PESHAWAR: Sardar Bahadur Khan (Muslim League) was elected Speaker of the Frontier Assembly when the Budget Session opened today [Aug 17]. The Opposition benches were empty, the Congress and the Hindu Independents having decided not to attend. Twenty-three members of the Ministerial Party were present.

Mr. M.R. Kayani, Parliamentary Secretary, who had been appointed by the Governor to perform the duties of the Speaker, said that the nomination papers of Mr. Abdul Rashid, the second candidate for Speakership, were invalid and had been rejected.

On taking the chair, the new Speaker thanked the House for the honour done to him and assured members of all parties of his sympathy and co-operation. He regretted that the members of the Opposition were not present in the Assembly and requested the Press to convey to them his message that he had now ceased to be a member of any party. Sardar Aurangzeb Khan, Premier, congratulated the Speaker on his election and assured him of his whole-hearted co-operation.

The new Speaker graduated in Law from Aligarh in 1936 and was elected to the Assembly in 1939. He is perhaps the youngest Speaker in India being aged 36.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2018