KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party Leader Agha Siraj Durrani retained his post as Speaker Sindh Assembly while Rehana Leghari was elected deputy speaker here on Wednesday.

The election for the Sindh Assembly speaker and deputy speaker was held on Wednesday with Agha Siraj Durrani being re-elected after receiving 96 votes. He was contesting against MQM-P’s Javed Hanif who received 59 votes. While Rehana Laghari received 98 votes and the opposition Candidate Rabia Azfar of PTI got 59 votes. Two votes of opposition and one vote of PPP was rejected.

Tehreek-e- Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) three Members in Sindh assembly Younas Somroo, Muhammad Qasim and Sarwat Fatima were sitting on their seats, they have not participated in Voting process.

Earlier Sindh Assembly Session was started 10:45 AM on Wednesday presided by Presiding Officer Mir Nadir Khan Magsi. During the assembly session Mir Nadir Magsi took Oath from Three newly elected PPP MPAs Ali Mardan Shah, Ali Nawaz Khan Mehar and Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah.

After oath taking ceremony the polling process for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker for Sindh assembly started on the directives of Presiding officer and secretary’s Sindh Assembly started to announce the names of Parliamentarians to cast their votes for the selection of Speaker and Deputy Speaker. Syed Nasir Hussain Shah was the Polling agent for PPP candidate Agha Siraj Durrani, Javed Hanif of MQM and PTI candidate for Speaker Khurram Sher Zaman as well as the was the polling agent for Deputy speakers candidates too.

Presiding Officer strictly issued directives for MPAs not to carry cellphones inside the booth while casting their votes. PPP leader Abdul Aziz Junejo cast the first vote, Secretary Sindh Assembly announce the name of TLP Member Younas Somroo two times for vote but he was sitting on his seat and not cast his vote, PTI Nominated Governor Sindh Imran Ismail was also absent during polling process, sources said.

The elections for the two posts were held through secret balloting by 158 elected members of the house. The Presiding Officer Mir Nadir Khan Magsi has announced the results as Agha Siraj Durrani was re-elected as Speaker Sindh Assembly and Rehana Laghari elected as Deputy Speaker of Provincial Assembly, later Mir Nadir Magsi took administrative Oath from Agha Siraj Durrani as Speaker and later Agha Siraj took oath from Rehana Laghari as Deputy Speaker of Sindh Assembly..

The PPP leadership and opposition Parties leaders congratulate to Agha Siraj and Rehana Laghari being elected as sprayer and Deputy Speaker of Sindh assembly.

Later, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Nominated Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah said that ” I am thankful to the Party leadership who gave a chance to me to serve as Chief Minister Sindh again in the province. I will try my best to serve the the people of Sindh in a better way,” he added.

While talking to media after Sindh assembly session Murad Ali PPP has re-elected Agha Siraj as Speaker in Sindh assembly, adding that PPP has majority in Sindh and we will now deliver in a good way in Sindh.

In a question about former President Asif Ali Zardari’s close friend Anwar Majeed who was arrested in Islamabad, Murad Ali shah said ” I don’t know what happened in Islamabad, I don’t have any knowledge about it. I only knew that speaker was elected in Islamabad,” Nominated CM Sindh added.