LAHORE: As many as 354 newly-elected members including those who returned on reserved seats of 17th house of the Punjab Assembly took oath on Wednesday, while those belonging to the opposition parties led by the PML-N wore black armbands as a symbol of protest against alleged rigging in the July 25 general elections.

PML-N’s nominee for the chief minister’s office and opposition leader slot, Mr Hamza Shahbaz and former railways minister Khawaja Saad Rafique sat on opposition leader’s seat turn by turn, while the chief minister’s chair in treasury benches remained vacant throughout the day as the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) had yet to decide about the candidate for the top slot.

PTI leaders reiterated that only chairman Imran Khan knew the name of party candidate for the office of Punjab’s chief executive, and would announce it “ within the next 24 hours”.

Outgoing Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal welcomed the MPAs-elect before he administered oath to them. Of the members who were sworn in, 10 arrived late and were administered oath towards the end of the session.

Former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar and PML-N’s estranged leader Zaeem Hussain Qadri’s wife Uzma Qadri were conspicuous by their absence. Ms Qadri has returned to the Punjab Assembly on a women’s reserved seat claimed by the PML-N.

Two MPAs-elect of the PTI -- Tariq Khan Dareshak from PP-296 (Rajanpur) and Malik Ghulam Abbas Khaaki from PP-222 (Multan) died of heart attack on August 5 and August 14, respectively. PTI leader Jahangir Khan Tareen earlier in the day tweeted: “PTI MPA-elect Ghulam Abbas Khaaki passed away last night after having suffered a major heart attack! His services and struggle for Naya Pakistan can never be forgotten. May Allah give him the highest ranks in Jannah and may He give sabar to the bereaved family”.

According to the party position in the house, the PTI is leading with 173 members, PML-N is runner-up with 162, both PML-Q and PPP 10 each, besides three independent members and one of Rah-e-Haq party. Results of three seats have yet to be declared and election was stopped on three others in the province. As many as seven seats have been declared vacant as the candidates were also elected on the National Assembly seats and preferred to join the lower house of the bicameral parliament.

Later in the afternoon, the PTI in unison with the PML-Q and the PML-N, submitted nomination papers of their respective candidates for the offices of Speaker and Deputy Speaker. The election for these slots is scheduled for
Thursday (today). The Punjab Assembly session will begin at 10.30am and the election will be held through secret ballot.

Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, a consensus leader of the PTI and his party PML-Q, will be contesting the election for Punjab Assembly Speaker slot, while PTI’s Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari from south Punjab will contest for the Deputy Speaker office.

The PML-N has fielded Chaudhry Iqbal Gujjar for Speaker’s office and Waris Kallu is the party’s candidate for Deputy Speaker slot.

In a media talk, Mr Elahi said he had returned to the Punjab Assembly after 11 years and wanted to run the house in a “historic manner”. He said that he was asking for votes from every MPA-elect to earn a clear majority in the secret-ballot election. “The chief minister candidate will also be announced after the speaker and deputy speaker’s election,” he said. Responding to PML-N members’ token protest by wearing black armbands, he said, such armbands were part and parcel of the democratic process.

PML-N’s candidate for chief minister and opposition leader offices, Hamza Shahbaz, said the party and its allies had rejected the elections for being rigged. “People say we voted for the PML-N but the PTI was elected,” said Hamza. “We have come to take oath to keep the democracy on track,” he said and added the PML-N was in majority (in numbers) in Punjab. “The PML-N will act as a robust opposition in the Punjab Assembly as a part of its constitutional role,” he said.

PML-N’s Khawaja Saad Rafique said the PTI was trying to establish its government in Punjab through “unfair means of horse-trading”. Answering a question about contesting election from NA-131, the seat vacated by PTI chairman Imran Khan, Mr Rafiq said he was contesting the case of rigging in the NA-131 poll and would see the legal position and the party would decide about the candidate afterwards.

PTI leader Aleem Khan said the party chairman had again offered the opposition to open any constituency to ascertain whether the election was rigged or not.

Tariq Masih Gill, who returned to the house on a PML-N reserved seat for the minorities, came to the assembly wearing chains in protest against imprisonment of party Quaid Nawaz Sharif. He also donned a headband reading
“Mian Teray jaanisar – Beshumar Beshumar”. However, outgoing Speaker Rana Iqbal asked him to leave the house and return in an appropriate dress.

Security was beefed up for the Punjab Assembly’s maiden session.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2018