The National Assembly (NA) elected on Friday Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Ayaz Sadiq as its speaker, and Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Syed Ghulam Mustafa as deputy speaker.
Sadiq was up against Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) Malik Aamir Dogar for NA speaker. He received 199 votes while his opponent got 91.
Meanwhile, Syed Ghulam Mustafa received 197 votes, while his opponent, SIC’s Junaid Akbar, received 92 votes.
This is not Sadiq’s first time in this role. He served as the 17th Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan from June 2013 to August 2015 and again from November 2015 to August 2018.
Earlier in the day, voting for the role of speaker was held after outgoing Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf directed newly elected lawmakers to begin casting their votes in alphabetical order. After being elected, Sadiq was administered the oath by Ashraf.
After taking oath as the speaker, Sadiq urged both the government and the opposition to work together for the betterment of Pakistan.
He urged both sides to have differences but “for the betterment of the country” instead of on a personal basis.
Earlier in a post on X, the newly elected speaker said, “Pakistan comes first! We encourage all Pakistanis to come together to improve.”
“Let’s remove the barriers for Pakistan’s sake. Pakistanis of different views should come together to advise how we to strengthen the nation,” he further wrote.
MNAs to elect PM on Sunday
The National Assembly Secretariat had on Thursday issued the schedule for the election of the Prime Minister of Pakistan. The prime minister will be elected on Sunday, March 3, 2024.
Nomination papers for the post of prime minister can be submitted on Saturday, March 2, 2024 till at 2:00pm. Nomination papers can be obtained from the Legislative Department of the National Assembly.
JUI-F protests
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Thursday announced the boycott of the election process for the National Assembly speaker, deputy speaker, prime minister, and president.
Talking to journalists at the Parliament House after the inaugural session of the NA, the JUI-F chief categorically stated that the JUI-F will sit on the opposition benches in the parliament.
“We will not be part of the election of speaker and deputy speaker of the National Assembly and prime minister,” he announced.
To a question about JUI-F’s strategy for a protest movement, he indicated that he would soon give a call. “Wait for it. We will represent the nation soon,” he added.
On Thursday, the 16th National Assembly came into effect as 302 members took oath following the February 8 elections.
NA Speaker Ashraf administered the oath to the 302 MNAs in the 336-member house delayed by more than an hour due ruckus in the house by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers.