QUETTA: The district administration has set up extra security in and around the assembly building for the purpose of the newly-elected members’ oath-taking, which will take place during the first session of the new Balochistan Assembly on Wednesday at 3pm.
Sardar Akhtar Mengal, the president of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), was elected to both the national along with provincial assembly seats. He will continue to hold the NA seat from Khuzdar, but he has left the provincial assembly position from Wadh.
The political alliance led by Mohsin Dawar and the Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party have declared intentions to stage a rally during the inaugural session of the Balochistan Assembly.
The Balochistan Assembly secretariat has released the agenda, which states that during the assembly session, freshly elected members of various parties will take the oath of office.
Mengal resigns from the PA seat to keep the NA seat, and two senators do the same.
Due to illness and other obligations, assembly authorities stated that speaker Mir Jan Muhammad Khan Jamali will not be present at the meeting. In his place, senior assembly member Zamrak Khan Piralizai will preside over the gathering and give the newly elected members an oath of office.
According to sources, at the session on Wednesday, 61 of the 65 members of the house will take the oath of office.
Notification of the results of the three candidates who emerged victorious from the Nasirabad (PB-14), Hub-Lasbela (PB-21), and Ziarat-Harnai (PB-7) seats has not been officially released by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Recounts of the votes in PB-14, Nasirabad, and PB-21, Hub-Lasbela, have been ordered by the ECP, and on February 29, nine polling stations in PB-9, Ziarat Harnai, will hold reelections.
Two senators submit their resignations
Prince Agha Omer and Mir Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti of the Pakistan Peoples Party also tendered their resignations from the Senate on Tuesday, sending their letters to the Senate chairman.
As members of the Balochistan Assembly, they will be sworn in.
Following the oath-taking ceremony, the assembly will announce the schedule for the later election of the new speaker and deputy speaker.
Regarding the speaker and deputy speaker positions in the provincial assembly, the PPP and PML-N have not yet decided on their nominees.
For security reasons, the Balochistan Assembly officials have decided not to allow guests to attend the first session on February 28.
The Balochistan Assembly said that all forms of visitor cards for the assembly’s meeting on February 28 will not be issued owing to the state of law and order, unfavorable weather, and anticipated protests in the province.
The announcement stated that the action was taken to guarantee that there would be no disruptions during the election process and that the newly elected members of the provincial legislature would take their oaths of office and elect a Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
In this regard, it is hoped that the recently elected provincial assembly members will completely cooperate with the Balochistan Assembly’s police and security personnel, according to the notification.
