F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq was elected as the speaker of the National Assembly on Friday after the conclusion of the voting process. The PML-N politician defeated the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-backed independent lawmaker Malik Aamir Dogar, who was supported by the Sunni Ittehad (SIC) Council lawmakers in the House.
Sadiq won the speaker’s contest with 199 votes, gaining a majority from the members of the PML-N, PPP and other lawmakers backing his nomination in the lower house. This is the second time that he has become the speaker. Sadiq had served as the speaker from 2013-2018 in the 14th National Assembly.
The polling for the election of the National Assembly speaker has been completed and the counting of votes is underway in the session that has been marred by protests of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) lawmakers. Sadiq will now be administered oath by outgoing Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf. After the oath-taking, the new speaker will then take charge of the house forthwith. Ashraf will, subsequently, step down from his position. As the first order of business Sadiq will now hold elections for his deputy. Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Syed Ghulam Mustafa and SIC’s Junaid Akbar will contest for the slot.
The NA session was convened today to elect the speaker and deputy speaker during which opposition lawmakers chanted slogans against alleged rigging in the Feb 8 polls. Before the session started SIC’s parliamentary party meeting was held in the house’s lobby, where they vowed to continue their protest in the assembly.
This is the second consecutive day that SIC has been protesting in the National Assembly over “rigged” results. As the session began, Speaker Ashraf asked if there were any new members present who had missed the oath-taking a day earlier. As no new members came forward, the speaker then gave the floor to PTI-backed Omar Ayub Khan to speak on a point of order.
The lawmaker alleged that foreigners were present in the house. “People who got fake mandate have entered the house, hence, they should be expelled,” said Omar, adding that “prisoner number 804”, the number assigned to PTI founder Imran Khan in Adiala Jail, should be brought to the Assembly. The MNA, who had a sore throat, said they would raise their voice even if their throat is sore or slit.
Ayub reiterated that the House was incomplete as the ECP is yet to announce the allocation of reserved seats in the National Assembly. After Ayub spoke, the speaker informed him that the lawmakers that were sitting in the House were those who were declared as winners by the Election Commission of Pakistan after the February 8 elections. He also added that if they had an objection then they should approach the ECP.
The speaker’s comments infuriated the SIC members. Following this, the speaker began the process for the speaker’s election. The voting lasted for at least two hours and chants and slogans could be heard during the process. SIC lawmakers that cast their votes chanted slogans in favour of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan as they put their ballot paper in the box set up near the speaker’s seat.
During the proceedings today, a drama unfolded when the MQM-P surprisingly walked out of the house and boycotted the polling process for the speaker. PML-N leaders including the nominee for speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq went after them in Committee Room No. 2 to win over them to return to the house and participate in the voting process. In return, the MQM-P demanded a constitutional amendment to empower the local bodies.
After negotiations, the PML-N acceded to MQM-P’s demand and agreed to a constitutional amendment in Article 140. Ahsan Iqbal and Mustafa Kamal signed the agreement on PML-N and MQM-P’s behalf respectively.
Raising serious reservations over the 2024 election results, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has announced that his party would not participate in the elections for the top political slots — president, prime minister, and the National Assembly (NA) speaker.
The JUI-F leader, speaking to journalists in Islamabad Thursday, said his party would sit in the opposition and its lawmakers would abstain from voting during the upcoming electoral events in the assemblies. In response to a question regarding JUI-F’s strategy for a protest movement, he said: “Wait for it. We will represent the nation soon.”
