Siraj Durrani retains Sindh Assembly speakership: leader of the house to be elected today

The Sindh Assembly is set to elect the leader of the house today, as Aga Siraj Durrani Wednesday retained the speakership with an overwhelming majority in the house. Syed Murad Ali Shah as a strong candidate with 98 legislators in the house of 165 is set to retain his office of the chief ministership for the second term, contesting against the GDA's Shehryar Khan Mahar Thursday at 10 am.
Durrani won the speakership receiving 96 votes, as three votes were rejected, against joint opposition's Javed Hanif attaining 58 votes. Some 158 votes were cast. Rehana Leghari of PPP succeeded to become the deputy speaker securing 98 votes during the secret ballot. She defeated opposition's joint candidate - Rabia Azfar bagging 59 votes. One vote was declared invalid. Presiding officer, PPP's Nadir Magsi administered oath to Durrani after being ruled triumphant to assume the speaker's office.
PPP's Abdul Aziz Junejo was the first legislator to cast his vote and Nadir Magsi the last one. Imran Ismail - PTI's provincial legislator, who has been nominated for the governorship, and GDA's Arif Jatoi remained absent from the voting. The TLP's three lawmakers included: Younus Soomro, Sarwat Fatima and Muhammad Qasim boycotted voting despite being present in the house.
"A huge responsibility of legislation now falls on all of us," Syed Abdul Rasheed - the only lawmaker of the MMA in the Sindh Assembly said while expressing views after the speaker election, adding that "we all have to work to develop the city". Hasnain Mirza, the GDA member congratulated Durrani and Leghari for wining top slots, saying "the opposition will appreciate every good act of the government".
GDA's Shehryar Mahar said that "becoming speaker is an honor for the province," adding that "your father was also speaker of the assembly," hoping that Durrani will govern the house in a much better way. PTI's Khurram Sher Zaman Khan felicitated Durrani and urged him to ensure the ministers attendance during the house proceedings.
PTI's Haleem Adil Shaikh vowed 'to go together' with the treasury and will refrain from turning the house into a 'fish market', saying that "with making a new Pakistan we will have to make a new Sindh as well". GDA's Nusrat Sehar Abbasi asked the expected treasury to take the opposition along while legislating. She said that she will not support negative attitude in the house.
MQM's Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hasan said that the opposition will play its role but warned that his party will give a tough contest to the government during the next five years. "We will make efforts to bring the government on track," he said. PPP's Syed Murad Ali Shah said that the people of Sindh will have another term of his party's government.
Durrani thanked his central leadership, especially Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Asif Ali Zardari for showing confidence in him. "I am also thankful to the members of Sindh Assembly," he said, adding that "we have always tried to take the opposition along." He also announced to conduct probe into the ruckus in the house during oath-taking ceremony.