[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text dp_text_size=”size-4″]
PML-N’s Senior Vice President and Chief Organizer, Maryam Nawaz, achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first woman Chief Minister of Punjab. This marks the first time a woman has held such a position in any of the country’s provinces.
The session of the Punjab Assembly convened to elect the new Leader of the House commenced with Malik Ahmed Khan, the newly appointed Speaker, presiding over the proceedings. Maryam secured a significant majority of 220 votes, as opposition parties, led by the Sunni Ittehad Council, boycotted the session. Consequently, her opponent, SIC’s Rana Aftab did not receive any votes.
Read more: Maryam Nawaz To Compete With Rana Aftab For Punjab CM
Upon the speaker’s inquiry, Maryam assumed the role of the Leader of the House, with a photograph of her late mother, Kulsoom Nawaz prominently placed on the desk.
آیا آیا شیر آیا
وزیراعلیٰ پنجاب مریم نوازشریف pic.twitter.com/lj6jFDonbA
— PMLN (@pmln_org) February 26, 2024
The chief ministerial contest featured Maryam Nawaz from PML-N and Rana Aftab Ahmed Khan from the Sunni Ittehad Council, setting the stage for a closely contested battle.
With a requirement of 186 votes to secure the chief minister’s position, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) comfortably stood with the support of 224 members out of a total of 327 in the house.
In the initial phase of the assembly session on Monday, two newly elected members, Khizar Mazar and Hafiz Tahir Qaiser, took the oath. The assembly secretary explained the voting procedure and when Rana Aftab attempted to address the House, the speaker stopped him, leading to the opposition’s boycott.
After the opposition walked out, Speaker Khan called for a five-minute break, and upon resuming, initiated the election process. Despite negotiations by a committee formed to persuade the opposition to return, 18 members left again when not allowed to speak. The assembly doors were then closed, and the voting process for the chief minister’s election began.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
