PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar on Friday announced schedule of elections for the deputy speaker`s office lying vacant for over a year.

The speaker told the house that candidates would file nomination papers for the deputy speaker`s post on Dec 21, while elections for it would take place on Dec 22.

The filling of the deputy speaker`s office will pave the way for the prorogation of the current session of the assembly continuing since Oct 23, 2014.

The post has been vacant since Oct 15, 2014, when Imtiaz Shahid resigned as deputy speaker to take oath as the minister for lawand parliamentary affairs.

The government has prolonged the session to avoid elections for the important position due to dif ferences in the ruling party over the candidate.

Under the house`s rules of business, the government is bound to hold elections for the deputy speaker`s office before proroguing the session.

The speaker announced the election schedule soon after PML-N MPA Sardar Aurangzeb Nalotha warned that the opposition would agitate if the long-awaited elections for the deputy speaker`s office were delayed any further.

Speaking on a point of order, Nalotha said the opposition members could no more sit silently in the incomplete house and that the speaker would have to announce schedule of the elections without delay.

`If the ruling parties need the help of the opposition in elections (for the deputy speaker`s office), we (the opposition) are ready for that,` he said.

The PML-N MPA asked if it was the ruling PTFs much-publicised `change` that the assembly had been kept in session for over ayear to avoid elections for the important slot of the house.

Earlier, the assembly saw a heated debate on the terrorist attack against federal housing minister and JUI-F leader Akram Khan Durrani in Bannu.

In a veiled criticism of the provincial government, JUI-F MPA Mufti Syed Janan said some people had been making tall claims in TV talk shows about depoliticising the province`s police but in actual fact, no one was safe in the province.

`Though a number of security agencies have been functioning in the country, terrorists continue to threaten the provincial assembly, government offices and MPA hostel,` he said.

The JUI-F MPA said the writ of the state had been reduced to Peshawar city only and that the practice of blocking important roads was unfortunately continuing.

Syed Jaffar Shah of the ANP condemned terrorist attack on Akram Durrani and urged all political forces to unite to defeat militancy.

Sardar Aurangzeb Nalotha of the PML-N said politicians would continue struggle against militancy.

He said the Zarb-i-Azb military operationand National Action Plan had dismantled the militant network in the country and that the fight against militancy would continue until last militant was eliminated from the country.

Bakht Baidar Khan of the Qaumi Watan Party said both the provincial government and assembly should take terrorist attacks on politicians seriously.

`An in-camera session of the house should be convened on this crucial issue,` he said.

Senior minister Inayatullah Khan told the house that terrorism and targeted killings had not been eliminated from the province but their incidence had reduced considerably.

He said politicians should get united against attacks on themselves.

Speaking on a point of order, MPA Salim Khan said around 2,000 families in the remote Baroghil valley of Chitral had been facing shortage of food after heavy snowfall.

He said the snowfall had disconnected Baroghil valley bordering Afghanistan from Chitral city.

The MPA demanded that the government arrange food pacl(age for them before the situation worsens there. The speaker later adjourned the session until Monday.