Today, the assemblies of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan are scheduled to convene, where newly elected members will take the oath of office. Unlike the norm, Zulfiqar Khan Achakzai, an unelected member, will take the oath as the presiding officer instead of the speakers, Mushtaq Ghani in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and Jan Muhammad Jamali in Balochistan Assembly.
As of now, the names of candidates for the positions of speaker and deputy speaker have not been announced for both assemblies. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the first session will witness the swearing-in of newly elected members, with 21 seats reserved for women and 4 for minorities remaining vacant due to the Sunni Ittehad Council not being allocated special seats.
Preparations for the assembly sessions have been completed, including the arrangement and decoration of the assembly halls. In the first session of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, 26 special seats for women will be filled, with 2 each from Jamaat-e-Islami-F and PML-N, and one from the Pakistan Peoples Party, while 21 reserved seats will remain vacant, and members from minorities will not be able to take the oath.
Following the swearing-in, nominations for the positions of speaker and deputy speaker will be submitted, and the election process for these roles will take place the next day. On Friday, the newly elected members of the assembly will elect the leader of the house.
Similarly, the first session of the 12th Balochistan Assembly is also being held today. The assembly building in Zarghoon Road, Quetta, is bustling with activity, with security measures in place to handle any untoward incidents. Due to illness, Speaker Jan Muhammad Jamali will not be able to attend the session, so the Governor of Balochistan has nominated Zulfiqar Khan Achakzai as the presiding officer. The assembly has been decorated, and security arrangements have been made to address any security concerns during the session. Private passes have not been issued to guests during the session due to security reasons.
This dual assembly session marks an important moment in the political landscape of both provinces as elected representatives take on their responsibilities to serve their constituencies.
