115 KP MPAs take oath as inaugural session marred by ruckus, chaotic scenes
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As many as 115 newly-elected members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly took their oath on Wednesday as the maiden session was marred by indiscipline, ruckus and chaotic scenes, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
Though majority of the MPAs were supported by the PTI and even outgoing KP Speaker Mushtaq Ghani also belonged to PTI, still the inaugural session of the new KP Assembly turned into a fish market with rival members raising slogans against each other and female members targeted.
A number of people including PTI workers who were sitting in the gallery without passes were behind the commotion in the house.
The session was delayed by over two hours due to protests and riots by PTI workers present in the gallery and party-backed lawmakers. Ahead of the session, a huge number of PTI workers stormed into the KP Assembly and gathered in the gallery. They chanted slogans of “Qaidi #804” and “Imran Khan Zindabad”.
The session finally began a little after 1pm with outgoing KP Assembly Speaker Mushtaq Ghani in the chair. At the outset, he prayed for the high ranks of martyrs who had sacrificed their lives to defend the country.
Subsequently, he administered the oath to the MPAs-elect in Urdu and congratulated them. The members who were sworn in included 87 PTI-backed SIC lawmakers, nine members from JUI-F, eight from PML-N, five from PPP, two from PTI-Parliamentarians and four independents.
PML-N MPA Sobia Shahid faced a rough situation when PTI workers threw an empty water bottle, a shoe and a lota at her.
PTI’s nominee for KP chief minister, Ali Amin Gandapur, was among the several MPAs who were administered oath during the session. He entered the assembly with a PTI flag draped across his shoulders and carried a framed photo of imprisoned PTI founder chairman Imran Khan.
Meanwhile, Speaker Mushtaq Ghani announced that the election for the slots of new speaker and deputy speaker will be held tomorrow for which nomination papers can be filed by tonight.
Ghani said voting for the election of the speaker and deputy speaker would be held at 10am tomorrow (February 29). He added that nomination papers could be submitted by 5pm today and the papers could be withdrawn by 11pm.
Separately, PTI’s Omer Ayub Khan said that Imran had nominated Babar Salim Swati as the party’s candidate for KP Assembly speaker. Swati is the PTI’s divisional president in Hazara and is the MPA from PK-37. There were no words about any nomination for the deputy speaker.
Earlier, the KP Assembly session which was due to start at 11:00 am begain after hours-long delay.
The independently-elected candidates who won the general elections with PTI's support dominated the provincial legislature.
In a 145-member House with 27 seats undecided for one reason or anthter, the PTI-supported candidates have a strength of 87 candidates, followed by JUI and PML-N's nine , PPPP's five, PTI-Parliamentarians two, ANP's one and other independsts five.
Newly-elected MPAs will take oath in today's session after which scedule for electing speaker and deputy speaker of the house will be announced.
On the other hand, the Awami National Party (ANP) has announced to hold a protest demonstration outside the provincial assembly.
Nomination papers for the elections for the seats of speaker and deputy speaker can be filed today by 5:00 PM, and withdrawn by 11:00 PM.
The PTI had yesterday finalized the name of Soraya Bibi as its candidate for the position of Deputy Speaker in the KP Assembly, but its choice for speakership has not yet come to the surface.
Soraya Bibi, who hails from Chitral 1 of BBP, had won a general seat in the assembly. Additionally, she serves as the Vice President of the Malakand Women Wing of Tehreek-e-Insaf and is known for her active involvement in social work.
It seems that Ali Amin Gandapur if elected will be the first chief minister in any province who will be elected as an independent.
Gandapur, who had contested the general election as a PTI-backed independent candidate, is a nominee for the seat of the provincial chief minister, has not yet joined the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) and will take oath today along with other newly elected members of the KP Assembly (MPAs) as an independent.
Reporter: Amir Shehzad