The members recently elected to the Punjab Assembly, victorious in the February 8 elections, have officially taken their oaths in the first session.
This assembly is the first among five that went to elections on February 8 to convene its inaugural session. The session, initially scheduled for 10 am, faced a delay of over two hours.
Approximately 215 members of the coalition in the Punjab Assembly and 98 members of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) were sworn in. The secretary of the assembly mentioned that the speaker and deputy speaker elections would occur the following day, with the nomination papers being collected and scrutinized.
During the delayed session, members of the PML-N, PTI, and SIC exchanged slogans against each other. PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz, Senior Vice President and CM nominee, also arrived at the assembly.
Sibtain Khan, the Punjab Assembly Speaker, presided over the session. He stated that elected MPAs should not face obstacles in attending the assembly session, acknowledging that some members had a level playing field while others were deprived.
The election for the provincial assembly’s speaker and deputy speaker is scheduled for the next day. However, during the session, members of SIC claimed that their entry into the assembly was being hindered. The PML-N leader, Uzma Bokhari, emphasized that members must take an oath before speaking.
The PTI asserted that the Punjab police were preventing its elected members, including CM candidate Mian Aslam Iqbal, from participating in the session and taking the oath.
PML-N leader Ishaq Dar commented on the PTI founder’s letter, stating it holds no importance, and that the decision on the finance minister candidate will be made by the party.