Newly elected MPAs take oath in Punjab Assembly

• Chaudhry Nisar was not present during ceremony
• Election for speaker, deputy speaker to take place on August 16

LAHORE: The newly elected MPAs took the oath of their offices in the inaugural session of the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday. The ceremony was administered by outgoing Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana Iqbal.

Chaudhry Nisar was not present at the ceremony.

Elections for the slots of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Assembly will take place on August 16, after which the new chief minister will be elected through secret balloting.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has nominated Hamza Shehbaz for the slot of Punjab chief minister. Its rival, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has yet to name its candidate for the position.

PML-N has also nominated Chaudhry Iqbal Gujjar as Punjab Assembly’s speaker candidate.

Speaking to reporters outside the Punjab Assembly, Hamza Shehbaz took a jibe at rival PTI and said, “The public would see over the next years what changes they bring under Naya Pakistan.”

“People don’t view politics based on [personal gains] favourably,” he said and vowed his party would offer a strong-footed opposition.

In the 371-member Punjab Assembly, the PTI is leading with 179 seats followed by the PML-N with 164 seats, the PML-Q with 10 seats and the PPP with seven seats. There are four independent candidates in the provincial legislature. At least 186 votes are required to win the chief minister, speaker and deputy speaker slots.

Elections were postponed in three constituencies and results of another three are withheld due to pending litigation. There are 66 reserved seats for women and eight for non-Muslims in the provincial legislature.

The PTI had won 119 seats through direct election, while 23 MPAs joined it later. Now on the basis of its 142 seats, it has been allocated 33 women’s seats and four non-Muslim’s seats.

The PML-N had won 129 seats while one independent candidate had joined it later. It has been allocated 30 women and four non-Muslim seats.

The PML-Q won seven general seats while one independent candidate joined it later. It has been allocated two women reserved seats. The PPP had won six general seats and one women seat has been given to it.

On Monday, the inaugural session of the KP Assembly commenced with PML-N leader Sardar Aurangzeb Nalota presiding over the swearing-in ceremony. Nalota was appointed by the K-P governor after Asad Qaiser took the oath in the National Assembly.

After an uncalled delay, the first session of the 11th Balochistan Assembly commenced with 62 of 65 members taking the oath. Speaker Rahila Hameed Khan Durrani administered the oath to the newly-elected members.

Sindh Assembly MPAs also took oath on Monday. Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani administered the oath to 165 members on the occasion.