Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari talks to media upon his arrival at the National Assembly to attend the first session of the parliament after the general election, in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan on Aug. 13, 2018. The newly elected members of the National Assembly or the lower house of Pakistan's parliament on Monday took the oath, which marks the formal inauguration of the new parliament following the July 25 general elections. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)
ISLAMABAD, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- The newly elected members of the National Assembly or the lower house of Pakistan's parliament on Monday took the oath, which marks the formal inauguration of the new parliament following the July 25 general elections.
The outgoing Speaker of the National Assembly, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, administered the oath to the new members. He welcomed newly elected members in brief comments.
Prime Minister-in-waiting Imran Khan was among the senior political leaders who took the oath. Others include President of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) Co-Chairperson and former President Asif Ali Zardari, and PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
The members later signed the roll in alphabetical order to be the members of the house.
The National Assembly will elect speaker and deputy speaker on Wednesday. The outgoing speaker said that nomination papers for the two posts would be received by the National Assembly Secretariat until Tuesday.
The new prime minister of Pakistan will be elected by the house on Aug. 17. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) or Justice Movement, has nominated its chairman Imran Khan a candidate for the post of the prime minister. Khan will be challenged by Shehbaz Sharif who will contest for the post as the joint candidate of the opposition parties' alliance.
The PTI, which emerged as the single largest party by winning 116 seats, has increased its tally to 158 seats in the house after taking nine independent elected members, 28 reserved seats for women and five reserved seats for religious minorities. While the PML-N is second top in the house with 82 seats followed by PPP with 53 seats.
Pakistan's National Assembly consists of 342 seats out of which 272 are directly elected by the public while the remaining 60 seats are reserved for women and 10 for religious minorities.
Besides the National Assembly, members-elect of three provinces -- Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan -- were also sworn-in on Monday in their respective provincial headquarters.
