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PA elects Iqbal as speaker, Gorchani deputy speaker

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LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly has elected Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz- (PML-N) backed Speaker Rana Iqbal from central and Deputy Speaker Sher Ali Gorchani from southern areas of the province through secret balloting on Monday.

Rana Iqbal bagged 297 votes against the candidate of the opposition alliance of two parties, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) who managed just 35 votes.

Sher Ali Gorchani obtained 293 votes against the candidate of the same opposition alliance, Waqqas Hasan Moakal, who got only 37 votes. No lawmaker from the Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarian (PPP-P) cast vote for the position of speaker or deputy speaker and left the House silently before the start of the election process, while the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) parliamentary leader Dr Waseem Akhtar announced to abstain from both elections in the House following his party policy.

As many as 332 members of the provincial assembly used their right to vote for the speaker's election, while 330 members cast their votes for electing the deputy speaker.

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