QUETTA, June 3: Mir Jan Mohammad Khan Jamali of the PML-N and Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo of the PML-Q were elected unopposed as speaker and deputy speaker of Balochistan Assembly on Monday.

They will take oath of their offices on Tuesday after official announcement of the results. Outgoing speaker of the provincial assembly Syed Mantilla Agha will administer the oath.

A meeting of the provincial parliamentary party of PML-N held here on Monday evening nominated Mr Jamali and Mr Bizenjo.

After the meeting the candidates who had filed their nomination papers for the posts of speaker and deputy speaker withdrew from the contests.

Sardar Mohammad Saleh Bhootani, Sardar Dur Mohammad Nasar, Mir Asim Kurd (PML-N) and Sardar Raza Mohammad Barrach of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) filed nominations for speaker and Samina Khan for deputy speaker.

Sources said the parliamentary party also decided to make Sardar Bhootani a senior minister in the coming coalition government in the province.

Mr Jamali had earlier served as chief minister of Balochistan (1998-99), deputy chairman of Senate for two terms and provincial minister twice.

Mr Bizenjo was a provincial minister in the cabinet of former chief minister late Jam Mir Mohammad Yousuf. He obtained only 544 votes in the May 11 general elections — lowest tally ever in a provincial assembly constituency.

The sources said the parliamentary party of PML-N also took some other decisions. One of them was formation of next cabinet to be headed by Dr Abdul Malik Baloch of National Party (NP).