QUETTA: Mir Jan Moh­am­mad Jamali, the chief organiser of the Balochistan Awami Party, was elected unopposed speaker of the Balochistan Assembly on Saturday.

Mr Jamali, however, cou­ld not take the oath of his office due to his illness. He is under treatment at the Combined Military Hospital, Quetta.

Acting Speaker Sardar Babar Khan Musakhail, who presided over a special session of the assembly, annou­n­ced the election of Mr Jamali.

He said five nomination papers were filed by party leaders on behalf of Mr Jamali. The papers were pro­posed and seconded by Mir Saleem Khosa, Nawab­zada Tariq Magsi, Moham­mad Khan Lahri, Naseeb­ullah Marri and Bushra Rind. No other candidate filed his/her nomination papers against the BAP candidate.

All the nominations were found correct after scrutiny.

The acting speaker after receiving the result declared Mr Jamali as the speaker-elect. He informed the house that Mr Jamali is under treatment, and therefore, he would not take the oath of his office on Satur­day. “The speaker-elect will take the oath of his office after he is discharged by the hospital,” he added.

Special prayers were offered in the house for the early recovery of Mr Jamali.

Mr Jamali has been elected speaker of the Balochistan Assembly a second time.

Earlier, he was elected speaker after the 2013 elections. He has also remained chief minister of Balochistan and deputy chairman of Senate twice. He is the grandson of Mir Jaffar Khan Jamali, a close aide to Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and a leader of the Pakistan movement.

Meanwhile, Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo visited the Combined Military Hospital, Quetta, to inquire after the health of Mr Jamali and wish him a speedy recovery.

Dr Rubaba Buledi and several other members and leaders of BAP accompanied the chief minister.

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2021