Raja Riaz declared new opposition leader in PA
LAHORE: The Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) former senior minister Raja Riaz Ahmad has been made the opposition leader in Punjab, and an official statement regarding it has been issued by the provincial assembly secretary, Maqsood Ahmad Malik, as per the directions of Speaker Rana Iqbal Ahmad Khan.
The notification for leader of opposition number PAP/Legis-1 (50)/97/340, issued by the secretary on March 3, stated, “Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan, Speaker, Provincial Assembly has been pleased to accept the resignation of Ch Zahirudin, MPA (PP-55), from the office of the leader of the opposition, with immediate effect”.
The notification further said, “In pursuance of rule 2(1)(n) of the Rules of Procedure of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1997, the Speaker, Provincial Assembly of the Punjab has been pleased to declare Raja Riaz Ahmad, MPA (PP-65) as Leader of the Opposition in the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab with immediate effect”.
It is worth mentioning that after separation from the Punjab government, Raja Riaz had submitted a request for his appointment as the opposition leader in the assembly just after resignation of Chaudhry Zahirudin, who was the former opposition leader of the PA.
On Thursday, the speaker approved Raja Riaz’s application and issued an official notification for his appointment as the new opposition leader of the House. After the acceptance of Raja Riaz’s request, now the PPP’s members have gotten the permission to sit on the opposition benches in the PA.
Separately, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader and former opposition leader, Chaudhry Zaheeruddin, has now become an ordinary member of the PA. It is also pertinent to mention here that Zaheeruddin has also lost the status of the PML-Q’s parliamentary leader as Dr Tahir Ali Javed, a member of a dissident group, namely the Unification Group, will be the new parliamentary leader of his group in the PA.
Source: Daily Times
Date:3/4/2011
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