MPAs to elect new speaker, deputy speaker tomorrow via secret ballot
\nLAHORE\/ISLAMABAD
\nOutgoing Speaker Sibtain Khan administered oath to the newly-elected members of the Punjab Assembly on Friday, marking the beginning of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief minister nominee Maryam Nawaz\u2019s parliamentary politics.
\nThe provincial assembly session, presided over by Sibtain, began after a delay of more than two hours on Friday.
\nThe secretary of the assembly said that the speaker and deputy speaker will be elected tomorrow (Saturday) through secret balloting. \u201cNomination papers for speaker and deputy speaker will be collected and scrutinised today,\u201d he added.
\nThis was the maiden provincial assembly session after the February 8 general elections, wherein the newly-elected members were sworn-in.
\nThe session was attended by 313 lawmakers out of which 215 belonged to the PML-N and its allied parties while 98 members of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) also took oath.
\nAt the outset of the delayed session, members of the PML-N, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidates, and SIC chanted slogans against each other and exchanged heated words.
\nPTI-backed candidate Imtiaz Sheikh reached the assembly hiding in a vehicle with black-tinted glasses. He laid low in the vehicle\u2019s rear seat.
\nLater in the day, PML-N\u2019s Malik Ahmed Khan submitted his nomination papers for the post of Punjab Assembly speaker, while Zaheer Iqbal Chunar filed for the deputy speaker\u2019s post.
\nMeanwhile, SIC\u2019s Ahmed Khan Bhachar and Moin Riaz Qureshi submitted their documents for the two posts, respectively.<\/p>\n
Members not being allowed to enter: SIC
\nDuring the session, the SIC said their members were not being allowed to enter the assembly.
\nSIC members tried talking to the assembly speaker, however, they were told that they would be heard once they took an oath.
\n\u201cThe Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has not yet [issued a list] of reserved seats,\u201d said Speaker Sibtain.
\nPML-N leader Azma Bokhari said that none of the members can speak unless they take an oath.
\n\u201cThe decision on some reserved seats is still not taken due to their ineligibility. We currently have a two-third majority after forming an alliance,\u201d she said.
\nBokhari said that her party respects the decision and wants to work with them.
\n\u201cSindh Assembly session is convened tomorrow and National Assembly session will also be called in a couple of days,\u201d she said.
\nThe Punjab Assembly is the first house to convene its opening session, out of five assemblies that went to the elections.
\nEarlier, PA members of different parties, including PML-N Senior Vice President and CM nominee Maryam Nawaz, arrived at the assembly.
\nTalking to media persons outside the Punjab Assembly, Speaker Muhammad Sibtain Khan said the elected MPAs should not be prevented from attending the assembly session.
\nHe admitted that some members got a level playing field while others were deprived of it.
\nTo a query, he said he came too early as sessions had been delayed in the past up to six hours.
\nThe speaker also said the election for the provincial assembly\u2019s speaker and deputy speaker would be held on Saturday (tomorrow).
\nThe PTI on its Twitter handle alleged that police were stopping its elected members from taking oath. Sharing a video, it also alleged they were standing outside the assembly to arrest the PTI\u2019s CM candidate Aslam Iqbal.
\nTalking to media outside the provincial assembly, PTI\u2019s Farrukh Javed spoke about his party\u2019s chief minister candidate Mian Aslam Iqbal, stating that he had taken bail and was coming to take oath as the chief minister. The politician confirmed that those who were \u201cforcibly defeated\u201d will hold a demonstration during the session.
\nPunjab Governor Muhammad Balighur Rehman had formally issued a notification convening for the assembly meeting.
\nAfter the induction of independent MPA-elects in the party, PML-N has become the largest party in the Punjab Assembly which has announced to form the government in the province with Maryam as its head, The News reported.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MPAs to elect new speaker, deputy speaker tomorrow via secret ballot LAHORE\/ISLAMABAD Outgoing Speaker Sibtain Khan administered oath to the newly-elected members of the Punjab Assembly on Friday, marking the beginning of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief minister nominee Maryam Nawaz\u2019s parliamentary politics. The provincial assembly session, presided over by Sibtain, began after a delay […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":389128,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-389202","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n