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ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on Monday announced the panel of chairpersons to conduct proceedings of the House in the absence of speaker and deputy speaker.
The speaker said the panel of chairpersons, including Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir, Syed Ghulam Mustafa, Shahida Akhtar Ali, Engineer Sabir Hussain Qaimkhani, Javaria Zafar Aheer and Riaz Fatyana would conduct proceedings in their absence.
On April 16, former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf took oath as the 22nd speaker of the National Assembly (NA), a day after he was elected unopposed.
Ayaz Sadiq administered the oath to Ashraf. In his maiden address, Ashraf thanked Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, along with other parliamentarians for electing him unopposed.
He added that the position demands complete impartiality and tolerance and “it is my responsibility to ensure the protection of rights of the house members”. The speaker stated that the assembly had been incomplete and it is his duty to not let the voice of the opposition be suppressed.
He narrated that Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was the first NA speaker and elected unopposed. He also mentioned that this was the first time in the country’s history that a former premier was chairing the lower house.
The speaker’s office was vacant following the resignation of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Asad Qaiser prior to the vote on the no-confidence resolution against former PM Imran Khan.