PPP Senator Saleem Mandviwalla disputes his nomination as chief whip

• Mandviwalla says he was appointed without his consent.
• Says he came to know about appointment through news. 
• PPP leader to consult Bilawal, Zardari over the matter. 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Saleem Mandviwalla raised a dispute over his nomination as the chief whip in the Senate, saying that he was appointed without his consent, The News reported Monday. 

Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi last week informed the Senate that caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar had endorsed Senator Ishaq Dar as leader of the house and Mandviwalla as chief whip.

It could generate a new controversy in the lone surviving house of parliament in the country since the appointment and status, both are contravened and against the norms and protocol.

“I have come to know about the appointment through TV news bulletin and had no prior knowledge about it,” Mandviwalla responded to a query by The News. 

He said that he would consult the party leaders — Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Asif Ali Zardari — after their return to Pakistan tomorrow or the day after before taking any action in this regard.

Mandviwalla is also the chairman of the standing committee on finance in the Senate. 

Dar, who is te leader of the house, is entitled to the perks and privileges of a federal minister. 

Dar also served as the leader of the house in the outgoing coalition government. He took oath as a senator in September 2022 after returning from exile and he was appointed as the federal finance minister and the leader of the house in the Senate, simultaneously.

His appointment by the caretaker PM to the same slot became a source of disquiet for the PPP which was unhappy with the decision and had already raised objections to his nomination. 

Responding to a point raised by PPP Senator Shahadat Awan, during the session on October 30 regarding the status of leaders of the house, opposition and the chief whip after the completion of the constitutional tenure of the last government, the minister clarified that as per parliamentary traditions, they would continue to perform their responsibilities. A notification regarding the appointment of Mandviwalla as the chief whip had also been reissued, he added.

On October 31, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani said that he had received consent from the caretaker PM to “retain PML-N Senator Ishaq Dar as the Leader of the House”.