Pakistan: Prime Minister’s election scheduled for March 3

Islamabad [Pakistan]: The National Assembly (NA) Secretariat has released the timetable for the prime ministerial election to be held in Pakistan on March 3, as per ARY News.

Newly sworn-in MNAs will participate in the voting process for the prime minister’s position on Sunday.

According to the schedule issued by the NA Secretariat, aspirants for the premiership can submit their nomination papers by 2 pm on March 2. The final list of candidates will be issued following scrutiny of the nomination papers.

Nomination papers can be obtained from the legislation department, with candidates instructed to submit them to the NA Secretariat.

Notably, Shehbaz Sharif has been nominated by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), and other allies, while the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) has named Omar Ayub as its candidate.

The 16th National Assembly commenced its proceedings earlier in the day, with newly elected MNAs taking their oaths administered by Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf. The session, scheduled for 10 am, commenced after 11 am amid a turbulent atmosphere, with PTI-backed lawmakers aligned with the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), encircling the speaker’s rostrum.

On February 20, SIC Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza announced the party’s intention to nominate its prime minister, as (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) PTI-backed independent members began affiliating with the religious party.

Earlier, on February 13, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif nominated his younger brother and party president, Shehbaz Sharif, for the position of prime minister, while PML-N senior vice president Maryam Nawaz was nominated for Punjab’s chief ministerial post.

The forthcoming prime ministerial election marks a crucial juncture in Pakistan’s political landscape, as parties manoeuvre to secure leadership roles in the country’s governance structure.