MNAs-elect take oath at inaugural session of 15th National Assembly

ISLAMABAD: The inaugural session of 15th National Assembly began on Monday as 331 members of the lower house of the parliament took oath.

Outgoing Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, who presided over the inaugural session of the 15th National Assembly, administered the oath to the newly elected members of the parliament.

The national anthem was played at the opening of the session, which was followed by recitation of Holy Quran.

PTI chairman and prime minister-in-waiting Imran Khan, PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani and PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif were among those who took the oath.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari took the oath as member of parliament for the first time, whereas his father returned to the house after more than two decades.

The maiden session of Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan assemblies were also held today. Newly elected members of the three provincial legislatures took oath.

According to proposed schedule, the leader of the lower house of parliament, who automatically becomes prime minister of the country, will be elected on August 17.

After the oath of MNAs, the elections of the speaker and deputy speaker of the National Assembly will be held on August 15. Candidates up for the coveted posts will file their nomination papers to the Speaker’s office on August 14.

The NA speaker will be elected first after which he will conduct the election of the deputy speaker.

The deadline for the submission of the nomination papers for prime minister office is 2:00 pm on August 16 as the election of the PM will be held the next day (August 17). President Mamnoon Hussain will administer the oath to the prime minister after his election.

It is pertinent to mention here that the PTI has nominated party chief Imran Khan as its candidate for the prime minister office.

It has nominated Asad Qaiser for the post of speaker National Assembly, while the joint opposition, comprising 11 political parties, has fielded Syed Khursheed Shah for the post and Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s son Asadur Rehman for the post of deputy speaker.

The PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif has been named as the opposition’s candidate for the office of the prime minister.