By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani declared Allama Raja Nasir Abbas the new leader of the opposition in Pakistan’s upper house on Tuesday, filling a post that had sat empty for months and giving a fresh platform to a staunch supporter of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan.
Abbas, who heads the Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen and serves as vice chairman of the Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan, got the nod from Khan himself. The Senate secretariat issued a formal notification, citing rules that let the chairman pick the opposition member with the most backing from those benches. Gilani told the chamber Abbas had support from 22 of the 32 opposition senators.
The announcement came during a routine session, but it quickly turned lively with opposition members banging on desks and chanting for Khan, who’s been behind bars facing a tangle of charges. Gilani had held off on naming a replacement earlier because of court fights over the disqualification of the last opposition leader, PTI’s Shibli Faraz.
Faraz lost his seat in August 2025 after the Election Commission ruled against him in cases linked to the May 9, 2023, riots. A Peshawar High Court order had kept things on ice, and Gilani said he’d waited out of respect for the judiciary and to avoid stepping on any toes. “Earlier deferment was therefore procedural, occasioned by institutional prudence, due deference to judicial authority and rule of law,” Gilani said before making it official.
Once Abbas was named, lawmakers helped him switch seats, and the chamber broke into applause as he shook hands on his way over. In his first speech from the new spot, Abbas thanked Khan for getting him into the Senate in the first place. “I am his loyal companion, will never compromise on principles,” he said, vowing to stick to his oath and work for the country’s security and progress.
He praised the government side for their warm welcome, calling it a “good gesture,” and said he hoped the Senate could focus on easing people’s hardships through better laws. Abbas stressed the Constitution as the bedrock of society, a “social contract” that sets up the legislature, judiciary and executive without them meddling in each other’s business. “The Constitution is sacred,” he said. “When laws are not respected, society becomes a jungle.”
Pakistan faces all sorts of troubles right now, Abbas went on, with lawlessness at the top of the list. He said ordinary folks have lost faith in the system, no trust in the courts, parliament or the government. Without justice and constitutional rule, he argued, the country can’t hold together. “National power or soft power is not acquired through bullets, tanks or jets,” he said. “That is why it is impossible to keep people united when there is no rule of law, justice and supremacy of the Constitution.”
He brought up the forced evacuations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tirah area for army operations against militants, saying it was unfair to uproot whole communities just to chase a few terrorists. “Had you taken the people’s help, the terrorists might not have been able to enter that region,” Abbas said. “How can you eradicate terrorism and restore peace without the support of the local people?”
The root of the political mess, he said, goes back to the Feb. 8, 2024, elections, which the opposition insists were stolen. Abbas recounted how his group faced attacks during a peaceful trip to Punjab recently. “What law is this? Did we have weapons? We were peaceful,” he said. “Why is this happening? Why is there lawlessness? Will we be able to run the system by suppressing, pressuring and harassing people?”
He pushed for letting people voice their grievances legally, saying it strengthens the nation. The way out of the crisis, Abbas insisted, is to free Khan and drop the stalled cases against him. “The country cannot progress if you keep a popular leader in jail,” he said, claiming Khan has 90 percent of the public behind him. He called on the Senate to demand the release of all political prisoners to end the instability. Only leaders chosen by voters should run things, Abbas added, not those the people rejected.
He took a swipe at the military, noting how some officials claim they stay out of politics. “Can we swear about this on the Holy Quran?” he asked, promising full respect for the army if it sticks to its role.
Speaking to government lawmakers, including PML-N’s Rana Sanaullah, Abbas urged everyone to fix the political scene. “May no one have to face the injustice that Imran Khan is facing,” he said. “Politicians have built this country with the support of the people. Under the Constitution and law, only politicians have the right to run this country.”He also weighed in on foreign affairs, saying Pakistan should rally Islamic nations and neighbors against U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to Iran. “We should call a session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation,” Abbas said. “We should decide that no one will be allowed to attack any country in this region.”
Sanaullah responded with congratulations and said Abbas had spoken thoughtfully, even when disagreeing. On the election gripes, Sanaullah pointed out that PTI had faced similar accusations after winning in 2018. “You say the vote was not respected on February 8, has this happened for the first time?” he asked. “In 2018, our position was that the results of 45 seats were changed.”
He suggested both sides admit elections here are flawed and work together to fix them, talk about rules, the commission, all of it. Sanaullah agreed politicians should handle politics, citing the 2006 Charter of Democracy between Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto. But he blamed Khan for the bad blood, with his long marches and sit-ins. “Does the establishment carry out long marches against politicians?” Sanaullah asked. In the end, he called for talks in parliament to sort things out.
The opposition spot opened up after Faraz and National Assembly opposition leader Omar Ayub were both disqualified last August over the riot convictions. PTI picked Abbas for the Senate job back in October, alongside Mehmood Khan Achakzai for the lower house. Achakzai got his post just last week.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
