December 15, 2003	Monday	Shawwal 20, 1424

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ISLAMABAD Dec 14: The chamber of leader of the opposition in the senate has fallen vacant following the demise of Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani, who, by virtue of being the president of the MMA, had assumed the title of leader of the opposition in the Senate without being officially nominated as such.

There being no uncertainty in the Senate as there is in the National Assembly about who commanded the majority on the opposition benches nobody had, therefore, objected to Maulana Noorani using the opposition leader’s chamber but, his official nomination was being kept pending till a similar nomination could be made in the National Assembly where the government and the MMA have so far connived to make it appear as if the ARD, (major among whom are the People’s Party Parliamentarians and the PML-N) which has the majority on the opposition benches, did not exist.

When the Senate resumes its session on Monday evening, the question of who would now occupy the leader of opposition’s chamber would certainly be in the minds of most senate members, especially the opposition senators.

Earlier, the senate session was adjourned on Friday evening immediately after the passage of a unanimous resolution to pay homage to the late Maulana and the condolence speeches by the members were left for next session. On Monday, the members will have an opportunity to pay tribute individually to their departed colleague on the floor of the upper house.

The late Maulana was not only a consensus leader of the opposition in the upper house but he was also the consensus president of the six party religious alliance. His departure has also thrown up the question as to who would now lead the MMA.

It is believed that Maulana Samiul Haq, one of the five vice-presidents of the MMA and chief of his own faction of the JUI, is said to have started lobbying for the slot but there are more names in the alliance who seem to want to occupy the prestigious office.

Among them are the names of Maulana Naseeb Gul of the JUI-F, Prof Khurshid Ahmed and Prof Ghafoor Ahmed of the Jamaat-i-Islami. The latter two could also be the serious contenders if considered by the alliance and supported by other opposition parliamentary groups.

The government, which appears to have assured MMA’s secretary-general Maulana Fazlur Rahman the slot of the leader of the opposition in the lower house, the announcement of the leader of opposition in upper house is also likely to be made simultaneously with presentation of the proposed draft amendment bill in parliament.