Ex-Pak PM Raja Pervaiz Ashraf appointed Pakistan National Assembly's new Speaker

Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, a former Pakistan premier, was on Saturday appointed the 22nd speaker of the country's National Assembly after he was elected unopposed.

Ashraf, 71, from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was administered the oath of office by PML-N's Ayaz Sadiq, who was initially chairing the session. Ashraf was the lone contender for the Speaker's position as no other candidate had submitted nomination papers against him.

The office of the Speaker fell vacant after Asad Qaiser resigned on April 9 after failing to implement a decision by the Supreme Court to hold a no-confidence vote against ousted prime minister Imran Khan.

Also Read: Imran Khan sold valuable Toshakhana gifts worth Rs 140 million in Dubai: PM Shehbaz

After taking the oath, Ashraf thanked his party leaders for deeming him worthy of the position. He also thanked the prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and the members of the assembly.

He said that a "new tradition" had been initiated in parliamentary history, adding that the speaker was the custodian of the house.

He said that for the past three years, the house had been "incomplete" as the former opposition went unheard, the Dawn newspaper reported.

"I consider it my duty not to let the voice of the Opposition get suppressed," he said, adding that it should be heard and respected.

"There is a saying in English that the majority has its way, but the Opposition must have its say. We have to always keep this in view," he said, adding that "consultation among institutions is the spirit of the Constitution."

Congratulating the newly-elected speaker, Prime Minister Sharif hoped that Ashraf could bury what took place in the assembly in the last four years.

"You are an experienced politician. I congratulate you from the depth of my heart. You have also served the country as the prime minister," the prime minister said.

Ashraf, who previously served as the prime minister of Pakistan from June 22, 2012, to March 16, 2013, and was elected after the office of a speaker was given to the Pakistan Peoples Party - the leading partner of the current coalition government.

Meanwhile, Qasim Khan Suri resigned as deputy speaker of Pakistan's National Assembly on Saturday, less than an hour before a session of the House where voting on a no-trust motion against him was to take place for favouring the previous government led by Khan.

Also Read: Deputy Speaker of Pakistan National Assembly quits ahead of no-trust vote

Suri from Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party had been functioning as the acting speaker following the resignation of Speaker Asad Qaiser.

Sharing a copy of his resignation on Twitter, Suri said his move signified his association with the vision of his party, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), and democracy.

"We will never compromise on Pakistan's sovereignty and integrity. We will fight for the country's interests and independence. We will go to any length to protect Pakistan," the 53-year-old politician tweeted.

Following Suri's resignation, the no-confidence motion holds no value, while the newly-elected speaker will decide on whether to accept the resignation or not, Geo TV reported.

Suri faced severe criticism in recent days over a contentious April 3 ruling to dismiss a no-confidence motion against former prime minister Khan and his decision to defer the session scheduled for the NA speaker's election from April 16 to April 22.

Just before the election of Shehbaz Sharif as the new prime minister of Pakistan on April 11, Khan's party lawmakers decided to resign from the National Assembly.

Khan's PTI on Thursday announced that Suri had accepted the resignations of 123 lawmakers and the National Assembly (NA) Secretariat had also issued a notification on the issue.

The PPP and the PML-N alleged that Suri had put pressure on the National Assembly Secre­tariat to accept the resignations.

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