Outgoing Speaker Muhammad Sibtain Khan administers oath to the newly-elected members of the Punjab Assembly
LAHORE, Feb 23 (SABAH): Outgoing Speaker Muhammad Sibtain Khan administered oath to the newly-elected members of the Punjab Assembly on Friday. Meanwhile Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President and Party’s Chief Organizer Maryam Nawaz Sharif has entered parliamentary politics while taking oath as Member Punjab Assembly. She has been nominated as first ever candidate for the position of Punjab Chief Minister.
The PA session, presided over by Muhammad Sibtain Khan, began after a delay of more than two hours on Friday.
The secretary of the assembly said that the speaker and deputy speaker of the Punjab Assembly will be elected tomorrow (Saturday) through secret balloting. “Nomination papers for speaker and deputy speaker will be collected and scrutinised today,” he added.
This was the maiden provincial assembly session after the February 8 general elections, wherein the newly-elected members have sworn-in.
At the outset of the delayed session, members of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidates and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) chanted slogans against each other and exchanged hot words.
PTI-backed candidate Imtiaz Sheikh reached the assembly hiding in a vehicle with black-tinted glasses. He laid low in the vehicle’s rear seat.
The SIC, which currently has 97 members inside the building, said its members were not being allowed to enter the assembly. Whereas, the PML-N has about 215 members there.
PML-N leader Azma Zahid Bokhari said that none of the members can speak unless they take an oath. “The decision on some reserved seats is still not taken due to their ineligibility. We currently have a two-thirds majority after forming an alliance,” she said. Bokhari said that her party respects the decision and wants to work with them.
“Sindh Assembly session is convened tomorrow and National Assembly session will also be called in a couple of days,” she said.
The Punjab Assembly is the first house to convene its opening session, out of five assemblies that went to the elections. The assembly meeting faced a delay as it was scheduled to start at 10:00 AM on Friday.
Scores of newly-elected PA members of different parties have arrived at the assembly including PML-N Senior Vice President and CM nominee Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
Talking to media persons outside the Punjab Assembly, Speaker Muhammad Sibtain Khan said the elected MPAs should not be prevented from attending the assembly session. He admitted that some members got a level playing field while others were deprived of it.
To a query, he said he came too early as sessions had been delayed in the past up to six hours. The speaker also said the election for the provincial assembly’s speaker and deputy speaker would be held on Saturday (tomorrow).
The PTI on its Twitter handle alleged that police were stopping its elected members from taking oath by participating in the PA session. Sharing a video, it also alleged they were standing there to arrest the PTI’s CM candidate Mian Muhammad Aslam Iqbal.
On the sidelines of the session, PML-N Punjab’s parliamentary party began a huddle presided over by Maryam Nawaz with party members congratulating her on the top provincial post’s nomination.
Talking to media outside the provincial assembly, PTI’s Farrukh Javed spoke about his party’s 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 “forcibly defeated” will hold a demonstration during the session.
Punjab Governor Engineer Mian Muhammad Balighur Rehman had formally issued a notification convening for the assembly meeting.