QUETTA, Dec 30: Parliamentary parties in the Balochistan coalition government agreed on Sunday to elect Syed Matiullah Agha as new speaker of the provincial assembly.

Sources told Dawn a meeting of the coalition partners was held with Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani in the chair which decided to unanimously nominate and elect Deputy Speaker Agha for the post of speaker that fell vacant after speaker Nawab Aslam Bhootani was voted out through a no-confidence motion on Dec 26.

Mr Agha was elected to the assembly on the ticket of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl.

The sources said that Dr Fauzia Marri of Balochistan National Party-Awami will be the treasury’s candidate for the office of deputy speaker.

The assembly session for electing the speaker has been convened on Monday and the Balochistan High Court has issued notices to the deputy speaker and secretary of Balochistan Assembly to appear in the court on the same day to hear a constitutional petition filed by Mr Bhootani.

The former speaker has pleaded that an unconstitutional and illegal procedure was adopted to remove him from the office through a no-confidence motion.

The sources said that names of provincial ministers, including Basant Laal Gulshan and Jaffar George, were also considered for the slot of deputy speaker.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Q had called upon Nawab Raisani to give the office of speaker to their candidate because their speaker (Mr Bhootani) was removed from that office.

However, the JUI-F succeeded in convincing Nawab Raisani for nomination of their candidate.

Senior lawyers Baz Mohammad Kakar and Hadi Shakeel will appear in the BHC as counsel on behalf of Mr Bhootani.

Legal experts said that another constitutional crisis would take birth in Balochistan if the court declared the removal of Mr Bhootani as illegal.

Mr Agha and Ms Marri may be elected unopposed for the office of speaker and deputy speaker because no other candidates would submit their nomination forms to contest the election.