Candidates of three parties file nominations: election of Leader of House today

Candidates of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPP-P) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday filed their nomination papers for the election of Prime Minister in the National Assembly. PML-N President Nawaz Shairf, PPP-P President Makhdoom Amin Fahim and PTI President Makhdoom Javed Hashmi are learnt to have filed their nomination papers. The election for the post of prime minister will be held in the National Assembly on Wednesday (today).
Nawaz Sharif is set to become prime minister for a third time after his party secured a simple majority in the newly-elected National Assembly. National Assembly's Speaker Sardar Ayaz Saddiq accepted all nomination papers after scrutiny. The Speaker told media persons in his chamber: "We have accepted all the nomination papers...they have all been found to be in order" Nawaz Sharif filed seven nomination papers which had been proposed and seconded by parliamentarians from all provinces.
Those who proposed Nawaz Sharif included Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Pir Sadruddin Shah Rashdi, Ibadullah, Khwaja Muhammad Asif, Anusha Rehman, Khwaja Saad Rafiq and Philis Azim. His nomination papers were seconded by Sardar Yousuf, Abdul Qadir Baloch, Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Dr Darshan, Kiran Haider, Zahid Hamid and Asfandyar Bhandara.
Makhdoom Amin Fahim of PPPP and Makhdoom Javed Hashmi of PTI personally submitted their nomination papers. Makhdoom Amin Fahim has been proposed by Dr Fehmida Mirza, Syed Naveed Qamar, Ramesh Lal, Nafisa Shah and Imran Leghari while Syed Khurshid Shah, Ali Gauhar Mehr, Ghulam Rasool Koreja, Nouman Islam Sheikh and Kamal Khan were among seconders.
The candidacy of PTI president Javed Hashmi was proposed by Arif Alvi and seconded by Ghulam Sarwar Khan. Later, Ishaq Dar of PML-N told media persons that his party has talked with the PPPP for supporting Nawaz Sharif. He said that his party is also in-contact with Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and others political parties. He said that MQM chief Altaf Hussain had already announced "unconditional support" for Nawaz Sharif and "we are very thankful to MQM".
The voting for the leader of the house will not be done through a secret ballot: it would be conducted via dividing the House in as many lobbies. Members will assemble beside their favoured candidate, before the Speaker announces the result based on head count. The third sitting of the National Assembly is scheduled to be held at 11am. The JUI-F is also learnt to have decided to vote for Nawaz Sharif.
After a meeting of the party's parliamentary party on Tuesday‚ the JUI-F chief said that a delegation of PML-N had asked his party to vote for Nawaz Sharif in the election for the post of the Prime Minister. Meanwhile, the PPPP has refused to withdraw its candidate for the post. The PTI, in the meantime, fielded its own candidate as well. After the election, the prime minister would be sworn in on the same day (Wednesday) in afternoon at the Presidency. The new prime minister would be administered oath of office by President Asif Ali Zardari.