Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) chief Allama Raja Nasir Abbas was appointed as the opposition leader in the Senate on Tuesday.
“In pursuance of sub-rule (3) of Rule 16 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate, 2012, the chairman Senate has been pleased to declare Senator Raja Nasir Abbas as leader of the opposition in the Senate, with immediate effect,” said a notification issued by the Senate Secretariat.
The appointment comes less than a week after the opposition leader in the National Assembly was appointed after a months-long delay.
PTI nominated Abbas as its candidate for the slot of leader of the opposition in the Senate in October 2025.
On Monday, PTI Senator Barrister Ali Zafar said Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani had informed him that Abbas would be notified as the opposition leader in the upper house of Parliament by Tuesday (today).
Zafar had earlier submitted a letter to the Senate chairperson, seeking the appointment of Abbas.
According to the PTI senator, Gilani had accepted the opposition’s demand of appointing Abbas to the vacant position and said that an announcement about his appointment would also be made in the house.
In a post on X, Zafar said that he had a meeting with the Senate chairman regarding the appointment of the opposition leader.
The opposition leader’s posts in the Senate and NA had fallen vacant in August 2025, following the disqualification of PTI’s Shibli Faraz and Omar Ayub, respectively.
The two were disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) after their convictions in cases related to the May 9, 2023, riots.
The PTI had then nominated Abbas as its candidate for the opposition leader’s position in the Senate and Achakzai to fill the NA slot.
