With 148 freshly elected Sindh Assembly members taking oath as members of the provincial assembly, the legislature’s opening session saw both new and veteran politicians secure their place in parliamentary politics.
As police detained at least ten workers, including women from the Qaumi Awami Tehreek, who were protesting outside the assembly against suspected election tampering, Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani delivered the oath to the new provincial assembly members.
According to assembly procedures, legislators will elect the House’s speaker and deputy speaker later.
Out of the 148 members who took oath today, 61 became Sindh Assembly members for the first time, with 24 belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) appears to have emerged as a party with the most experienced lawmakers with 10 members taking oath for the fifth and 13 for the fourth time, respectively.
Former chief minister Sindh Qaim Ali Shah, Nisar Khuhro, and Nadir Magsi are among the PPP MPs who have been elected to the province legislature for the eighth consecutive term.
Other party leaders with legislative experience include Agha Siraj Durrani and Dr Sohrab Sarki, who have been elected to the Sindh Assembly seven and six times, respectively.
Furthermore, nine independent candidates endorsed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) took their oaths as MPAs for the first time.
Furthermore, 21 Sindh Assembly members have been elected to the provincial legislature for the third time, while 52 members will be serving their second terms as MPAs.
