Sindh Assembly to choose speaker, deputy speaker shortly

KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly is poised for a significant event as it prepares to conduct elections for the roles of speaker and deputy speaker, following the swearing-in of newly-elected members amidst heightened security measures.

Anticipated to commence at 11 AM, the session, has just begun with Speaker Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Durrani presiding over as the speaker. This is Durrani’s final session as speaker of the provincial assembly.

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Voting will be conducted via a confidential ballot, with all necessary arrangements already in place. Nominees put forward by the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP), namely Owais Qadir Shah and Anthony Naveed for the speaker and deputy speaker roles respectively, have had their nomination papers deemed valid. Similarly, the nominations of Sofia Saeed Shah and Rashid Khan, presented by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), have also been approved.

Prior to this event, the swearing-in ceremony saw 148 newly-elected members taking their oaths amidst a backdrop of allegations of electoral malpractice, prompting protests from various parties outside the assembly premises.

However, some parties, including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and Muhajir Qaumi Movement (MQM-Haqiqi), organised a protest at the same time. The protest resulted in clashes with law enforcement, resulting in the arrest of over 20 Qaumi Awami Tehreek activists, including women.

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Tensions escalated further, culminating in a crackdown by police officers, leading to the detainment of approximately 30 demonstrators in the Red Zone area, under the imposition of Section-144.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Assembly witnessed the election of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidates Malik Ahmed Khan and Malik Zaheer Ahmed Channer as speaker and deputy speaker respectively, in a session held on Saturday.