Babar Saleem Swati from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) officially assumed the role of the speaker in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Thursday. The election session for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker positions was overseen by the outgoing Speaker, Mushtaq Ghani.
Following his nomination, Babar Saleem Swati, an MPA from Mansehra, secured 89 votes, leading to his appointment as the speaker. Mushtaq Ghani, the outgoing Speaker, administered the oath to Saleem Swati during the session. The rival candidate from the Peoples Party, Ihsan Ullah Khan, managed to secure 17 votes.
Simultaneously, the election for the deputy speaker of the KP assembly is currently in progress. Surayya Bibi, a female member of PTI from Chitral, is contending for the deputy speaker position against Arbab Waseem from PTI-P.
Earlier, the swearing-in ceremony for the newly elected members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly was marred by disruption caused by PTI workers, leading to a delay of over an hour. Despite the commotion, Speaker Mushtaq Ghani successfully administered the oath to the incoming provincial legislators.
It’s noteworthy that the PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council holds the majority in the KP Assembly with 91 members. Other parties, such as JUI (7 members), PML-N (5 members), PPP (4 members), ANP, and PTI-P (each with one member), contribute to the diverse composition of the house.
