Abbasi, Rashid, Khursheed among six nominees for PM election

ISLAMABAD: As the National Assembly’s session is scheduled to be held on Tuesday to elect the leader of the house, the assembly secretariat has received nomination papers of six candidates for prime minister’s office after the opposition parties failed to agree on fielding a joint-candidate.

Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N)’s nominee Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the former petroleum and natural resources minister, and Awami Muslim League (AML) chairman Sheikh Rashid submitted their nomination papers on early Monday.

The opposition parties’ consultative meeting to ponder over rallying behind a joint-candidate, chaired by opposition leader Syed Khurshid Shah at his chamber in the National Assembly but ended without developing consensus over a joint opposition nominee for the slot of prime minister.

The opposition parties suggested different names as nominee for the premiership. PPP suggested the name of Syed Naveed Qamar, Qaumi Watan Party nominated Aftab Ahmed Sherpao besides PML-Q’s Chaudhry Pervez Elahi.

The opposition parties after failing to agree to field a united candidate for prime minister, submitted separate nomination papers.

MQM-P’s Kishwar Zehra, PPP’s Khursheed Shah besides another party MNA Naveed Qamar, and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI)’s MNA Sahibzada Tariq Ullah have submitted their nomination papers following the meeting.

Addressing the media later, Qureshi said the opposition should give a chance to Rasheed — one of the petitioners in the landmark Panama Papers case.

Qureshi claimed the other opposition parties have asked for more time to ponder over the option of rallying behind Rasheed.

The meeting was held at chamber of the opposition leader in the National Assembly, which was attended by PPP’s Sherry Rehman, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q)’s Chaudhry Pervez Elahi and others.

However, representatives of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Awami National Party (ANP) did not take part in the united opposition meeting.

President Mamnoon Hussain has called the session of the assembly for the election of the leader of the house after former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif relinquished the office in the light of Supreme Court judgment in the Panamagate case.