ISLAMABAD: Presi­dent Asif Ali Zardari has summoned the National Assembly session on Monday (today), setting the stage to initiate the process of appointing the leader of the opposition. The opposition leader issue is expected to resurface after PTI’s Omar Ayub withdrew his petitions in the Supreme Court and high courts against his removal. Before the petition was withdrawn, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq said he couldn’t begin the appointment process as the issue was sub judice. With the summoning of the assembly, Speaker Sadiq is expected to ask the opposition to follow the process for appointing a new leader. The opposition has repe­atedly accused the government of delaying the appo­intment process and nominated Pasht­unkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mehmood Achakzai as the opposition leader. Rule 39 of the “Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly 2007” confirms it is the sole prerogative of the speaker to ask the opposition at any time to submit a name, after which the opposition may present it. However, the opposition has already submitted the name of Achakzai to the speaker’s office rather than presenting it to the speaker personally. The rule also states the speaker must verify the signatures of all opposition members voting in favour of the candidate. Rule 39, titled “Decla­ration of Leader of the Opposition,” states that after each general election — and at any time thereafter — the National Assembly speaker must declare the opposition leader as soon as possible following the election of the prime minister. Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2026