ISLAMABAD: The ruling PML-N on Saturday nominated Sardar Ayaz Sadiq as its candidate for the office of the Speaker of the National Assembly. Sadiq had to quit as Speaker on August 22 after an election tribunal declared his election from NA-122 as null and void. The petition was submitted by the PTI Chairman Imran Khan. The decision was taken during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s meeting with Ayaz Sadiq at his Raiwind residence in Lahore. Nawaz applauded the role of Ayaz Sadiq in upholding democratic traditions in parliament and expressed the confidence that he will maintain those standards in the coming years. He will submit his nomination papers today (Sunday). The polling is scheduled to be held on Monday and after the Speaker’s election Deputy Speaker National Assembly Murtaza Javed Abbasi will take fresh oath from the newly elected Speaker. All the opposition parties except the PTI support Sadiq for having played a neutral role as the Speaker of the Upper House of parliament. The government and opposition tried to get Sadiq elected unopposed but the PTI’s refusal to withdraw its candidate frustrated the efforts. Fata member Ghazi Ghulab Jamal had also fielded his nomination but Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif asked Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to convince him to support the PML-N candidate. Opposition Leader Syed Khursheed Shah and former deputy prime minister and senior leader of the PML-Q Chaudhry Pervez Elahi also talked to Shah Mehmood Qureshi to get Sadiq elected unopposed, but he told them that the PTI had fielded Shafqat Mehmood for the prestigious office. Sadiq, along with Dr Shazia Soomro, Riazul Haq Jaj and Babar Nawaz Khan, was sworn in as MNA on Friday. Sadiq was re-elected from NA-122 after defeating PTI’s Aleem Khan in the Oct 11 by-election. Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah had said the PPP will not field any candidate against Sadiq. The PML-N enjoys the support of a majority of parliamentary parties and its nominee is expected to be re-elected. The ruling PML-N has 186 members in the 342-seat National Assembly and does not need the backing of any other party for the election of the speaker.
