Newly elected Sindh MPAs take oath

House to elect speaker, deputy today

KARACHI:

Amid a flurry of political fervour, 147 newly elected members of the Sindh Assembly took their oaths of membership on Saturday hot on the heels of the inaugural session in the Punjab Assembly, amid protests by opposition parties near the provincial legislature's premises.

The proceedings of the 16th Sindh Assembly, steered by outgoing Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani, were delayed by 40 minutes.

As per the Election Commission of Pakistan's results, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) emerged as the front-runner in the province, securing an impressive 84 seats.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) trailed behind with 28 seats.
Independent candidates, including those affiliated with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), clinched 14 seats, while the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) secured two seats each.

Given the decision by parties, excluding PPP and MQM-P, to boycott the proceedings, elected members from GDA, JI, and PTI-backed independents did not attend the oath-taking session.

At the session's commencement, the speaker extended a warm welcome to the elected members.
He hoped that the house proceedings would adhere to democratic traditions while stressing the need for collaboration.

Addressing the opposition's protest outside the Sindh Assembly, he questioned the rationale, stating: "Why protest against the very institution that played a pivotal role in the creation of Pakistan?"

He pointed out that those who were participating in the protest had faced rejection from the people of Sindh in the elections.

During the oath-taking ceremony, individuals in the guest gallery chanted slogans, prompting the speaker to express his displeasure and warn of evacuating the galleries if such behaviour continued.

Read K-P Assembly may meet on Feb 27

The house had 111 PPP members and 36 MQM members present, with three GDA members, one Jamaat-e-Islami member, and nine independents absent, and one member reported to have passed away.

The current composition of the Sindh Assembly reflects a significant influx of new faces, elected for the first time, alongside the return of seasoned individuals to the provincial assembly.

Noteworthy is the achievement of former Sindh chief minister Qaim Ali Shah, Nisar Khuhro, and Nader Magsi, who secured their positions as Sindh Assembly members for the eighth time.

Meanwhile, Sindh Assembly Speaker Durrani attained the status of a seven-time member.

Further, 10 members entered the house for the fifth time, and 13 members were serving their fourth term.
Similarly, Heer Ismail Soho, a female member of the assembly, secured her position as an MPA for the fifth consecutive term.

Moreover, 21 members achieved the distinction of being elected to the legislature for the third time, while 52 members were serving their second term.

In the minority seat category, Khatu Mal Jeevan was elected for the third time, and Rana Hamir Singh attained the status of assembly member for the fifth time.

However, taking place a day after the protests-marred session of the Punjab Assembly, the proceedings of the Sindh Assembly were not without their share of challenges.

Despite the turmoil, the assembly session unfolded with a few bumps.

The outgoing speaker, initially tasked with administering the oath, faced a momentary hiccup.
MPA-elect Murad Ali Shah insisted that Durrani be sworn in as a lawmaker before administering the oath to others.

After a brief pause, Durrani took the oath in Sindhi and proceeded to oversee the assembly proceedings.
The assembly witnessed a multilingual oath-taking, with lawmakers swearing allegiance in Sindhi, Urdu, and English in separate batches.

Durrani took his oath in Sindhi. Other members, including Murad Ali Shah, Faryal Talpur, Sharjeel Memon, and others, also took their oaths in Sindhi, while some opted for Urdu.

Members like Taha Ahmed, Mohammad Bakhsh Mehr, and Nadir Akmal Khan Leghari chose to take their oaths in English.

As emotions ran high, Durrani urged attendees to maintain order in the house, threatening expulsion for disruptive behaviour.

Following the signing of the oath documents by the newly elected representatives, the session was adjourned until 11am on Sunday (today).

The upcoming session is slated to conduct elections for the positions of speaker and deputy speaker.
Representing the PPP, Syed Awais Shah is nominated for the position of speaker, and Anthony Naveed is nominated for deputy speaker.

The PPP, holding majority in the house, is backing these nominations.

Additionally, the MQM-P has put forth Sofia Saeed for the role of speaker and Rashid Shah for deputy speaker, as indicated by the submitted nomination papers.

In a statement released by the Sindh Assembly, nomination papers for these roles were accepted from 2pm to 3pm on Saturday, with scrutiny scheduled for 6pm.

The finalised list of valid nominations was displayed on the notice board at 7pm.