LAHORE: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-nominated Malik Ahmad Khan was elected as Speaker of the Punjab Assembly.
Out of the 371 members of the house, a total of 327 lawmakers participated in the elections held on Saturday. Malik Ahmad Khan secured 225 votes, supported by his party and its allies, out of the total 222 lawmakers representing PML-N. His opponent, Ahmad Khan Bhachar, nominated by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), managed to secure 98 votes.
According to media reports, 16 lawmakers, mostly from the Sunni Ittehad Council, have not yet taken the oath. Moreover, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has yet to decide on the allocation of 27 reserved seats for women and minorities, which belong to the SIC.
The Punjab Assembly session commenced in the chair with outgoing Speaker Sibtain Khan, albeit with a delay of one-and-a-half hours due to protests both inside and outside the legislative building.
Subsequently, six Members of Provincial Assembly (MPAs) took their oaths, including Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Chaudhry Shafay Hussain, as well as Hafiz Farhat Abbas and Waseem Khan Badozai from the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).
Following the oath-taking ceremony, the sworn-in MPAs registered their attendance in the official register. The session was briefly adjourned for 20 minutes to accommodate the Maghrib prayer.
Yesterday’s, 321 out of 371 elected members were sworn in as new Members of Provincial Assembly (MPAs).
Among these 321 legislators, 221 belonged to the PML-N and its allied parties that include 13 MPA-elects from PPP, 10 from PML-Q, and five from the Tehreek-e-Istehkam Party, while 98 members represented the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC). Additionally, one member each hailed from the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and PML-Zia.
