ISLAMABAD: The voting process for the election of new Leader of the House in the National Assembly started here on Monday.
Member Panel of Chairpersons Ayaz Sadiq, who was in the chair after Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri took initial proceedings, read out the names of candidates Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Shah Mehmood Qureshi of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), whose nomination papers for the top slot were accepted by the National Assembly Secretariat.
Following this, he directed to ring the bells for five minutes enabling the House members not present in the Chamber to be present.
As the bells stopped ringing, all the entrances to the Lobby were locked for any entry or exit till the completion of the voting process.
The chair asked the lawmakers for a simple division to cast their votes in favour of their candidates.
Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif is the unanimous candidate of the parliamentary parties including PPPP, PML-N, BAP, MQM, BNP-Mengal, ANP, MMAP and independent candidates in the 341-seat House (excluding a seat that fell vacant due to demise of MNA Khayal Zaman Orakzai) that had secured 174 votes in the no-confidence motion to knock out the PTI government.
Earlier as the House proceedings started, Deputy Speaker National Assembly Qasim Suri, shared some contents of the “Threat Letter” with the members of the National Assembly.
He said as per the decision of the federal Cabinet, the letter would be dispatched to the Chief Justice of Supreme Court , in which Pakistan had been warned of dire consequences in case of failure of no-confidence resolution against Imran Khan.
Suri said he had great respect for the apex court, and defended his April 3 ruling saying it was given as being a true and patriotic Pakistani besides custodian of the House.
On a point of order, Former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi thanked Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan and party members for nominating him candidate for the prime minister’s slot.
He alleged that opponents of PTI in the National Assembly had no common agenda, terming them an unnatural alliance having different ideologies.
He alleged that Imran Khan’s government had been toppled under an international conspiracy.
He also counted his government’s achievements in the economic, social and health sectors.
Expressing concerns over the international conspiracy, he announced to boycott the election process of Leader of the House and resignation of PTI members in protest of regime change plot.
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