ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has endorsed the decision of opposition parties to field Mian Raza Rabbani as consensus candidate for the office of Chairman Senate, according to Radio Pakistan.
In his address at a luncheon meeting in honor of political leaders in Islamabad on Tuesday, the said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has initiated the process of broad based consultation for emerging a consensus on the national issues which has yielded positive results and opening new political traditions.
The prime minister regretted that the Pakistan People’s Party PPP) co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari held a consultative meeting of the political parties last night to nominate a consensus candidate but it might have been better that he also invited him to participate in the meeting.
However, he said that now when the political parties have reached on a consensus on the name of Mian Raza Rabbani his party also endorses his name to promote culture of consensus.
Nawaz Sharif said that he also sent message to former President Asif Ali Zardari to move forward the process of mutual consultation on the issue of the election of the Chairman and deputy chairman but did not receive any feedback.
The prime minister said that the present government launched this initiative during the last one and half years and arranged meetings of the political leadership for reaching on a national consensus on all important issues.
Sharif said that new democratic traditions have been set by the government and this process will continue
to move forward the democratic process and the country in positive directions. He said this consultation process will be help full in forging unity among the political leadership to resolve the issues.
The premier hoped that today’s meeting will also be helpful to reach on a consensus candidates for the election of Chairman and Deputy Chairman Senate.
The meeting was attended by the leaders of PPP, Awami National Party (ANP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and Pakistan National party (PNP).
On Monday, the opposition parties nominated the PPP senior leader and Senator Raza Rabbani as their candidate for the post of Chairman Senate.
In this regard, a decision was made by the Awami National Party (ANP) Chief Asfandyar Wali Khan while talking to newsmen after a meeting of leaders of PPP, the MQM, the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and the ANP in Islamabad.
The ANP leader said that the Deputy Chairman Senate would be nominated from Balochistan.
