ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has nominated Senator Mirza Muhammad Afridi for the post of Senate deputy chairman, Minister for Information Shibli Faraz announced Thursday.
Prime Minister Imran khan has nominated Senator Mirza Mohammad Afridi for Deputy Chairman Slot giving representation to Ex FATA PTI member.
— Senator Shibli Faraz (@shiblifaraz) March 11, 2021
Afridi is fielded against Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri who is a joint candidate of the 11-party Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).
Last week, Prime Minister Imran had endorsed Sadiq Sanjrani, incumbent Senate chairman, for a second term at the top Senate post.
In 2018, Sanjrani, then a little-known politician from Balochistan and backed by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), beat Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Raja Zafarul Haq to become chairman of the upper house.
In 2019, he survived an unexpected no-confidence vote proposed by the joint opposition alliance, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), which holds a majority in the 104-member House.
Political analysts claim that many party members did not wish to see Sanjrani again as Senate chairman and wanted the party leadership to nominate an ideological party activist or member for the slot.
Many also believe if the PTI did not back Sanjrani, it would have run the risk of annoying the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), which is now the fourth largest party in the Senate and second-largest party after the PTI in the ruling coalition.
