ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Punjab provincial assembly on Saturday elected Malik Ahmed Khan as speaker to run the legislature for the next five years with a thumping majority amid ruckus and sloganeering by the opposition.
Khan is a member of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party that secured the majority in the general elections in the country’s most populous province. The Punjab Assembly became the first house a day earlier to convene its opening session, out of five assemblies that went to the polls on Feb. 8.
The PML-N nominated Khan as its candidate for the speaker to contest against the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) candidate Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar in the 371-member house. The Punjab Assembly is the largest elected house in the country comprising 297 general seats and 74 reserved seats.
“Malik Ahmed Khan has secured 224 votes and elected to the position of the speaker,” Sibtain Khan, the custodian of the outgoing assembly, announced after the vote count.
Bhachar, the candidate backed by former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, bagged 96 votes while two votes were rejected out of a total of 322. The PTI-backed winners had joined the SIC to claim their share of the reserved seats in the assembly, but the issue is pending before the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) which is yet to make a decision.
The process for the election of the deputy speaker in the house is currently underway. The election of the speaker and deputy speaker is held through secret ballot in the house.
The Punjab Assembly is scheduled to elect its chief minister tomorrow, Sunday, wherein the PML-N nominee, Maryam Nawaz, will contest against the SIC candidate, Mian Aslam Iqbal, who is yet to take oath as the assembly member. Iqbal is wanted by the Punjab police in multiple cases. He recently secured bail from the Peshawar High Court to take care of legal matters in Punjab.
“Tomorrow an election is going to be held and our nominated leader of the house could not come to the house to take the oath,” SIC legislator Bhachar said while speaking on the floor of the house and urging the speaker to let Iqbal take oath as member of the assembly.
“It will be your first good gesture for us,” he urged the newly elected speaker.
The speaker assured Bachar he would take a decision on the matter as per law.
“Don’t you worry about it,” he said. “I will ensure it as per law and traditions of the parliament.”
Earlier, the assembly session began with a delay of more than an hour and a half. The SIC members chanted slogans against the rival PML-N legislators who responded in kind.
The SIC lawmaker Rana Aftab termed the Punjab Assembly “incomplete” and vowed to challenge any move made by the house in the court.
He noted that 27 reserved seats for women and minorities were yet to be decided by the election commission.
The outgoing speaker Sibtain Khan said it was not his mandate to direct the election regulator to notify members on the reserved seats and suggested the aggrieved party to move courts if they were not given their share.
A heavy police contingent along with prison vans was also present outside the assembly to ensure the maintenance of law and order during the session.
Punjab Assembly elects speaker from majority party amid opposition clamor
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Punjab Assembly elects speaker from majority party amid opposition clamor
- PML-N’s Malik Ahmed Khan secures 224 votes while his PTI-backed opponent gets 96 in 371-member house
- The assembly is the largest elected house in the country and is scheduled to elect new chief minister on Sunday
Pakistan denies role in Afghan regime change, says military operation will continue
- Pakistan, Afghanistan have been embroiled in military conflict since last week after Afghan forces launched retaliatory attacks against Islamabad
- Pakistan not targeting indiscriminate sites but specific infrastructure, installations being used to support “terrorist groups,” says security official
ISLAMABAD: Islamabad is not seeking a regime change in Afghanistan, state media reported this week quoting a senior security official, who vowed that Pakistan’s military operation against Afghan forces will continue until the Taliban government stops facilitating militants.
The statement comes in response to the ongoing military conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which began after Afghan forces on Thursday launched attacks in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes earlier this month.
Since then, Pakistan has carried out military operations along the border, with Information Minister Attaullah Tarar claiming the killing of 435 Afghan forces and the capture of 31 Afghan positions. Afghanistan, on the other hand, has also claimed capturing several Pakistani military posts along the border and carrying out strikes targeting military bases in Pakistan. Arab News could not independently verify these claims.
“He clarified that Pakistan has nothing to do with any change of government in Afghanistan, calling it an internal choice of the Afghan people,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Monday, citing a senior security official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban government of sheltering militants, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan and facilitating their attacks against Pakistan.
Afghanistan has denied these charges and urged Pakistan to focus on resolving its security challenges internally without blaming Kabul.
The official said the Afghan Taliban will have to either pick sides between Pakistan or the “terrorist groups” operating from their soil.
“A senior Pakistani security official has said that ‘Operation Ghazab Lil-Haq’ will continue until the Afghan Taliban government provides verifiable assurances to Pakistan that it will stop facilitating Fitna Al-Khwarij and Fitna Al-Hindustan,” Radio Pakistan reported.
Pakistan’s government and military use the terms “Fitna Al-Khwarij” for the TTP and “Fitna Al-Hindustan” for separatist militant outfits that operate mostly in southwestern Balochistan province. Islamabad accuses its chief rival India of supporting these militant groups, charges that New Delhi has always denied.
The security official rejected Afghanistan’s claims Pakistan has killed numerous civilians in its operations.
“He stressed that Pakistan is not targeting indiscriminate sites but only specific infrastructure and installations being used to support terrorist groups,” the state broadcaster said.
The latest cross-border fighting ended a ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkiye in October. The two sides failed to reach a permanent agreement during talks in Istanbul.
Despite the ongoing tensions, Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday reiterated Islamabad’s calls for talks with Afghanistan.
“We have never walked away from dialogue,” he said.
