Punjab MPs sworn in. Speaker vote tomorrow.
Newly elected Punjab Assembly members took oath amid protests and delays. Governor Balighur Rehman called the session after Election Commission notifications for reserved seats.
The assembly has 371 seats – 297 general and 74 reserved (66 for women, 8 for minorities). Currently, notifications are issued for 42 women and 5 minority seats. Elections for 296 general seats were held on Feb 8; one seat’s polling was delayed due to a candidate’s death.
The previous assembly dissolved in Jan 2023, leaving the province without a legislature for over a year. Today’s session, planned for 10 am, started after a two-hour delay and a pause for Friday prayers.
Outgoing speaker Sibtain Khan administered the oath around 2:30 pm, congratulating the MPs. PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz, Marriyum Aurangzeb, and PTI’s Aamir Dogar attended. This marks Maryam’s first time as a lawmaker.
