Pakistan parliament elects new speaker

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) - Newly elected lawmakers in Pakistan chose Ayaz Sadiq as the speaker of the country's lower house of Parliament on Friday.

Sadiq was nominated by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for a third five-year term in his career and supported by its coalition partners, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and other smaller parties, for the key position in the National Assembly.

He defeated Malik Muhammad Amir Dogar of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), backed by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The SIC is the new home of almost all lawmakers of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which could not run on the ballot after a court order their symbol – a bat – erased ahead of general elections on Feb. 8.

Sadiq had earlier served as National Assembly speaker in June 2013-August 2015 and again in November 2015-August 2018.

He was also a federal minister in the last Cabinet of former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in 2022-2023.

The coalition partners nominated Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah of the PPP for the position of deputy speaker. Expected to be elected as Sadiq's deputy, he will face off with SIC-backed Junaid Akbar.

The National Assembly witnessed chaotic scenes as slogans reverberated in the chamber between rival coalition partners and the SIC, while PTI-backed lawmakers chanted: "Who will save Pakistan? Imran Khan Imran Khan."

The Parliament is set to elect the country’s new prime minister for a five-year term on Sunday.

The PML-N and its allies, including the center-left PPP, claim to have the support of over 200 lawmakers.

The first session of the newly elected National Assembly opened on Thursday to administer the oaths to lawmakers.

It came after President Arif Alvi had initially refused to summon the session which was due by Feb. 29.

On Wednesday, the National Assembly Secretariat issued a notification summoning the session.

Later that day, Alvi also stamped the summary summoning of the inaugural session on Thursday.

Alvi, who was elected president with the support of the PTI after Khan formed a government in 2018, had refused to call the Parliament, asserting that doing so would be unconstitutional due to the vacancy of some seats in the National Assembly.

He pointed out that the SIC was yet to be allotted their share from 70 reserved seats given to parties based of their electoral share.

Alvi also expressed disappointment over the "tone and tenor" of caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar, who had sent the summary to the president to call the session.

Alvi said he "could not be oblivious of some incongruities in the electoral process and the process of formation of the Government."

Khan's PTI has alleged that the Feb. 8 election was rigged, though these claims have been rejected by the country's election watchdog and government.

Meanwhile, PTI-backed Ali Amin Gandapur was elected 22nd chief minister of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Amin had earlier served as minister at the federal and provincial levels.

Earlier, Maryam Nawaz of the PML-N was elected chief minister of Punjab province, while Murad Ali Shah of the PPP was elected chief minister of Sindh province. The election for the chief executive's post in Balochistan is also expected soon.