Malik Ahmed Khan of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) became the new speaker of the Punjab Assembly on Saturday by clinching 225 votes out of the total 322 votes cast during the election.
The newly elected speaker defeated Malik Ahmad Bachhar who garnered 96 votes for the post from the Sunni Ittehad Council that has been joined by the independent candidates backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
The election for the coveted post of Speaker was held during the second session of the newly elected Punjab Assembly, presided over by outgoing Speaker Sibtain Khan, experienced a delayed start by one-and-a-half hours.
Early in the session, members of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) engaged in heated exchanges, chanting slogans against each other.
Six Members of Provincial Assembly (MPAs) took their oaths during the delayed proceedings, including notable figures such as Chaudhry Shafay Hussain from the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), and Hafiz Farhat Abbas and Waseem Khan Badozai from the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).
Independent candidates Rai Murtaza Iqbal Khan, Fateh Khaliq, and Tashakul Abbas Warraich also officially joined the assembly.
However, controversy marred the session as SIC leader Sahibzada Hamid Raza deemed the proceedings “unconstitutional” and “illegal.”
He argued that the absence of SIC’s MPA-elects on reserved seats invalidated the session. Another SIC leader, Rana Aftab, declared the Punjab Assembly “incomplete” and vowed to challenge any decisions made by the House in court.
Rana Aftab highlighted the unresolved status of 27 reserved seats for women and minorities, pending a decision from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Aftab also announced SIC’s endorsement of PTI’s nominee for Punjab chief minister, Mian Aslam, who was notably absent from the House.
Outgoing Speaker Sibtain Khan acknowledged his inability to compel absentees to attend the session, potentially leading to adjournment.
PML-N’s nominee for the speaker’s slot, Malik Ahmad Khan, stressed the importance of proceeding with the elections for speaker and deputy speaker, citing Article 254 of the Constitution.
The polling for the election of the speaker involved 327 MPA-elects casting their votes through a secret ballot, following Rules 9 and 10 of the Rules of Procedure of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab, 1997.
The Assembly will elect its Deputy Speaker shortly.
PML-N’s Malik Zaheer Iqbal Channer contested for the deputy speaker’s post while SIC fielded Muhammad Moeenuddin Riaz Qureshi for the post.
