LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly on Saturday elected Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidates Malik Ahmed Khan and Malik Zaheer Ahmed Channer as the House’s speaker and deputy speaker, respectively, following hours of voting and counting.
Malik Ahmed won 224 votes to become Custodian of the House, while Channer received 220.
Meanwhile, in the election for speaker, Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) candidate Ahmad Khan Bhachar received 96 votes, with two votes rejected out of 322 ballots cast.
After newly-elected Speaker Malik Ahmed swore Channer in as deputy speaker, the assembly session was adjourned until 11 a.m. on Monday.
The chief minister will be elected by the provincial legislature at the following session.
Today’s Punjab Assembly session will elect the House’s speaker and deputy speaker kicked off this evening after a delay of one-and-a-half hours as the protests inside and outside the legislative marred the timely beginning of the meeting.
Members of the PML-N and SIC chanted slogans against each other during the second session of the newly elected provincial parliament, which was presided over by outgoing Speaker Sibtain Khan.
A large detachment of police and jail vans were also stationed outside the assembly to guarantee that law and order were maintained throughout the session.
