JUI-F's Zahid Akram Durrani sworn in as NA deputy speaker

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam's (JUI-F) Zahid Akram Durrani took oath on Thursday as National Assembly (NA) Deputy Speaker in a ceremony lead by newly-elected NA Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf.

Durrani was elected unopposed as he was the only candidate to have submitted nomination papers for the role. He was preceded by Qasim Suri, against whom the former joint opposition had submitted a no-trust move. In the motion, the former opposition said that Suri had "repeatedly violated the rules, parliamentary practices, democratic norms and traditions, and even Constitutional provisions".

Opposition files no-confidence motion against NA Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri

“Instead of performing his role fairly and impartially, the deputy speaker has acted in a blatantly partisan manner invariably favouring the government, especially in passing legislation, and has frequently deprived Opposition members of their inherent, democratic right to speak and voice their views and the views of their electorate,” the document read.

It noted that the deputy speaker’s ruling on April 3, 2022, to disallow the no-confidence motion against the prime minister, was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court of Pakistan also declared that the said ruling was contrary to the Constitution and had no legal effect.

Suri resigned from his post on April 16, less than an hour before voting was to be held on the no-confidence motion against him.

"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 had tweeted at the time.