PPP's Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on Saturday was elected unopposed as the 22nd speaker of the National Assembly.

       PML-N's Ayaz Sadiq, who was initially chairing the session, administered the oath on Ashraf. The PPP lawmaker was the lone contender for the speaker's position as no other candidate had submitted nomination papers against him.

       The office of the speaker had fallen vacant after Asad Qaiser tendered his resignation in line with the PTI’s decision, minutes before the voting on the no-confidence resolution against then-prime minister Imran Khan.

       Sitting in the speaker's chair, Ashraf gave a brief speech where he thanked his party leaders for deeming him worthy of the position. He also thanked 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 went on to say that for the past three years, the house had been "incomplete" as the former opposition went unheard.

       "I consider it my duty to 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 mind," he said, adding that "consultation among institutions is the spirit of the Constitution."

       Speaker Ashraf stated that all parliamentary and standing committees needed to be activated and strengthened. "Parliamentary democracy is the best way to resolve issues between countries."

       He said that there were many lawmakers though whom the honour of Pakistan and its democratic institutions could be increased. "This can be achieved by our participation in parliamentary friendship groups and international parliamentary institutions."

       He went on to say that parliament was incomplete without an active press and sought the cooperation of the Parliamentary Reporters Association as well as the guidance of senior journalists.

       Ashraf said that as the NA speaker, he would also try to maintain parliament's ties with bar councils, human rights and labour organisations as well as students unions.

       "The participation of women is the secret behind the success of this house. I expect them to fully participate in proceedings," he said, vowing to defend women's rights.

       He added that he considered young and minority members of the house his "real strength", adding that he expected them to raise people's issues without any fear.

       "Pakistan is at a critical point where the choice is between an enlightened and progressive country or one where society is divided," he said. He concluded by saying that he had complete confidence in the members of the assembly.

       Shehbaz, Bilawal and Asif congratulate Ashraf

       PM Shehbaz congratulated Speaker Ashraf, saying that he was elected with the complete consensus of the house. "You are an eminent parliamentarian and have also served as the prime minister," he said.

       The prime minister recalled that he had worked with the PPP leader in different roles. "I have no doubt that you will fulfil your duty in an exemplary manner [...] and you will lay to rest whatever took place during the last three-and-half years."

       Taking the floor, PML-N's Khawaja Asif also congratulated Ashraf on his election. He remembered how Ashraf had dealt with his colleagues in a respectable manner when he was the prime minister.

       Asif said parliament was bound to uphold the law and the Constitution. "The law and the Constitution will not be respected anywhere until they are respected in parliament."

       The PML-N leader also regretted how the PTI and the PML-Q had attacked the deputy speaker of the Punjab Assembly and the disruption in the process of electing the new chief minister of the province.

       "When Pervez Elahi and Imran Khan saw that defeat was near, they disrespected the assembly hall in a manner never seen before. We have to end this tradition," he said, adding that the "trend of violence" must be stopped.

       "It is embarrassing for us that a colleague was attacked. It is condemnable," he said, adding that tactics were being used to stop a constitutional and legal process. He called on the house to condemn the incident and demanded that the transition in Punjab be done according to the law and the Constitution.

       When it was his turn to speak, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that the office of the NA speaker had been disrespected in the past, an apparent reference to the tenure of Asad Qaiser.

       He lamented how the house was "made a joke" and the impact it had on the country's image. "We can't call ourselves patriotic Pakistanis until we defend the Constitution."

       He said that ousting the "selected prime minister" was the first big success of the "united government". He went on to say that all institutions that were controversial in the past now had to make the transition toward becoming constitutional.

       "If all institutions complete this transition, then there is no power in this world that can stop Pakistan's progress." He said all the political parties were looking toward the NA speaker in this regard. "You will go down in history if we succeed in this struggle."

       PTI resignations

       Meanwhile, JUI-F's Asad Mehmood spoke about the decision of 123 PTI lawmakers to resign from the assembly en masse. "We are the representatives of millions who have shown confidence in the fact that we will raise our voice for their rights. This is our first and foremost duty."

       Commenting on the resignations by PTI lawmakers, he said that he had a hard time believing that one person could tell the people's representatives to resign.

       He called on the NA speaker to ensure that the law and the Constitution were being followed in this regard. "Call each PTI member to your chamber and ask them whether they have resigned. The member who replies in the affirmative, their resignation should be accepted immediately."

       He also called for asking members of the former federal cabinet, including Fawad Chaudhry and Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, about their reasons for resigning. "If someone has resigned, probe the resignation and then hold elections immediately so that their constituencies are represented."

       Shehbaz gives reasons for loadshedding

       Taking the floor at the start of the NA session, PM Shehbaz gave reasons for loadshedding taking place in parts of the country. "During the past three days, my team and I held meetings with the ministries of petroleum and finance. The current situation is that the country has the capacity to generate 35,000 MW of electricity."

       This capacity is enough to meet the needs of the country, he said. However, he regretted that several new power plants were not functioning due to a gas and oil shortage, holding the previous government responsible for "gross mismanagement and incompetence".

       He said that when officials were asked why gas was not bought when it was available for $3-4 in the spot market, he was told that they did not have any support and were afraid. "Today gas prices are $30-35 per unit".

       Suri resigns as deputy speaker

       The NA Secretariat had issued a four-point agenda for today's sitting that included voting on the no-confidence resolution against Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri, the election of the speaker and his oath-taking. However, Suri tendered his resignation less than an hour before the session was scheduled to begin.

       Sadiq began the session by announcing that Suri had tendered his resignation, which was met by loud applause from the lawmakers present. He said that Suri's resignation had been verified by the NA secretariat, which would later issue the schedule for the election of the deputy speaker.

       "Since the deputy speaker has resigned from office there is no need to take up agenda item two and three," he said.

       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," he tweeted.

       PTI leader and former information minister Fawad Chaudhry lauded Suri, stating that the way in which he "fought against a foreign conspiracy" would go down in history. He added that Suri would be remembered as someone who was brave and loyal to the country.

       Suri, who had also been functioning as the acting speaker following the resignation of Asad Qaiser, faced severe criticism in recent days over a contentious April 3 ruling to dismiss a no-confidence motion against former prime minister Imran Khan and his decision to defer the session scheduled for the NA speaker's election from April 16 to April 22 as a delaying tactic.

       Earlier this week, he also came under fire for accepting the resignations of the PTI MNAs, who had quit the NA en masse right before the election of Shehbaz Sharif as the country's new prime minister following Khan's ouster. The PPP and PML-N accused Suri of pressuring the NA secretariat into accepting the resignations.

       Merely three days before Shehbaz's election on April 11 and on the eve of Khan's ouster, the former opposition had filed a no-trust motion against Suri, saying he had "repeatedly violated the rules, parliamentary practices, democratic norms and traditions, and even Constitutional provisions and when presiding over the House, failed to conduct proceedings in an orderly manner to enable productive debate on issues of public importance".

       The resolution was submitted by Murtaza Javed Abbasi of the PML-N, who had stated that instead of performing his role fairly and impartially, Suri acted in a "blatantly partisan manner" that had favoured the government and frequently deprived the opposition of their right to voice their views and the views of their electorates.

       Referring to Suri's decision to dismiss the no-trust move against the prime minister, the resolution said Suri "wilfully and mala fidely subverted the Constitution" and his actions fell under the purview of Article 6, which is related to treason.

       On Friday, members of the NA had received a circular from Additional Secretary of Legislation of the NA Secretariat Muhammad Mushtaq informing them that the motion for leave to move the resolution for removal of the deputy speaker from the office would be taken up on April 16 (today).