Newly-elected MNAs take oath amid ruckus by PTI members

ISLAMABAD: The 16th National Assembly was sworn-in on Wednesday after the oath-taking of the lawmakers elected during the February 8 general elections.

Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf administered the oath to the newly elected MNAs from major parties including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) backed independents, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) and others.

PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman are among the top politicians who took oath.

The session was marred by ruckus after the national anthem ended as the PTI-backed lawmakers, who have joined the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), surrounding the speaker’s dias. They eventually sat down after an appeal by the speaker to settle down for the oath taking ceremony.

As soon as the oath was administered, the PTI-SIC lawmakers asked the speaker to allow them to speak on a point of order. The request was turned down as the speaker until they had signed the attendance register.

The speaker directed the NA secretary to summon the lawmakers one by one to sign the attendance register. Many PTI-backed leader including Ali Gohar, Ali Muhammad Khan and Omar Ayub Khan registered their attendance.

Amid the signing, the PTI-SIC lawmakers started chanting “qaidi number 804” the number given to PTI founder Imran Khan in the Adiala jail where he remains incarcerated since August 2023. In response, the PML-N lawmakers started shouting “ghari chor” (watch thief).

It is pertinent to mention that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has allocated reserved seats to political parties, but it has not awarded reserved quota to the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) after the PTI-backed independent candidates joined the party.

The next step will be the elections for the new speaker and deputy speaker which be held on Friday, March 1. Aspiring candidates are required to submit their nomination papers before 12pm today,

This would be followed by the election of the prime minister which would be held next week on March 4. The candidates are required to file their nomination papers on March 3.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which has the backing of the PPP, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and others, has nominated Shehbaz Sharif as its candidate for the top office.

Whereas, the PTI has fielded Omar Ayub Khan as its candidate for the country’s premier. Moreover, 169 votes are required to be elected as prime minister.

The National Assembly comprises 336 members out of which 266 are elected whereas 70 seats are reserved for women and minorities.

These reserved seats are allotted to the parties as per their strength in the house. A day earlier, the ECP reserved the verdict on the petitions filed by SIC seeking the allocation of women and minority seats.