The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has nominated Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Murtaza Javed Abbasi as speaker and deputy speaker, respectively, for the Lower House of the parliament.
PML-N’s Ayaz Sadiq had won from NA-122 National Assembly seat beating Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan, while Murtaza Javed Abbasi managed to beat Sardar Yaqoob of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) from NA-18 constituency, Abbottabad.
The decision was unveiled at a high-level party meeting on Saturday in which Nawaz Sharif and other top leaders such as Nisar Ali Khan, Khwaja Asif, Ahsan Iqbal and others were also present.
Zahid Hamid, another newly elected MNA, was also in the race and his name was under consideration.
Sadiq has been the PML-N’s point man for Balochistan. He was given the responsibility to not only organise the party there but also given mandate to talk to other political parties. He also held talks with nationalist parties in Balochistan. It has been learnt that he has great acceptability in Balochistan, which was one main reason behind his nomination as speaker.
Sources said Sadiq has a quite meek and humble personality with nothing for the Sharifs to be worried about as far as handling of the Lower House was concerned.
“He will toe the party line quite diligently,” one PML-N leader commented.
In the party, he is considered very close to Nisar Ali Khan.
But according to a local TV channel, Nisar opposed his nomination since he was from Lahore along with other important future office-holders including the premier and several federal ministers.
However, Khwaja Asif and some other members supported his nomination.
There had been a wait for some time over the party’s decision to nominate a person for the speaker’s position.
Per parliamentary traditions, a usual pick for the office of speaker or Senate chief is someone from smaller provinces. However, since the PML-N has hardly any presentable personality from outside Punjab in its fold, the choice for speaker eventually fell to Punjab, sources added.
