Pak: PML-N's Malik Ahmed Khan elected as Punjab Assembly speaker in heated session

Islamabad [Pakistan], February 24 (ANI): In a closely contested election on Saturday, Malik Ahmed Khan of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) secured victory to become the new Speaker of the Punjab Assembly, overcoming a challenge from the candidate fielded by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), ARY News reported.
The second session of the recently elected Punjab Assembly, presided over by outgoing Speaker Sibtain Khan, witnessed a charged atmosphere as members from PML-N and SIC, including MPAs with PTI's backing, engaged in fervent slogan-shouting against each other.
A total of 327 MPA-elects participated in the secret ballot for the assembly speaker, with 16 candidates absent from the proceedings. The heavy police presence outside the assembly aimed to maintain law and order during the session, as reported by ARY News.
Six MPAs, previously absent during the House's inaugural session, took their oaths, including PML-Q leader Chaudhry Shafay Hussain, SIC's Hafiz Farhat Abbas and Waseem Khan Badozai, and independent candidates Rai Murtaza Iqbal Khan, Fateh Khaliq, and Tashakul Abbas Warraich.
Elections for the speaker and deputy speaker were conducted through a secret ballot, adhering to Rules 9 and 10 of the Rules of Procedure of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab, 1997. Malik Ahmad Khan and Malik Zaheer Iqbal Channer from PML-N were nominated for the positions, while the SIC presented Ahmad Khan Bhachar and Muhammad Moeenuddin Riaz.
In the inaugural session, outgoing speaker Sibtain Khan administered the oath to 313 newly elected MPAs, including 221 from PML-N and its allied parties, 98 from the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), and one each from Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and PML-Zia.
PML-N, bolstered by the induction of 13 MPA-elects from PPP, 10 from PML-Q, and five from the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), announced its intent to form the provincial government with Maryam Nawaz at its helm.
However, the proceedings were not without controversy, as SIC Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza deemed the assembly's actions "illegal" due to the absence of the party's MPA-elects on reserved seats. Rana Aftab, a prominent SIC leader, labeled the Punjab Assembly "incomplete" and vowed to challenge any decisions made in court.
Raising concerns, Aftab highlighted that 27 reserved seats for women and minorities were yet to be decided by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), further adding complexity to the unfolding political landscape in Punjab, ARY News reported. (ANI)