A closer look at political representation within Punjab Assembly

LAHORE: As the inaugural session of the Punjab Assembly is set to be held on Friday (today) at 10 am, lets take a closer look at political representaiton within the country’s largest province.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is set to occupy a significant portion of the provincial assembly, with a total of 198 members. Among them, 137 are elected representatives, backed by 20 independents, 36 women, and 5 minority members.

Similarly, the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) will be represented by 111 independent members. Smaller parties also contributed their members, this includes ten members from the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), 15 from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), and 6 from the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP).

Meanwhile, single-member representation can be seen from the Pakistan Muslim League-Zia and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).

Read more: PML-N agrees on Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rahman’s name for Punjab Assembly speaker

However, not all independents have aligned with established coalitions. One independent member, backed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), chose not to join the Sunni Ittehad Council.

The assembly’s current composition remains subject to change as well, with an impending election in one constituency and pending notifications for 24 women and 3 minority seats.

Earlier, the Provincial Assembly of Punjab’s inaugural session was announced, with newly elected members slated to take their oath of office.

A multitude of primarily independent candidates are set to join the legislative body for the first time.

Similarly, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz is due to make her debut in parliamentary politics.

Speaker of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab Sibtain Khan will preside over the oath-taking ceremony. The speaker will then outline the schedule for the election of the new speaker and deputy speaker.

Stringent security measures have been implemented to ensure the smooth conduct of the inaugural session. The Lahore police force has deployed a heavy contingent to maintain order and maintain security.

The PTI government dissolved the provincial assembly on January 15 last year.