Three weeks after an election which supporters of imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan protested against the poll’s outcome, on Friday, Pakistan’s new parliament chose a speaker.
The 336-seat National Assembly in Pakistan convened for the first time since the February 8 elections, with PML-N’s Shehbaz Sharif as the prime minister. As lawmakers prepared to elect Sadiq, parliamentarians backed by Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party berated the outgoing speaker. PTI’s candidate for speaker was defeated, receiving 91 votes to Sadiq’s 199.
Ayaz Sadiq is the 23rd speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the 23rd speaker of the Pakistan National Assembly, was chosen on Friday amid protests in the lower chamber of parliament by members supported by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which is led by former prime minister Imran Khan. In the election for speaker, Sadiq received 199 votes, whereas Malik Muhammad Amir Dogar of the Sunni Ettehad Council (SIC), who was supported by the former prime minister Khan, received 91 votes.
PTI members, including Sadiq, joined the SIC after losing their symbol in a legal battle before the national polls. The outgoing speaker, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, announced the result, and Sadiq greeted opposition members on the opposition benches. He then took an oath to his office, administered by Ashraf. However, opposition benches, including Dogar, have raised concerns over the transparency and fairness of the February 8 national polls.
Dogar accused the polls of being an auction, with his party-backed candidates deprived of reserved seats for women and religious minorities. Sadiq’s election came amid protests by former premier Khan’s supporters, who urged the speaker to restore the PTI’s “stolen mandate.” The PTI’s election came amid protests on the floor of the house by supporters of former premier Khan.
Voter count protests by Imran Khan’s supporters
In a tumultuous scene on Thursday, supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan screamed and demonstrated against what they saw to be a stolen election at the swearing-in of newly elected members of parliament by Pakistan’s National Assembly. Vote-thief! was screamed by lawmakers from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party as Shehbaz Sharif and his brother Nawaz Sharif entered the house. Shehbaz Sharif is anticipated to head the next government. Both men have served as premiers before.
Pakistan’s National Assembly Speaker, Raja Pervez Ashraf, has administered the oath to incoming legislators, paving the way for the election of a new prime minister. Shehbaz Sharif faces only one rival in the vote – senior leader Omar Ayub of Khan’s PTI. Ayab, along with other lawmakers backed by Khan, joined the Sunni Ittehad Council to meet a legal requirement to sit in the legislature.
The Sharif brothers signed the register after taking their oaths of office, and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the young chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party and a key Sharif ally, was met with similar chants. The new government will face challenges such as a surge in militant attacks, energy shortages, and an ailing economy that will force Pakistan to seek another bailout from the International Monetary Fund. Lawmakers from Khan’s PTI will continue their campaign to protest the rigging of the election and the vote count.
Pakistan also swears in the new parliament
Pakistan’s National Assembly swore in newly elected members amid protests by allies of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who claim the general elections were marred by widespread rigging. The elections were held on February 8 to lead to political and economic stability in Pakistan. The outgoing National Assembly speaker, Raja Pervez Ashraf, administered the oath to incoming lawmakers and announced elections for his successor on Friday morning. Khan was sentenced to prison terms of 10 years, 14 years, and seven years on disputed charges of leaking state secrets.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party faced a military-backed crackdown, leading to the conviction of Imran Khan. The PTI party, which was supported by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party, faced arrests and torture, forcing its candidates to run as independents and barred from using their party’s iconic cricket bat symbol on the ballot. Khan’s supporters defied the crackdown and won more seats than any other party.
However, the rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is set to form a minority coalition government in Islamabad, paving the way for Sharif to take office again. Critics and foreign countries, including the United States, have called for a thorough investigation into the results. PTI’s acting chief, Gohar Ali Khan, detailed the crackdown his party faced in the run-up to the vote, stating that the nation’s most popular leader is Imran Khan.
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