PESHAWAR, Nov 27: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, which is the single largest parliamentary group in the House, has easily won both the posts of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the NWFP assembly here on Wednesday.

Bakht Jahan Khan, MMA candidate for the post of Speaker bagged 81 votes, and Ikramullah Shahid from Mardan, candidate for the office of Deputy Speaker, secured equal number of votes, 81.

Mr Jehan, who turned from Buner, belongs to the Jamaat-i-Islami and Mr Shahid is affiliated with the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Sami), both main components of the six-party religious alliance.

It was obvious in the beginning that the MMA candidates would secure more votes than the four-party, PPP Parliamentarians, PPP (Sherpao), Awami National Party and PML-Q, which make-up a tally of 42 votes in the House. But, one ANP member, Khalil Abbas Khan, could not turn up to the House.

The MMA’s 68 members along with a group of seven independent MPAs and five of the PML-N voted to Bakht Jahan Khan and Ikramullah Shahid, candidates of the ruling alliance.

The four-party opposition put up Syed Kalb-i-Hasan of the ANP for the post of Speaker and Nighat Yousufzai of the Q-League for the office of Deputy Speaker. Kalb-i-Hasan polled 39 votes, while Ms Yousufzai secured 37 votes. The newly elected Speaker didn’t cast his vote, while one ballot paper was found unstamped.

The tally of the opposition votes reduced from 39, which it polled in Speaker’s election to 37. It showed that two unknown opposition members voted in favour of the MMA candidates.

Earlier, after the Speaker’s election, the outgoing Speaker, Hidayatullah Chamkani, who presided over the session, spoke about the parliamentary and regional traditions based on tolerance and cooperation among the treasury and opposition benches.

He congratulated the new Speaker on his success and asked him to work as custodian of the entire House. The opposition was an integral part of the democratic dispensation, which must be given equal importance for the meaningful business in the House.

He hoped that the august House would work for the protection of democratic values, provincial autonomy and betterment of the people, who made their victory possible to reach this House. He thanked his secretariat staff and electronic and print media for extending him cooperation during his tenure as Speaker.

Pir Mohammad Khan (MMA), Anwar Kamal (PML-N), Abdul Akbar Khan (PPP), Bashir Ahmed Bilour (ANP), Syed Mureed Kazim (PPP-S), Mr Jahan and Begum Samin Jan paid tributes to the outgoing Speaker.

Mr Akbar said that this august House had an edge over the other two organs, administration and judiciary, of the state. The outgoing Speaker used to administer oath to the new Speaker, “but the outgoing president never looked back, once he relinquishes his office”.

Anwar Kamal, who was member of the previous assembly, lauded the way Mr Chamkani run the House in the past and laid down good traditions of cooperation and understanding. Bakht Jahan, also a former MPA, praised the wisdom of the outgoing Speaker and said he would learn from his decisions on various issues which he made in the house.

Samin Jan hoped that the House would encourage their women colleagues in pointing out domestic and social issues confronting to womenfolk. She lauded Mr Chamkani for his superb handling of the proceedings of the House.

After announcing the results, he administered an oath to the new Speaker and prayed for the success of the House in the future.

Earlier, when the House was called in order, seven Swat MPAs, all belonging to the JUI, staged a token walk-out against the shifting of intermediate board from Swat to Chakdara. Their fellow MPAs from Dir belonging to the Jamaat praised the shifting of the board.

Sardar Idrees of the MMA, drew the attention of the House towards the auction of district headquarters hospital, Abbottabad, on a throw-away price to a relative of the NWFP governor.

He said the district had only this hospital, which had been auctioned in the name of privatization.

Mushtaq Ghani of the Q-League also endorsed the version of his fellow MPA from Abbottabad.

Later, the Speaker announced the schedule for the election of the leader of the House on Friday and prorogued the session.