MUZAFFARABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Chaudhry Tariq Farooq was elected speaker of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, securing 32 votes against 14 received by Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Chaudhry Qasim Majeed.
PML-N’s Ahmad Raza Qadri was elected deputy speaker with 32 votes, defeating PPP’s Aamir Ghaffar Lone, who received 14 votes.
Mr Farooq administered the oath of office to Mr Qadri at a ceremony held at the Assembly Secretariat in the presence of members and officials. After taking the oath, the deputy speaker assumed charge and pledged to perform his duties in accordance with the Constitution, law and assembly rules. Members, including the speaker, congratulated him.
On Monday, 46 newly elected members of the assembly took oath. Polling was also held for reserved seats, with the PML-N emerging as the dominant party in the 53-member house.
The PML-N’s strength in the assembly now stands at around 32 members, including the support of the lone Awami Dast-o-Bazu Party member.
Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, the PML-N’s regional secretary general, was nominated for the speaker’s post by party president Nawaz Sharif. He won the LA-7 Bhimber-III constituency in the recent elections, defeating former AJK prime minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq. Official election results confirm his victory from the constituency.
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Mr Farooq has previously served as a senior minister, chairman of the Public Accounts Committee and deputy opposition leader. As speaker, he will also serve as acting president of Azad Kashmir until a new president is elected.
The election for the leader of the house is scheduled for later this week.
