November 19, 2002	Tuesday	Ramazan 13, 1423

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ISLAMABAD Nov 18: All is set for the election of the speaker and deputy speaker of the National Assembly here on Tuesday.

A total of six nomination papers for both the posts were filed till the 12 noon deadline on Monday.

Former speaker Illahi Bakhsh Soomro will conduct the speaker’s election and administer the oath to the new speaker. The new speaker will then conduct election of the deputy speaker and take the oath from his deputy.

Before the speaker’s election, the MNAs-elect who failed to take the oath on Saturday would be administered the oath of their office.

The MNAs will elect speaker and deputy speaker through a secret ballot.

All the three major parties in the National Assembly, PML-Q, PPP and MMA filed nomination papers of their candidates for the posts of speaker and deputy speaker on Monday.

The MMA and the ARD were reported to have gone into negotiations on fielding compromise candidates.

The MMA has already announced Liaquat Baloch and Hafiz Hussain Ahmed as its candidates for the speaker and deputy speaker, respectively. The PPP has filed nomination papers of Aitzaz Ahsan and Nabeel Gabol for the two posts.

The PML-Q has submitted papers of Chaudhry Amir Hussain, former law minister in the Nawaz Sharif’s cabinet, and Sardar Mohammad Yaqub, an MNA from Abbottabad, for speaker and deputy speaker, respectively.

After scrutiny, nomination papers of all the candidates were found in order.

Candidates can withdraw their nomination papers before the polling. The session will start at 10am.

The PML-Q, which had earlier announced its candidate for the post of prime minister without consulting its allies in the National Alliance, again did not bother to take the alliance into confidence before fielding its candidates.

Though the National Alliance MNAs were invited to a parliamentary party meeting at parliament house on Monday, they did not turn up.

The PML-Q which had before it the names of four aspirants — Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Makhdoom Alam Anwar, Mian Khurshid Mehmud Kasuri and Chaudhry Amir Hussain — initially decided to file the papers of the last two. However, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain in consultation with other senior party leaders persuaded Khurshid Mehmud Kasuri to withdraw from the contest.

Speaking at the parliamentary party meeting, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali asked the party MNAs to vigorously canvass for the party’s candidates so that every member can vote for them in the absence of law on floor-crossing.