Punjab Assembly MPAs take oath

LAHORE: Newly elected MPAs took oath of their office in the inaugural session of Punjab Assembly in Lahore today.

Outgoing speaker Punjab Assembly Rana Mohammad Iqbal administered oath to the MPAs. 

Elections for the slots of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Assembly will take place on August 16, after which the new chief minister will be elected.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz – the majority party in Punjab Assembly – has nominated Hamza Shehbaz Sharif for the slot of Punjab chief minister. Its rival, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, has yet to name its candidate for the position.

PML-N has also nominated Chaudhry Iqbal Gujjar as Punjab Assembly's speaker candidate.

The PML-N leads with 127 seats in the assembly, while PTI is a close second with 122 seats, as per the ECP's results of 294 out of 295 total seats.

Speaking to reporters outside the Punjab Assembly building earlier, Hamza Shehbaz took a jibe at rival PTI and said the public would see over the next years what changes they bring under "Naya Pakistan".

"People don't view politics based on [personal gains] favourably," he said, and vowed his party would offer a strong-footed opposition.