KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples’ Party’s (PPP) Agha Siraj Durrani was elected on Thursday as Speaker of the 16th Sindh Assembly, while PPP’s Shehla Raza was elected deputy speaker.
The outgoing speaker of Sindh Assembly Nisar Ahmed Khoro administered oath to the new Sindh Assembly speaker Agha Siraj Durrani who begged 87 while Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) candidate Khawaja Izharul Hasan secured 48 votes.
The session of Sindh provincial assembly began in Karachi on Thursday to elect the speaker and deputy speaker. Elections for the positions of speaker and deputy speaker of the provincial assembly were held through secret ballot.
The PPP, which secured majority of the seats in the provincial assembly in the May 11 polls and is tipped to win both posts, had fielded Agha Siraj Durrani for the post of speaker and Shehla Raza for deputy speaker.
In an overnight decision to sit on the opposition benches in Sindh, the MQM had nominated Khawaja Izharul Hussain for the position of speaker and Nusrat Abbasi for deputy speaker.
Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N), which emerged victorious in the May 11 polls at the centre, had suggested Irfanullah Marwat’s name for speaker and Nusrat Saher representing Pakistan Muslim League – Functional (PML-F) as deputy speaker.
Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) refrained from fielding or supporting any candidates in today’s secret ballot.
DND
