QUETTA, Nov 30: The joint candidate of Pakistan Muslim League-Q and Muttahida Majlis-I-Amal Jamal Shah Kakar was elected speaker, and Mir Mohammad Aslam Bhootani, Deputy Speaker, of the Balochistan Assembly, here on Saturday.

The Kakar of the MMA bagged 37 votes out of the 59 polled, and his rival candidate Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal of Pashtoonkhawa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) could get only 10 votes; 12 votes were declared invalid.

Seven out of the 12 invalid votes were polled in favour of Kakar, presiding officer Jafar Khan Mandokhel informed the House.

However, Mir Mohammad Aslam Bhootani of the PML-Q, who won the deputy speaker’s election, scored 46 votes and his rival candidate Dr Shama Ishaq Baloch bagged 13 votes.

Four members of Jamhoori Watan Party did not attend the session.

Earlier, the parliamentary leader of Pakistan Peoples party, Nawab Aslam Raisani on a point of order drew the attention of the House to the release of the two jailed leaders of the MMA, Sardar Hafiz Khan Luni and Haji Behram Khan Achakzai. He said that they had been convicted by the accountability court on corruption charges.

“Under which law had they been released?” he questioned. He said that many other people were still in jaisl who were convicted by the accountably courts and their crimes were not that serious.

Nawab Raisani further said that the former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif were not allowed to come back and convicted former ministers were released reportedly under a deal to muster the MMA support for the formation of PML-Q -lead government in the province. He said that superior courts should take notice of such illegal acts of the government.

The presiding officer, Jafar Khan Mandokhel, said on the occasion that Mir Faiq Ali Jamali, a leader of the PML-Q, was also in the Mach Central Jail and had not been released.

Maulan Abdul Wasay congratulated the newly-election speaker and deputy speaker and expressed the hope that they would retain the good traditions of the Balochistan Assembly.

Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal, while taking the floor said that for three years many ordinances and PCO were made part of the Constitution. He said that the idea of National Security Council and other undemocratic steps were proposed in 1988.

Kachkol Ali, parliamentary leader of Balochistan National Movement while speaking on the occasion expressed the hope that the newly-elected speaker and deputy speaker would make all efforts for the smooth running of the proceeding of the House with the cooperation of both the treasury and opposition benches.

He asked the speaker that a case against Syed Ehsan Shah, member of the Balochistan Assembly, should be sent to the Election Commission of Pakistan for action as he was elected MPA despite being convicted by a court in a corruption case.

Syed Ehsab Shah, parliamentary leader of National Alliance, denied the allegation of the BNM leader and said that he was not convicted by any court.

Jam Mohammad Yousaf, candidate for the top slot of the Balochistan, urged the MPAs that they should work for the promotion of democracy.