Sardar Ayaz Sadiq Chosen as Speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly

Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, a member of the party led by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, has been elected as the 22nd Speaker of the new National Assembly (NA), according to ARY News. This election comes amid a fierce competition between political parties in Pakistan to gain control of the country. Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the candidate of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), received 199 votes, while Aamir Dogar, the candidate of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), received 91 votes. Notably, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf presided over the National Assembly (NA) meeting where the new Speaker was chosen. However, during the meeting, the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) voiced their opposition.

A secret ballot was used to elect the Speaker. Following Raja Pervaiz Ashraf’s formal declaration, Sardare Ayaz Sadiq took the oath of office as the new Speaker of the National Assembly. After the oath-taking ceremony, the new Speaker assumed control of the house as Raja Pervaiz Ashraf resigned from office. The deputy speaker will now be chosen by the newly elected speaker. According to ARY News, Shehbaz Sharif, the President of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), nominated Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on behalf of the PML-N for the Speaker of the National Assembly, while Bilawal Bhutto announced Ghulam Mustafa Shah as the PPP’s candidate for Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly.

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had nominated Aamir Dogar for the position of Speaker of the National Assembly, while PTI’s Junaid Khan’s name was put up for the Deputy Speaker post.