The voting for the National Assembly speaker is currently underway, with the first vote cast by MNA Aasia Ishaque.
The session, called to elect the new speaker and deputy speaker, commenced amidst protests by Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) lawmakers.
Raja Pervaiz Ashraf is presiding over the session until a new speaker is elected.
Upon the completion of the speaker elections, Ashraf will administer the oath to the newly-elected custodian of the House.
Following the oath-taking, the new speaker will assume charge of the house immediately, after which Ashraf will step down from his position.
The Candidates: The SIC, mainly comprising PTI-backed independents who won in the elections, has nominated Malik Aamir Dogar for the position of speaker and Junaid Akbar for deputy speaker. Nomination papers have been submitted accordingly.
On the other hand, allied parties have nominated Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Sardar Ayaz Sadiq for speaker and Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Syed Ghulam Mustafa for deputy speaker.
Today’s Session: Before the session commenced, a parliamentary meeting of SIC was held in the house’s lobby, where they pledged to continue their protest in the assembly.
This marks the second consecutive day of SIC’s protest in the National Assembly over alleged rigged results.
As the session began, Speaker Ashraf inquired if there were any new members present who missed the previous day’s oath-taking.
Upon receiving no response, the floor was given to SIC’s Omar Ayub Khan to speak on a point of order.
Khan alleged the presence of foreigners in the house, calling for the expulsion of those with a “fake mandate.” He further demanded the appearance of “prisoner number 804,” referring to PTI founder Imran Khan in Adiala Jail.
Despite a sore throat, Ayub reiterated their commitment to raise their voice even if it meant speaking through a sore or slit throat.
He also emphasized that the House was incomplete until the Election Commission of Pakistan announced the allocation of reserved seats in the National Assembly.
In response, the speaker clarified that the lawmakers present were declared winners by the Election Commission after the February 8 elections, suggesting any objections should be directed to the ECP.
This led the SIC members to rise from their seats and stand before the speaker’s dais.
Following this, the speaker initiated the process for the speaker’s election, with the polling agents of PML-N candidate Sadiq and SIC’s Dogar present to witness the ballot box being sealed.
Subsequently, Speaker Ashraf directed the NA secretary to call out the names of lawmakers in alphabetical order for voting.
JUI-F Boycotts: Expressing serious reservations over the 2024 election results, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced that his party would not participate in the elections for the top political slots — president, prime minister, and National Assembly (NA) speaker.
Speaking to journalists in Islamabad, Maulana Fazlur Rehman stated that the JUI-F would sit in opposition and abstain from voting during the upcoming electoral events in the assemblies.
When questioned about JUI-F’s strategy for a protest movement, he responded, “Wait for it. We will soon represent the nation.”
