The National Assembly Secretariat on Friday declared the post of opposition leader vacant after removing Omar Ayub from the position.

The move is part of a broader reshuffle that sees Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) losing multiple influential roles in the assembly.

According to the official notification issued by the Secretariat, three major positions held by PTI have been vacated.

Besides Omar Ayub losing the role of opposition leader, Zartaj Gul has been removed as parliamentary leader, and Ahmed Chattha no longer holds the deputy parliamentary leader post.

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The chamber allocated to the opposition leader in the National Assembly has also been withdrawn from PTI.

Standing committee shake-up hits PTI hard

The impact of this reshuffle extends further into PTI’s representation in the National Assembly’s standing committees. Membership of 15 committees has been revoked from seven PTI members who were deemed ineligible.

Notable changes include:

Omar Ayub delisted from the Public Accounts Committee and Finance Committee.
Sahibzada Hamid Raza removed as Chairman of the Human Rights Committee.
Zartaj Gul lost her seat in the Human Rights Standing Committee.
Rai Hassan Nawaz was stripped of the Railways Committee Chairmanship.

Who will be the next opposition leader?

With Omar Ayub out, discussions are underway to finalize a new opposition leader. Sources told SAMAA TV that three names were under consideration: Mehmood Achakzai, Asad Qaiser, and Aamir Dogar.

However, Asad Qaiser has declined the offer, according to insiders. This development positions PTI Chief Whip Aamir Dogar as the strongest candidate to assume the role.