Raja Pervez Ashraf takes oath as 22nd Speaker of Pak’s National Assembly

Islamabad [Pakistan], April 17 (ANI): Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker Raja Pervez Ashraf took oath as the 22nd Speaker of the National Assembly on Saturday after he got elected to the post unopposed in the National Assembly session.
Delivering his maiden address, Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf thanked former president Asif Ali Zardari, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other parliamentarians for electing him unopposed, The Express Tribune reported.
“Increasing the esteem and respect of this house is my aspiration and first priority,” Speaker Pervez said, adding that it was his duty to uphold the sanctity of the Constitution.
According to The Express Tribune, the National Assembly session was initially chaired by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ayaz Sadiq, which included the voting on the no-confidence motion against Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri.
However, Sadiq announced that Suri had tendered his resignation prior to the session.
The speaker’s office was vacant following the resignation of PTI’s Asad Qaiser prior to the vote on the no-confidence resolution against former PM Imran Khan. (ANI)