30 June 2004	Wednesday	11 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

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ISLAMABAD, June 29: The People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP) has said Makhdoom Amin Fahim deserves to be appointed as the opposition leader in the National Assembly after the election of the prime minister.

"We are actively considering how to stake our claim for the opposition leader," said PPP spokesman Senator Farhatullah Khan Babar while talking to Dawn on Tuesday. Mr Babar said it had further reinforced the claim of Mr Fahim to the position of the opposition leader.

"If one goes by the rules or by the interpretation of Maulana Fazlur Rahman and the speaker that runner-up of the prime minister's election can be the opposition leader, in both the cases the slot must go to the democratic opposition party," he added.

He said the speaker should nominate Mr Fahim as the opposition leader by following the logic of rule or by logic of his own set principle as the MMA had not even participated in the election.

Parliamentary secretary for the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) Izhar Amrohvi said after the fresh election for the leader of the house, the election which was held in November 2002 had become null and void.

He said the speaker should have appointed Mr Fahim as the opposition leader soon after the election of Mr Jamali as the prime minister.