Pakistan National Assembly to elect speaker today

ThePML-NcandidateSardarAyazSadiq,whowasalsosupportedbyalltheoppositionpartiesexceptthePTI,hasaclearedgeoverhisrival,ShafqatMahmoodofthePTI,tobere-electedasspeakerNationalAssembly.AyazSadiqsubmittedhisnominationpapersonSundaymorningforthepostofspeakerandafterscrutiny,thenominationpapersofthethreecontestingcandidates—AyazSadiq,ShafqatMehmoodandGGJamal—fortheNationalAssemblyspeakershipweredeclaredvalid.AmemberwhohasbeennominatedcanwithdrawhiscandidatureanytimebeforetheNationalAssemblyproceedstoelectthespeaker.

ItmaybementionedthattheNA-22seathadfallenvacantduetodisqualificationofAyazSadiqbytheelectiontribunal.AyazSadiqhasbeenre-electedasMNAfromthesameconstituencyintherecentlyheldby-election.

Talkingtoreportersaftersubmittinghisnominationpapers,AyazSadiqsaid,“IamthankfultoAlmightyAllahthatIamagainnominatedasspeakeroftheNationalAssembly.”

HethankedPrimeMinisterNawazSharifandthepartyleadershipfornominatinghimagainasthePML-NcandidatefortheNationalAssemblyspeakership.HesaidthatseniorJamaat-e-IslamileaderLiaquatBalochhasassuredhimoftheparty’ssupport.Hesaiddifferentpoliticalparties,includingthePPP,JUI-F,PML-FandANPhaveassuredhimtocastvotesinhisfavour.Hesaidheismeetingdifferentpoliticalpartiesandpoliticalleaderstoseektheirsupport.

AyazSadiqsaidifvotedtotheslotofthespeaker,hewillmakeeffortstoconducttheproceedingsoftheLowerHouseinaneutralmannerandwilltrytoperformevenbetterthanhispreviousterm.

HesaidalmostallthepoliticalpartiesexceptPTIarereadytocastvotesinhisfavour.Meanwhile,thegovernmentismakingcontactswithdifferentpartiestoensureunopposedelectionoftheNAspeakerandthePTIhasalsobeencontactedinthisregard.

TheJUI-FhasannouncedunflinchingsupportforAyazSadiq.The13-memberJUI-Fislastof17groupsthathaveannouncedsupportforAyazSadiq.AyazSadiqandformerfederalministerZahidHamidmettheJUI-FchiefFazlurRehmanathisMinisterEnclaveresidenceonSundayandsoughthissupportforthecontest.

ThebiggestdilemmabeforethePTIintheelectionofspeakeristosecurethesupportofallmembersforitscandidateShafqatMahmood.ThePTIhas33membersintheNationalAssemblywhileAMLofSheikhRashidAhmadhasonlyonevoteanditisunlikelythatthePTIcandidatewouldbeabletoobtaintwothirdofitstotalmembers.

AyazSadiqisexpectingtoget281votessince17groupshaveannouncedtheirsupportforhiminthecontest.Heissuretocrosshispreviousnumberofvotes,258,inJune2013elections.ChaudhryMuhammadJunaidAnwar,PML-NMNAfromTTSingh,hostedadinnerinthehonourofthemembersoftheNationalAssemblyatalocalhotelSundayeveninganditwasattendedbyAyazSadiqandalargenumberofthememberssupportinghimintheelectionfortheofficeofthespeaker.

TheFatagroupannouncedwithdrawalofitscandidateDrGhaziGulabJamal(GGJamal)andannouncedsupportforAyazSadiq.ThegovernmentannouncedconstitutionofaspecialcommitteeheadedbyAdvisertothePMforForeignAffairsSartajAziztolookintothedemandsoftheFatagroupandsubmitreportwithin15days.

ThedinnerreceptionwasalsoattendedbyAyazSadiqandSaudiArabia’sambassadorforPakistanAbdullahMarzoukAl-Zahrani,deputyambassadorofIranandIraqwerealsopresentinthedinner.RetiredGeneralPervezMusharraf’sAPMLmemberoftheNationalAssemblyPrinceIftikharuddinhasalsoannouncedhissupportforAyazSadiq.MussaratAhmedzebandhersevencolleaguesofthePTIwerealsopresentinthedinnerwhopledgedtovoteforSardarAyazSadiq.Thecontesthasbecomeone-to-onesinceSardarAyazSadiqwillfightagainstShafqatMahmoodofthePTI.

SomemembersofthePTIwerereluctantinvotingforShafqatMahmood.FormerprimeministerMirZafarullahKhanJamaliandparliamentarygroupLeaderofthePMLofChaudhryShujaatHussainhaveannouncedsupportforAyazSadiq.

TheparliamentarygroupswhohaveannouncedsupportforAyazSadiqare:PML-N,PPP,MQM,JUI-F,PML-F,Jamaat-e-Islami,PkMAP,NPP,PML,ANP,BNP,QWP,PML-Z,NP,AJI,APML,dissidentsofthePTIandindependentsincludingFatagroup.ThePTIcandidatewillhavesupportoflonemembergroupofSheikhRashidAhmad,thesourcesadded.