PESHAWAR: With four members in the running, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly will elect its speaker and deputy speaker today (Wednesday).

The candidates submitted nomination papers for their respective offices to secretary of the assembly Nasrullah Khan.

Former higher education minister Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani filed nomination papers for the speaker’s slot as the nominee of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, while Laiq Mohammad of the ANP will challenge him as the representative of the joint opposition.

The PTI fielded its member, Mehmood Jan, for the deputy speaker’s election. He will face PML-N’s Jamshaid Khan named by the joint opposition.

PTI, joint opposition field candidates for election to be held by secret ballot

Provincial Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra nominated PML-N MPA Sardar Aurangzaib Nalotha as the presiding officer for the speaker and deputy speaker’s election, which will be held by secret ballot.

The PTI had won 84 seats in the July 25 elections but 78 of those winners will cast vote in the election as six others have vacated their seats to keep the National Assembly ones also won by them.

Pervez Khattak, Dr Haider Ali, Ali Ameen Gandapur and Asad Qaiser retained their National Assembly seats, while Dr Amjad Ali vacated one of the two provincial assembly seats won by him on July 25.

Of the 16 MPAs elected on reserved seats for women, 14 will participate in the election, while the two has yet to be nominated by the PTI.

The Election Commission of Pakistan has notified 16 seats reserved for women as the PTI’s share in 22 such seats. The PTI had submitted 14 names to the ECP in its priority list.

The joint opposition has 33 members, including 12 of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, nine of the Awami National Party, six of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, five of the Pakistan Peoples Party-Parliamentarians and one of the Pakistan Muslim League.

Polling for the speaker and deputy speaker’s election will begin at 10am. The house will first elect its speaker, whom presiding officer Aurangzaib Nalotha will administer oath of office.

The newly-elected speaker will later control the house and hold election for the deputy speaker’s office.

Election for the slot of the leader of the house will be held on Aug 16.

The candidates will file nomination papers for the election to the assembly’s secretary until 4pm today (Wednesday).

The PTI has nominated Mahmood Khan as its candidate for the slot of the leader of the house, while the joint opposition has named Mian Nisar Gul of the MMA for it.

In the wake of mismanagement during the oath-taking session on Monday, the KP Assembly Secretariat has cancelled all passes issued to guests.

“The assembly passes for the guests will not be usable in the forthcoming sessions,” read a statement issued by the assembly secretariat.

The secretariat requested MPAs not to bring anyone along with them to the house except drivers and guards to ensure peaceful elections for the speaker and deputy speaker’s offices.

“This decision has been taken for the security of the lawmakers and to avoid any untoward incident,” the statement said.

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2018