Newly-elected MPAs take oath

LAHORE: MPAs elected in the recent by-polls on Monday took oath as the members of Punjab Assembly. Speaker Punjab Assembly Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan administered oath from the newly-elected MPAs. The MPAs who took included Saeed Akbar Niwani, Adnan Afzal Chatha, Chaudhry M Nawaz, Mumtaz Ali Chang, Ahmad Iqbal and Shoaib Siddiqui.

Saeed Akbar Niwani has now become the senior most legislator of the House who has returned to PA for eighth term. Niwani served as member of Punjab Assembly in 1985, 1988, 1993, 1997, 2002, 2008 (won from two seats), 2018 and now he is part of the present assembly.

Niwani hails from Bhakkar and he was also the part of the assembly that elected Nawaz Sharif as the leader of the House and also the part of the PA which chose Maryam Nawaz as its leader and CM. He has also served as Provincial Minister for Prisons in the cabinet of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. Shoaib Siddiqui has also become the only legislator of the Punjab Assembly who have taken third oath after getting elected in a by poll.

Shoaib of IPP has never won a general election which he contested in 2008, 2013 and 2018. He has returned to PA for third time now after getting elected every time in a by poll and on a ticket of a different party in year 2004, 2015 and now in 2024. Malik Riaz of PMLN has returned to PA for second term after 1997. In 2008, 2013 and 2018, he served as the member of National Assembly. Ahmad Iqbal, son of Federal Minister Ahsen Iqbal also took oath and this is his first term as MPA.

He has served as Chairman District Council Narowal. Rana Arshad, the PMLN MPA who has won in recounting also took oath as MPA. He has returned to the PA for third term and hails from Nankana.