KARACHI, April 4: The newly elected Sindh Assembly, which meets here on Saturday at 11am for its inaugural session, is set to add a new chapter of sobriety and understanding among fellow members in the wake of a vow to bury the hatchet by the leadership of the two former arch-rivals – the Pakistan People’s Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

The new house, where 161 out of 168 members will be administered the oath, comprises 90 MPAs of the PPP, 51 of the MQM, eight of the PML-Q, eight of the PML-F, two of the NPP and two of the ANP.

Seven constituencies remain vacant due to the withholding of notifications of Sohrab Sarki, Mohammad Ali Malkani, Abid Jatoi, and one minority reserved seat, while two seats fell vacant as Makhdoom Amin Fahim of the PPP and Pir Sadruddin Shah Rashdi, who were also elected to the NA seats, opted to sit in the National Assembly, while one seat fell vacant due to the death of Arbab Abdullah.

Although in the order of the day no business has been mentioned except the taking of the oath by the MPAs-elect and announcement of the schedule for the election of speaker and deputy speaker, presiding officer and outgoing Speaker Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah could allow any of the members, after the administration of the oath and signing of the roll, to move resolutions under Rule 211.

The most likely resolutions to be tabled in the maiden session of the house by any member of the majority party – the PPP – would be a demand for an inquiry by the United Nations into the assassination of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto.

The other likely resolution to be move by the PPP will be the condemnation of the ‘judicial murder’ of the party’s founder-chairman Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

The ANP will be surfacing in the house for the first time as a parliamentary party with its two members, who were elected to the assembly for the first time. The National People’s Party is yet to determine which side it will choose as so far neither the PPP nor its former coalition partners, led by the PML-Q, have contacted them.

A formal meeting of the PML-Q has still not been held as the party’s Sindh chapter president and former chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim has not returned home after performing Umra, while its secretary-general Sardar Nadir Akmal Leghari, after losing the elections, has so far preferred to keep a low profile.

Talking to Dawn last week, he said that the PML-Q’s parliamentary party would meet after the return of Arbab Rahim, to be followed by another meeting with other coalition members of the former Arbab government.

However, its biggest ally, the MQM, which is the second largest party in the house with 51 members, has already announced its support for the PPP in the National Assembly as well as in the Sindh Assembly.

PML-F, which has eight members in the Sindh Assembly, have announced that it will sit on the opposition benches, yet they have not nominated their leader.

In the presence of a subdued opposition in the house, it is likely that the PPP’s resolutions would have smooth sailing without any fireworks.

The Pakistan People’s Party, soon after the notification of the results, had named Pir Mazharul Haq as its parliamentary party leader and Syed Qaim Ali Shah as leader of the house, while Nisar Ahmad Khuhro was nominated as new speaker of the Sindh Assembly.

Despite holding a number of meetings, the PPP parliamentary party would meet on Saturday before attending the session where they are also likely to be joined by the MQM to cement their newly-acquired understanding and take each other into confidence about their moves in the house.