PML-N’s Malik Ahmed Khan elected as Punjab Assembly Speaker

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Malik Ahmed Khan was elected as Punjab Assembly (PA) speaker on Saturday, beating out the candidate fielded by Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) in a secret ballot, ARY News reported on Saturday.

The second session of the newly-elected Punjab assembly, presided over by outgoing Speaker Sibtain Khan, saw members of PML-N and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) — which includes MPAs who won with PTI’s backing — chanting slogans against each other.

As many as 327 MPA-elects cast their votes during the polling for assembly speaker. Almost 16 candidates did not take oath today as they remain absent from the election.

Malik Ahmed Khan received 224 votes and opposition’s candidate Ahmed Khan Bachar secured 96. Two votes were rejected in the tally.

The election for the post of deputy speaker was also won by a PTI candidate: Suri. He garnered 183 votes and edged out Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal’s (MMA) Maulana Asad Mehmood, who received 144 votes.

Outgoing speaker Sibtain Khan subsequently administered the speaker’s oath to Malik Ahmed Khan amidst loud chants by PML-N lawmakers.

Later, PML-N candidate was elected as the Punjab Assembly deputy speaker after securing the majority of the votes. He was administered his oath by newly elected PA Speaker Malik Ahmed Khan.

A heavy contingent of police was present outside the assembly to ensure the maintenance of law and order during the assembly session.

Today, six MPAs – including PML-Q leader Chaudhry Shafay Hussain and SIC’s Hafiz Farhat Abbas and Waseem Khan Badozai, and independent candidates Rai Murtaza Iqbal Khan, Fateh Khaliq, Tashakul Abbas Warraich, who were not present in the House’s inaugural session on Friday – took their oaths.

The elections for the speaker and deputy speaker were held via a secret ballot under Rules 9 and 10 of the Rules of Procedure of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab, 1997.

PML-N’s Malik Ahmad Khan and Malik Zaheer Iqbal Channer submitted their nomination papers for the slot of Punjab Assembly speaker and deputy speaker.

Sunni Ittehad Council fielded Ahmad Khan Bhachar and Muhammad Moeenuddin Riaz for the speaker and deputy speaker positions, respectively.

A day earlier, outgoing speaker Sibtain Khan administered oath to 313 newly elected MPAs of the Punjab Assembly in the inaugural session.

Read More: Punjab Assembly: New MPAs take oath in maiden session

Out of these 321 legislators, 221 belonged to the PML-N its allied parties, 98 members of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) and one each of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and PML-Zia.

It may be noted that PML-N has become the largest party in the Punjab Assembly after the induction of 13 MPA-elects from PPP, 10 from PML-Q and five from the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP).

Having the majority, PML-N has announced to form the government in the province with Maryam as its head.

SIC calls PA proceedings ‘illegal’

Meanwhile, Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza termed the assembly’s proceedings “illegal” without the presence of the party’s MPA-elects on the reserved seats.

He claimed that SIC members were being barred from attending the assembly sessions. “A new history of politics of revenge is about to be made,” he added.

Taking the floor in the provincial assembly, SIC leader Rana Aftab said that the Punjab Assembly was “incomplete” as he vowed to challenge any move made by the House in the court.

The SIC leader said that 27 reserved seats for women and minorities are yet to be decided by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).