December 17, 2002	Tuesday	Shawwal 12, 1423

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KARACHI, Dec 16: Ali Mohammad Mahar of Pakistan Muslim League-Q, who was the joint candidate of four component parties of the Grand National Alliance, was elected Leader of the House on Monday, securing 89 votes in the House of 162.

Mr Mahar will take the oath tomorrow (Tuesday) at 12.30pm at a ceremony to be held at the Governor’s House. After the ceremony, he will secure vote of confidence from the House for which the governor has summoned the assembly session at 4pm.

The four political groups supporting Mr Mahar — PML-Q 15, MQM 41, PML-F 13, and NA 14 — had the total strength of 83 votes as against 82 needed to elect the chief minister. However, Mr Mahar secured 89 votes including seven votes from the MPAs of other parties who were booed by their colleagues when they stood up to support the GNA candidate.

Earlier in the assembly, amidst chaos over the ruling on a privilege motion moved by Nisar Ahmad Khuhro and Syed Qaim Ali Shah to discuss the Saturday’s police action, the speaker read out the notification of the governor under Article 130 (2-a) about ascertaining in the session of the member to be the chief minister who commands the confidence of the majority of the members of the provincial assembly.

A total of 14 motions were deposited by the members with the assembly secretary, seven for Ali Mohammad Mahar and seven in favour of Nisar Ahmad Khuhro who was the joint candidate of PPP and MMA for the top slot.

Irfanullah Marwat of National Alliance, Manzoor Ali Khan Panhwar of PPP-Patriot, Ali Bakhsh Shah of PML-Q, Jam Madad Ali of PML-F, Sultan Ahmad Khawar of PML-Q, Dr Arbab Rahim of SDA and Syed Sardar Ahmad of MQM read out motions one by one proposing the PML-Q candidate.

After the motions were read out, speaker Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah asked the members in favour of the motion to stand up. He asked the assembly secretary to count those on their feet.

The chair, after completion of the counting, declared that Ali Mohammad Mahar commanded the support of 89 members and declared him elected as the Leader of the House and chief minister.

The announcement was welcomed by the members belonging to the GNA and other groups supporting Mr Mahar by the thumping of desk. One of the members raised the slogan of Nara-i-Takbeer. The slogans were responded by PPP women MPAs and someone from the visitors gallery who chanted Jeaye Bhutto and Wazeer-i-Azam Benazir.

The chair, who appeared to have lost the direction, failed to allow members of the PPP and MMA to read out the motions in favour of their joint candidate Nisar Ahmad Khuhro and order count to ascertain his support.

The speaker was so confused and upset by the chanting of the slogans that instead of inviting the newly-elected Leader of the House and his opponent candidate to deliver the ceremonial speeches as per tradition, read out the order of the governor that the session was prorogued.