LAHORE – The newly-elected members of the 18th Punjab Assembly are scheduled to take their oath today during the inaugural session of the provincial legislature.
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Among the five assemblies that underwent polls on Feb 8, the Punjab Assembly stands as the first to convene its opening session, set to commence at 10am on Friday.
Punjab Governor Baligh Ur Rehman has issued a notification regarding this. Speaker Sibtain Khan will administer the oath to the newly elected members.
The announcement of the assembly’s session follows a parliamentary meeting held a day earlier with the elected members of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) at Jati Umra in Lahore.
According to party sources, a total of 218 members participated in the meeting, including independent members, PML-N MPAs, and those nominated for reserved seats.
It’s noteworthy that 186 members are required to form the government in Punjab.
Among the newly elected members, Maryam Nawaz will be one of the newcomers stepping into the provincial legislature as an elected member. She is also nominated as the party’s candidate for the chief minister position following her victory from both national and provincial assembly seats — NA-119 and PP-159, respectively — in the February 8 polls.
During the Wednesday meeting, Maryam expressed her commitment to serving the province in a manner that would establish a precedent of good governance nationwide.
In a media interaction outlining her plans for Punjab, the CM-hopeful stated, “A new era is dawning in Punjab. I extend my congratulations to PML-N for securing victory [and attaining a majority in the Punjab Assembly].”
If elected, Maryam will make history as the first woman to hold the chief minister’s office in Pakistan’s over seven-decade history. She will govern a province with a population exceeding 127 million, more than half of Pakistan’s total population.
Maryam, holding positions as PML-N’s senior vice-president and chief organizer, viewed her nomination as Punjab’s first chief minister as a “significant honor,” dedicating it to the women of Pakistan.
