LAHORE, Pakistan: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) backed veteran politician Chaudhry Pervez Elahi has been elected as the Speaker of the 371-member Punjab Assembly on Thursday.
Pervez Elahi was the Joint Candidate of PTI and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) for the Speakership, and he bagged 201 votes whereas Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Chaudhry Iqbal Gujjar bagged 147 votes.
In the Punjab Assembly, the total number of lawmakers belonging to PTI and PML-Q was 186; however, the Joint Candidate Pervez Elahi managed to receive 15 more votes than expected.
پنجاب اسمبلی میں ن لیگ نے ایک سو انتیس سیٹیں حاصل کیں، ایک آزاد امیدوار رانا لیاقت، تیس خواتین اور چار اقلیتی نمائندوں کے بعد مجموعہ ایک سو چونسٹھ کا بنتا ہے۔ لیکن آج اپسیکر کے انتخاب میں ن لیگ کے امیدوار اقبال گجر نے ایک سو سنتالیس ووٹ لئے۔ سترہ ووٹ کہاں گئے؟ فاروڈ بلاک؟
— Ajmal Jami (@ajmaljami) August 16, 2018
In the election held through secret ballet for the Spear Punjab Assembly, 349 MPAs cast their vote while vote of PTI’s Shamsa Ali was rejected for violating the secrecy of vote.
Later the Outgoing Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal administered the Oath to Pervez Elahi.
Pervez Elahi has remained as the Speaker of the Punjab Assembly from 1997 to 1999 as well while the also held the Office of the Chief Minister Punjab from 2002 to 2007.
By the grace of Almighty Allah, we’ve easily succeeded in our first test in Punjab. This is the beginning of the end of the Sharif Kleptocracy. Congratulations everyone 😊
— Jahangir Khan Tareen (@JahangirKTareen) August 16, 2018
Now election for the Deputy Speaker will take place in which PTI’s Dost Muhammad Mazari and PML-N’s Muhammad Waaris Kallu are in the run.
Earlier on Wednesday, out of 360 newly elected lawmakers in the provincial assembly, 354 took the Oath of their Offices.
