Malik Ahmad Khan, nominated by the PML-N, has been elected as the speaker of the Punjab Assembly, with Zaheer Iqbal as his deputy. PTI has replaced their CM candidate Aslam Iqbal with Aftab Ahmed.
Malik Ahmad Khan, a loyalist of the Sharif family from Kasur, and Zaheer Iqbal from Bahawalpur, won the speaker and deputy speaker positions through a secret ballot, defeating their PTI-backed opponents. The PML-N candidates were supported by the PPP, PML-Q, and IPP.
Malik Ahmad Khan received 224 votes out of a total of 322, while Zaheer Iqbal received 220 votes. The session was marked by slogans of ‘sher sher’ in support of the PML-N.
The marathon session of the Punjab Assembly saw discussions and debates before the speaker and deputy speaker elections. The SIC raised concerns about the non-allotment of reserved seats for women and minorities.
Aslam Iqbal was replaced by Rana Aftab Ahmad Khan as the PTI’s CM candidate due to concerns about his arrest in connection with the May 9 riots. The election for the CM office is expected to take place on Sunday.