PPP gets AJK speaker, deputy speaker slots

MUZAFFARABAD: Pakistan People's Party (PPP) candidate Sardar Ghulam Sadiq has been elected Speaker and Shaheen Kausar Dar deputy speaker of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) assembly here on Monday.

The newly elected AJK Assembly assembled here under the chairmanship of outgoing Speaker Ch. Anwar-ul-Haq, who took the oath from newly elected members and then administered the election process of the Speaker.

Forty-six members of the 49 House took oath of their membership while Pakistan Muslim League (N) leader Raja Farooq Haider who was elected from two constituencies did not take oath and election in one constituency from Lahore is pending.

Soon after the oath taking of newly elected members, PPP leader Latif Akbar moved a motion asking the house to suspend certain rules of the house so that process of Speaker and Deputy Speaker could be completed within a day, which was passed.

In the election, PPP candidate Sardar Ghulam Sadiq was elected Speaker and Shaheen Kausar Dar Deputy Speaker by obtaining 36 votes while their opponents PML (N) candidate Raja Sadeeq Batli and Ch. Yaseen Gulshan got 10 votes.

The outgoing Speaker Ch. Anwar-ul- Haq in his farewell speech, appreciated the role of legislatures in the region for continuation of the democracy and representative house of the people and hoped that they will maintain glorious traditions of the house.

Newly elected Speaker Sardar Ghulam Sadiq in his opening remarks thanked all the legislatures particularly Muslim Conference and MQM for reposing confidence in him and opposition party PML (N) for participation in the process.

Later, he adjourned the house for on Tuesday, when the house will elect its leader (Prime Minister) for the next five years. (APP)