PPP Senator Saleem Mandviwalla disputes his nomination as chief whip

Liaquat Ali

Islamabad: Pakistan People’s 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.

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 said.

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

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

Dar, who is the 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.