Daily Times

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Omar Ayub was elected unopposed as the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly on Tuesday after the National Assembly Secretariat notified his appointment.

The notification came following the successful scrutiny of Ayub’s nomination papers as per Rule 39 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the NA. Ayub and PTI leaders Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, and Malik Muhammad Aamir Dogar met with NA Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq today to discuss the former’s nomination.

The PTI leader’s nomination for opposition leadership was backed by 85 members of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), marking a significant show of support. Last month, in a formal move, the PTI-SIC alliance put forward his candidacy, submitting the necessary documents to Sadiq’s office.

The development came in the wake of approximately 90 Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) associated with the PTI joining hands with the SIC post-February 8 general elections. The MNAs, initially contesting as independent candidates, united under the SIC banner to secure reserved seats. The submission of nomination papers was initiated by Malik Amir Dogar, in the presence of SIC’s leading figure Sahibzada Hamid Raza, along with MNAs Ali Mohammad Khan, Riaz Fatyana, Dr Nisar Ahmad Jatt, and other key personalities.