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After high drama that ensued during Punjab Chief Minister and Assembly Speaker elections, in a bit of respite, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi was elected Speaker of the Punjab Assembly unopposed after no other candidate filed nomination papers for the post.
This is yet another victory for former Prime Minister Imran Khan's PTI. Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi, the joint candidate of PTI and PML-Q, was the only candidate who submitted the nomination papers for the deputy speaker slot as the opposition alliance joint candidate failed to pitch their candidate till the deadline, reported ARY News. The deputy speaker's slot fell vacant after a no-trust motion, tabled by PTI's Raja Basharat, ousted Dost Mohammad Mazari from the office. Meanwhile, former Punjab chief minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hamza Shahbaz on Friday announced to challenge the election of the Punjab Assembly Speaker. The PML-N leader said that the poll was rigged and raised objections over the serial numbers printed on the ballot papers. On Friday, the voting to elect a new Punjab Assembly Speaker was briefly paused during the day after PML-N's nominee for the Speaker raised objections to the serial numbers on the ballot papers and reportedly threw them away. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) nominee Saiful Malook Khokhar raised questions on ballot serial numbers. It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Sibtan Khan was elected as the new speaker of the Punjab Assembly. The session was chaired by the Panel of Chairman Wasim Badozai. Subsequently, Badozai called security inside the House after Khokhar raised objections, reported Dawn.Sibtain Khan was a joint candidate of Imran Khan's PTI and the PML-Q. Notably, the Punjab Assembly speaker's seat fell vacant after the former office bearer, Pervez Elahi was elected as the Punjab chief minister. After obtaining a total of 185 votes against the 175 votes obtained by PML-N's Saif ul Malook Khokhar, who was the Opposition's joint candidate, Sibtain Khan came out victorious, reported Geo TV. Four votes were rejected during the session presided over by PTI MPA Waseem Khan Badozai. Prior to the commencement of the voting process, PML-N's Khalil Tahir Sindhu tried to raise a point of objection related to the position of the polling booth, saying that cameras were installed above it. This comes amid the Punjab CM fiasco, as the top court declared Mazari's ruling in the Punjab chief minister's election "illegal" and ruled that PTI's candidate Pervez Elahi will be the new CM of the province. The court then declared Elahi as the duly elected chief minister of Punjab as it ruled that he had obtained 186 votes compared to Hamza Shehbaz's 179. PTI-backed Pervez Elahi on Wednesday took oath as the Chief Minister of Punjab after the Supreme Court announced a verdict against the ruling of Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammed Mazari. (ANI)
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