ISLAMABAD: PML-N's Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Monday emerged as the choice of Speaker for the Lower House once again. Sadiq bagged 268 votes while Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's (PTI) Shafqat Mahmood received 31.
Sadiq is the first person in the country's history to have been elected National Assembly (NA) Speaker for the second time during the same government's tenure.
The NA Speaker had been deseated by an election tribunal in August which accepted PTI Chairman Imran Khan's petition challenging Sadiq's 2013 election win.
He had defeated Imran Khan during the 2013 polls, and recently reclaimed his seat by contesting against PTI's Aleem Khan in the NA-122 by-polls.
Ayaz Sadiq takes oath as Speaker of National... by dawn-news
Sadiq addresses House after taking oath
The newly-elected Speaker thanked the members of the House for their support in electing him as speaker with a two-thirds majority.
He individually thanked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for nominating him for the post, and went on to thank other parties including the PPP, MQM, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, PML-F, as well as independent members for deposing their trust in him.
"I am also thankful to all PTI members who voted their conscience and empowered democracy by being a part of this process. This win is not just mine, but that of democracy, the Constitution and the parliament," he said.
"With counsel from parliamentary leaders, we will run the House such that everyone's opinions will be taken into account," the newly-elected Speaker said.
"Kashmir is a cause close to us and we will keep it on our agenda and try to make progress in this area."
"In terms of parliamentary diplomacy, we will try to keep in touch with foreign parliaments and invite them to the country to show them the real Pakistan ─ not the image the media shows, but our Pakistan."
"The right to information and freedom of expression will be protected and as much as possible. We will make our operations open to the media and public," he said, calling on the media reporting on parliament to play a responsible role in promoting a positive image of Pakistan.
"'Green parliament' was a dream all of us shared and it is still under way. By next month, the National Assembly will be the world's second parliament running on solar power."
After reminding the House of his achievements during his earlier tenure as Speaker, Sadiq expressed his resolve to continue performing in the same manner.
0 comments:
Post a Comment