Newly-elected Punjab Assembly MPAs take oath with hours of delay

LAHORE – The newly-elected members of the Punjab Assembly on Friday took oath with more than two hours delay.

Punjab Assembly Speaker Sibtain Khan presided over the session and administered oath to the newly elected MPAs, including PML-N stalwart Maryam Nawaz Sharif.

This was the first provincial assembly session after the February 8 general elections in the country, where 313 MPAs sworn-in.

Following the oath ceremony, assembly secretary announced that the election for the post of speaker and deputy speaker will be held tomorrow (Saturday) through secret balloting.

The nomination papers for the both positions can be submitted by 5:20 pm today, he said, adding that process of scrutiny will also be completed today.

A noisy situation was observed after session was started with delay as members of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), PTI candidates and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) member raised slogans against each other.

Punjab Governor Baligh Ur Rehman has issued a notification regarding this. Speaker Sibtain Khan will administer the oath to the newly elected members.

The announcement of the assembly’s session follows a parliamentary meeting held a day earlier with the elected members of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) at Jati Umra in Lahore.

According to party sources, a total of 218 members participated in the meeting, including independent members, PML-N MPAs, and those nominated for reserved seats.

It’s noteworthy that 186 members are required to form the government in Punjab.

Among the newly elected members, Maryam Nawaz will be one of the newcomers stepping into the provincial legislature as an elected member. She is also nominated as the party’s candidate for the chief minister position following her victory from both national and provincial assembly seats — NA-119 and PP-159, respectively — in the February 8 polls.

During the Wednesday meeting, Maryam expressed her commitment to serving the province in a manner that would establish a precedent of good governance nationwide.

In a media interaction outlining her plans for Punjab, the CM-hopeful stated, “A new era is dawning in Punjab. I extend my congratulations to PML-N for securing victory [and attaining a majority in the Punjab Assembly].”

If elected, Maryam will make history as the first woman to hold the chief minister’s office in Pakistan’s over seven-decade history. She will govern a province with a population exceeding 127 million, more than half of Pakistan’s total population.

Maryam, holding positions as PML-N’s senior vice-president and chief organizer, viewed her nomination as Punjab’s first chief minister as a “significant honor,” dedicating it to the women of Pakistan.