papers for the Senate by-election on the seat that Gilani had vacated and if the top leadership gives the green signal for him to contest the by-election for Senate from Islamabad, the seat he vacated after winning the National Assembly election from NA-148, then the nomination will be filed. 

But this could change if the party leadership goes the route of Gilani contesting the upcoming Senate election for a six-year term.

An insider of the PPP also says that Gilani is still a top PPP contender for the Senate chairman and the details have also been finalised with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Party insiders also say that the former premier has left the decision to the PPP’s top leadership.

If Gilani is elected as the Senate chairman, he will hold the unique record of having served in the top three constitutional posts in the country — speaker of the National Assembly, prime minister of Pakistan, and chairman of the Senate.

Though Gilani had also contested the Senate chairman election in 2021 against Sadiq Sanjrani, he technically lost the election after seven of his votes were declared invalid by then presiding officer and Senator Sanjrani was elected as the chairman of the Senate.