Lahore : The newly elected members of the Punjab Assembly took oath today.
Speaker Sibtain Khan administered the oath. Felicitating the newly elected members, the Speaker expressed the hope that they would come up to the expectations of the masses.
PML-N has nominated Maryam Nawaz as its candidate for Chief Minister slot while Mian Aslam Iqbal is the candidate of independent candidates backed by PTI and Sunni Itehad Council.
Earlier, the session to elect the chief minister, the speaker and the deputy speaker was delayed. Officials cited no reason for delay in the all-important session, saying it’s a usual practice.
The speaker later made it clear that the MPAs-elect would be administered oath in the first session and the election of the chief minister, speaker and deputy speaker would take place in the next session as the Election Commission of Pakistan had yet to take a decision on reserved seats.
PTI’s candidate for the office of chief minister, Mian Aslam Iqbal, could not reach the assembly.
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has named Haider Gilani as parliamentary leader. Meanwhile, PML-N’s Malik Ahmed Khan is expected to made speaker of the provincial assembly.
Marriyum Aurangzeb, who remained central information secretary, will take oath as an MPA and assist Maryam Nawaz who is expected to take on the mantle of chief minister. PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and president Shehbaz Sharif have decided to give the role to Marriyum Aurangzeb.
As a tradition, the treasury members have been allotted seats on the right of the speaker, while the opposition allotted seats on the left.