Members of the Sindh Assembly have elected PPP’s Owais Qadir Shah as the speaker and Anthony Naveed as the deputy speaker through a secret ballot. Shah secured 111 votes while MQM-P’s Sofia Shah got 36 votes. Naveed also received 111 votes while MQM-P’s Advocate Rashid Khan got 36 votes.
This comes after 147 legislators-elect from PPP and MQM-P were sworn in as members of the 16th provincial assembly. Outgoing speaker Agha Siraj Durrani administered the oath to 111 PPP members and 36 from MQM-P. Nine PTI-backed independents, three from GDA, and two from JI were absent during the swearing-in ceremony.
During the session, PTI-backed MPs protested against alleged poll rigging and refused to participate in the voting process. After Shah was elected as the speaker, he vowed to work without bias and to respect all members’ opinions. He emphasized the importance of following the rule book for the House to function effectively.
The election for the provincial chief minister is set to take place the following day, with PPP’s Murad Ali Shah and MQM-P’s Ali Khursheedi as the nominees.
After the deputy speaker election, Naveed was congratulated by members of the House as pro-Bhutto slogans echoed in the hall. Murad Ali Shah praised Durrani for his 10 years of service as the speaker, acknowledging his dedication even during challenging times. Murad highlighted Durrani’s unique distinction as speaker, just like his father.