The National Assembly (NA) will elect the prime minister for the incoming government on August 17. The unofficial schedule announced on Saturday stated that the deadline for submission of papers for the prime minister will be 2pm, on August 16. Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf has announced its chairman Imran Khan as its candidate for the office of the PM. On Friday, the PTI claimed to have secured the support of 180 lawmakers in the National Assembly after reaching power sharing agreements in the Centre with Balochistan-based BNP-Mengal and BAP, Sindh-based GDA and MQM-P from Sindh, and upper and central Punjab based PML-Q.
Meanwhile, the joint opposition comprising PML-N, PPP, ANP, and MMA have nominated Shehbaz Sharif, PML-N president, for the PM’s election. Speaking to the media on Saturday, PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry extended an invitation to parliamentary leaders of all political parties, including PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto and PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif to attend the PM’s oath-taking ceremony.
He said that the PTI chairman would be sworn in as the new PM on August 18, a day after the election for the top executive office of the country. Chaudhry said his party intended to take opposition along in taking all major national decisions, adding that the PTI-led government would consider all suggestions given by the opposition. The party spokesperson affirmed that the Parliament was the most important institution in a democracy and his party’s PM would be answerable to the House.
Earlier on Friday, the PTI had finalised the names of Asad Qaiser for the National Assembly Speaker, Chaudhry Sarwar as the Punjab governor and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as the Punjab Assembly speaker. The names were announced to the media by PTI vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who also said that the party would appoint focal persons to have a close liaison between its parliamentarians and allies, as well as independent candidates. The newly elected members of the lower house of the Parliament will take oath on August 13, while the speaker and deputy speaker will be elected on August 15. The nomination papers for position of speaker and deputy speaker will be accepted till noon on August 14. President Mamnoon Hussain had signed a summary approving the NA session on August 13 this Friday. The sessions for Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh assemblies have also been scheduled for August 13, while that of the provincial assembly of Punjab will be held on August 15.
Published in Daily Times, August 12th 2018.
