Raja Pervaiz Ashraf elected as new National Assembly speaker

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Raja Pervaiz Ashraf was elected on Saturday unopposed as the National Assembly (NA) speaker.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's (PML-N) Ayaz Sadiq administered the oath to Ashraf as the NA speaker shortly after he was elected unopposed as no other member had submitted nomination papers.

Giving a brief speech, Ashraf thanked his party leaders for deeming him worthy of the position, saying that he considers it his duty to not to let the voice of the opposition get suppressed.

The NA speaker further said that consultation among institutions is "the spirit of the Constitution."

Vowing to defend women's rights, the speaker said that participation of women is the secret behind the success of this house and he expects them to participate fully in proceedings.

In his turn, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan is facing load-shedding due to the incompetence of the previous government. He expressed his commitment to address the situation at the earliest.

Earlier, the session, chaired by Sadiq began with the recitation of the Holy Quran.

As per the agenda issued by the NA Secretariat, the session had included voting on the no-confidence resolution against Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri, the election of the speaker and his oath-taking. However, Suri had tendered his resignation earlier today.

Addressing the session, Sadiq said that since Suri had resigned from office there was no need to take up agenda for the voting of the no-trust motion againt him.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Qaiser had stepped down from the office of the speaker on April 9, on the day Islamabad witnessed intense political activities when the voting on the no-confidence resolution against then Prime Minister Imran Khan was set to take place.

Following his resignation, MNA Sadiq chaired the session, and on April 10 at midnight, Khan was voted out of power, making him the first prime minister to be ousted through a democratic process.

PPP’s Raja Pervez may be elected NA Speaker today

Syed Khursheed Ahmad Shah and Syed Naveed Qamar are the proposer and seconder of Raja Pervez Ashraf respectively.

No one else has filed nomination papers for the post of the speaker of the National Assembly.

Qasim Suri resigns as NA deputy speaker

Earlier on Saturday, Suri had resigned as deputy speaker of the NA, saying his move signified his association with the vision of his party, the PTI and democracy.

In a tweet, Suri shared a copy of his resignation, saying that “we will never compromise on Pakistan’s sovereignty and integrity”.

“We will fight for the country’s interests and independence. We will go to any length to protect Pakistan,” he added.