PESHAWAR, March 24: NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani on Monday advanced the date of the Frontier assembly’s opening session from April 2 to March 28.

The decision was taken because the death anniversary of Pakistan People’s Party founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto will be observed on April 4.

ANP’s provincial president Afrasyab Khattak told Dawn the session had been rescheduled because PPP legislators would not be here on April 2.

Newly-elected MPAs will take oath on the first day and elections for the speaker and deputy speaker would be held on March 29.

Veteran parliamentarian Arabab Ayub Jan will administer the oath to 117 MPAs.

Usually, the outgoing speaker administers the oath to new MPAs, but the NWFP assembly’s speaker, Bakhat Jehan Khan, will not preside over the session.

The new chief minister will secure a vote of confidence on April 1 and he will take the oath of office the same evening.The ANP has nominated Amir Haidar Khan Hoti for the post of chief minister.