Ayaz Sadiq, Murtaza Javed elected as speaker and deputy speaker of NA
04 June, 2013
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People's Party withdrew its candidates for the posts of speaker and deputy speaker of the National Assembly in favour of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz on Monday before the election for the two offices.
PML-N's nominees Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Murtaza Javed Abbasi were elected speaker and deputy speaker of the Lower House, respectively. The two defeated their opponent candidates by huge margins in the election for these two offices on the back of simple majority of the PML-N as well as the support extended to them by the PPP.
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq secured 258 votes out of the total 313 polled for the speaker's election against Sheharyar Afridi of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and SA Iqbal Qadri of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), who bagged 31 and 23 votes, respectively.
"Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has secured more votes than the aggregate votes secured by the other candidates and elected speaker of National Assembly," announced outgoing speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza after the speaker's election. In the election of deputy speaker, Murtaza Javed Abbasi also secured 258 votes out of the total 312 polled votes. Munnaza Hassan of the PTI got 31 votes and Kishwar Zehra of MQM received 23 votes.
As expected, the PPPP withdrew its nominees Nawab Yousaf Talpur and Siddique Koreja for the these two offices, which PPPP President Makhdoom Amin Fahim later said was done to make the speaker and deputy speaker office non-controversial. However, while talking to reporters outside the Parliament House, he declared that the party would field its candidate for the office of prime minister.
The polling for election of these two offices was held through secret ballot. PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Khursheed Shah, Amin Fahim, Mahmood Khan Ackhakzai, Dr Farooq Sattar were prominent among those who polled their votes. PTI Chairman Imran Khan could not turn up because of illness, while JUI-F chief Fazlur Rahman was also missing from the House.
Outgoing speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza administered oath to new speaker Dr Ayaz Sadiq, who later did the same for Murtaza Javed Abbasi after he was elected deputy speaker. After taking the chair of speaker, Ayaz Sadiq pledged to run the House impartially. "I am not speaker of a particular party but of the whole House," he assured the members.
Dr Fehmida Mirza in her final address before leaving office hoped that the new speaker would maintain balance and lauded the support of all parties in the last assembly to her in running the House. She termed the election of Sardar Ayaz Sadiq as speaker "good omen" for democracy and strengthening of democratic institutions. She credited the last assembly for restoring the 1973 constitution to its original shape.
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