ISLAMABAD, Jan 8: The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy and the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal are set to lock horns on the appointment of opposition leaders in the National Assembly and the Senate.

Sources said both the alliances had geared up their efforts to capture the offices as the government had indicated that it wanted to settle the issue before presenting the National Security Council bill in parliament.

The ARD and the MMA have submitted lists of their members to National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain, claiming to have the support of a majority of opposition members.

The MMA has nominated Maulana Fazlur Rehman as its candidate for the office of the opposition leader in the National Assembly against Makhdoom Amin Fahim of the ARD.

Sources said the government intended to present a bill for setting up the NSC in the next session of the National Assembly. "As the opposition leader in the National Assembly would be a member of the NSC, the government wants to settle the issue before tabling the bill," sources in the Pakistan Muslim League said.

They said the speaker would appoint the opposition leader soon after his return from a foreign visit on Jan 11. The ARD claims the support of 81 MNAs against 66 of the MMA.

ARD's parliamentary secretary Izhar Amrohvi said the alliance had submitted a list of 78 members with their signatures, supporting the candidature of Mr Fahim. He said the ARD also enjoyed the support of Mehmood Khan Achakzai of the Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Rauf Mengal of the Balochistan National Movement and Imran Khan of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf.

He said the MMA had no right to sit on the opposition benches after supporting the government in the passage of the 17th Amendment. He accused the speaker of "intentionally" delaying the issue. He said the speaker had introduced a new tradition by asking the opposition parties to submit lists of their members. Under the rules it was the duty of the speaker to appoint the opposition leader after assessing the strength of the parties, he said.

About the MMA's claim that the ARD parliamentary group was formed after the election, Mr Amrohvi that under that logic Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali could not become the prime minister with the support of several parliamentary groups in the house.

He said the ARD had become a majority group in the Senate opposition after the death of Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani, before which the two alliances had 22 seats each. He said the Senate chairman should appoint Mian Raza Rabbani as the opposition leader without any delay.