The National Assembly witnessed a political tug-of-war today as the Speaker declared all independent members who pledged allegiance to Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) to remain independent.

The National Assembly is yet to receive any notification regarding PTI-backed independent candidates affiliating with the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), as stated by the Speaker of the National Assembly.

Consequently, all these members have been designated as independent, with Umar Ayub being recognized as the independent opposition leader.

According to the National Assembly Secretariat, out of 336 members, 328 have taken their oath, leaving eight seats vacant. The ruling coalition comprises 226 members, while the opposition consists of 102 members.

Umar Ayub Khan has been appointed as the opposition leader with support from independent members. However, without notification from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Umar Ayub will not hold the position of opposition leader for the Sunni Ittehad Council, as it currently holds no parliamentary seats.

Independent members have been officially acknowledged as PTI supporters, with the Assembly Secretariat citing the Peshawar High Court's decision.

The Assembly Secretariat further revealed that 90 independent members, backed by PTI, are aligned with Umar Ayub Khan for the opposition leader position within the opposition alliance.

However, 11 members of JUI and 1 member of BNP Mengal have yet to endorse him as the opposition leader. These parties have also not submitted any applications to propose their candidate for the opposition leader role.