Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday notified Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) chief and PTI-backed Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas as the opposition leader in the Upper House.
“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,” read the notification issued by the Senate Secretariat.
The post fell vacant in August 2025 after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified then-opposition leader Shibli Faraz following a conviction in cases related to the May 9, 2023 riots. Last week, Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai was similarly appointed Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, replacing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s Omar Ayub.
Addressing the Upper House after his notification, Abbas reaffirmed his loyalty to incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan and said he would uphold principles without compromise. He urged politicians and parliamentarians to focus on the needs of ordinary citizens rather than elite interests, pointing to the difficulty faced by the impoverished in accessing medicine, electricity, and education. He emphasized the need for governance to prioritize public welfare and urged lawmakers to enact laws and policies that directly benefit people.
The MWM chief also called for freedom of expression, urging authorities to allow people to speak without fear. He claimed the only solution to the prevailing political crisis was the release of Khan as well as all other “political prisoners.”