KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Awais Qadir Shah has been elected as the speaker, and Anthony Naveed as the deputy speaker of the Sindh Assembly.
Awais Shah secured 111 votes, defeating his rival, MQM-P’s nominee, Advocate Sofia Shah, who bagged votes. Similarly, Anthony Naveed got 111 votes, surpassing MQM’s Rashid Khan, who acquired clinched just 36 votes.
Soon after the declaration of his victory, Awais Qadir Shah took oath as the speaker of the Sindh Assembly. When he rose to take oath, his party colleagues members raised the slogan [Long live Bhutto].
The speaker of the Sindh Assembly was elected through a secret ballot.
Awais Qadir thanked the party leadership for their confidence in him.
Earlier, nine independent members-elect of the provincial assembly, backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, and one member of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) took oath.
The assembly session started 19 minutes late under the chairmanship of Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani, who administered oath to the newly-elected members.
Three members of the PPP and the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) did not take oath.
Sindh Assembly Members Take Oath
On Saturday, 147 members took oath, while 10 members followed them today, raising the total number to 157. The Election Commission had issued notification for 163 members-elect.
The PTI-backed members did not take oath on Saturday, but the party leadership decided to join the provincial assembly today.
Meanwhile, nomination papers for the office of Sindh chief minister will be submitted today, while the election will be held tomorrow on Monday (tomorrow).
