ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League’s (PML-N) Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has returned as the 20th Speaker of the National Assembly, three month after he was disqualified and eventually being deprived of the crucial position as well.
However, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq secured 268 votes out of 300 which were cast by lawmakers during polling for the seat of the Speaker National Assembly held in the House on Monday, enabling the former speaker to retain his seat with even more legitimacy and confidence.
His main and only rival, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Shafqat Mahmood received 31 votes in the House.
Later Sardar Ayaz Sadiq was sworn in as Speaker of the National Assembly. The Acting Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi administered oath to him.
“I am thankful that I took this office,” Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said after he won the election.
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq also thanked the political parties including Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) as well as independent members from the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) for backing him.
The newly-elected Speaker National Assembly said that he has the honor of being elected as the Speaker from the same House twice.
Ayaz Sadiq also thanked the PTI members who participated in the election process for the strengthening of the democratic system.
Shafqat Mahmood wss the only other candidate, contesting against Ayaz Sadiq for the seat of Speaker National Assembly. The lawmaker Syed Ghazi Gulab Jamal had also submitted his nomination papers for the election but later he withdrew in support of Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.
The election was held through secret ballot and all members of the PPP, MQM, JUI-F, JI and independent members from the tribal region present in the House voted in favour of the PML-N candidate.
“We are giving our vote to Ayaz Sadiq, not PML-N. We are voting keeping his view of his 2.5 years performance,” the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah said.
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had lost his NA Speaker seat in August this year when the Lahore Election Tribunal disqualified him and ordered fresh polls in NA-122, a Lahore’s constituency from where Sadiq secured the NA seat by defeating Imran Khan in May 2013 general elections.
Later, the by-election took place in NA-122 on October 11, 2015 in which the PML-N Candidate against emerged victorious and the PTI Candidate Aleem Khan had to face defeat.
