RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: An easy sailing for Aga Siraj Durrani is ahead to retain Speakership of the Sindh Assembly in a secret poll on Wednesday, as his party has an overwhelming majority in the house to vote out opposition contestant.

The former ruling PPP is again set to form its government in Sindh for the third consecutive term with 94 members in the house of 168 legislators. The MQM was the main opposition in the last assembly replaced by the PTI with 30 seats to follow it with just 21 legislators. The GDA has 13 of its members, TLP 3 and MMA 1 seats to form a joint opposition.

The main opposition will have 68 members against the PPP’s 97 on treasury benches. Thus, the chances for any member to elect as speaker or deputy speaker of the assembly are almost unlikely. The PPP’s Aga Siraj Durrani and Rehana Laghari are contesting against joint opposition’s Javed Hanif and Rabia Azfar for speaker and deputy speaker positions through a secret balloting.

MQM’s Kanwar Naved Jamil told newsmen that Javed Hanif and Rabia Azfar are the opposition’s candidates for speaker and deputy speaker election of the assembly. He said that the GDA’s Shaharyar Khan Mahar will be contesting for the leader of the house against the PPP’s Syed Murad Ali Shah.

“A condemnation resolution will be tabled in the assembly against the downed national flag on the Sindh assembly building on the Independence Day,” he said, adding that it is ‘sad’ that the flag hoisting ceremony was not held.

Secretary Sindh Assembly, G M Umar Farooq dismissed an application submitted to him by PTI’s newly elected Jamal Siddique, who raised objection on a secret balloting for election of speaker and deputy speaker. He contended that the house elects leader of the house through open poll therefore the speaker and deputy speaker election should also be held in a similar way.

The secretary rejected the objection saying that the elections are held as per rules and regulations of the Sindh assembly. The election for speaker and deputy speaker posts will be held at the Sindh Assembly building at 10 am. PPP’s Mir Nadir Magsi will be the presiding officer to hold the secret balloting.