Speaker, deputy speaker elected for AJK assembly

MUZAFFARABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Shah Ghulam Qadir and Sardar Farooq Tahir were elected as the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly here on Saturday.

After taking oath as members, the newly elected AJK Assembly met under the chairmanship of the outgoing Speaker Sardar Ghulam Sadiq Khan and elected Speaker and Deputy Speaker. The oath of one member, Sardar Khalid Ibrahim Khan, could not take place.

PML-N candidate for speakership Shah Ghulam Qadir secured 39 votes out of 40 votes polled, while Muslim Conference candidate Malik Muhammad Nawaz and Pakistan People's Party candidate Aamar Ghafar Lone obtained 3 and 4 votes respectively. Two votes were rejected during polling.

The ruling PML-N candidate Sardar Farooq Tahir won the position of Deputy Speaker by securing 39 votes. His rivals, Sardar Sagheer Chughtai of the Muslim Conference and PPP candidate Shazia Akbar, secured five votes and four votes respectively.

The AJK Legislative Assembly will elect the leader of the house on Sunday (tomorrow) at 10am for which the PML-N has already nominated Raja Farooq Haider Khan.