ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MP and former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf was elected Speaker of the National Assembly unopposed after no candidate filed nominations on behalf of the PTI until the 12:00 pm deadline on Friday.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MP Ayaz Sadiq, who was initially chairing the session, administered the oath to Ashraf.
Raja Pervaiz Ashraf has been elected unopposed as the 22nd Speaker of the 15th National Assembly of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan 🇵🇰. pic.twitter.com/CDo7tym6uW
— National Assembly of Pakistan🇵🇰 (@NAofPakistan) April 16, 2022
Ashraf served as the prime minister for less than a year between June 2012 and March 2013 after his predecessor Yousuf Raza Gilani was disqualified by the Supreme Court for refusing to reopen corruption cases against the president, Asif Ali Zardari, that involved Swiss bank accounts.
As water and power minister and later prime minister, Ashraf was seen by many as someone who had failed to ease a crippling energy crisis, which sporadically triggers violent protests.
He faced allegations of corruption during his term as water and power minister but denied any wrongdoing.
The office of the speaker had fallen vacant after Asad Qaiser of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party tendered his resignation on April 8 minutes before the voting on the no-confidence resolution against then-prime minister Imran Khan.
Qaiser, too, was facing a no-confidence motion.
Meanwhile, before the oath-taking ceremony took place, Qasim Khan Suri resigned as deputy speaker of the National Assembly, hours before the session of the Lower House was scheduled to take up a no-confidence motion against him.
Sharing a copy of his resignation on Twitter, Suri said his move signified his association with the vision of his Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party and democracy.
The party “will never compromise on Pakistan’s sovereignty and integrity. We will fight for the country’s interests and independence,” he tweeted.
“We will go to any length to protect Pakistan.”
قومی اسمبلی سے استعفیٰ میری پارٹی کے وژن، اس کی شاندار وراثت اور جمہوریت کے ساتھ اس کی وابستگی کی علامت ہے، پاکستان کی خودمختاری اور سالمیت پر کبھی سمجھوتہ نہیں کریں گے ملکی مفادات اور آزادی کے لیے لڑیں گے اور 🇵🇰 کے تحفظ کے لیے کسی بھی حد تک جائیں گے۔ #امپورٹڈ_حکومت_نامنظور pic.twitter.com/fIskL5pVLg
— Qasim Khan Suri (@QasimKhanSuri) April 16, 2022
