Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz nominee Sardar Ayaz Sadiq was re-elected on Monday to the coveted office he had to relinquish after an election tribunal had nullified his election from NA-122 (Lahore V) on August 22. While announcing the result, acting speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi said, “Shafqat Mahmood secured 31 votes, while Sardar Ayaz Sadiq got 268 votes.” A total of 300 votes were polled and one vote was found invalid. “Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has been re-elected as NA speaker,” he added.All but one opposition party threw their weight behind Sadiq for the election of National Assembly speaker held yesterday. As Ayaz Sadiq climbed the raised dais to take his position at the head of the assembly it was clear that the ‘rigging’ saga was coming to a close, with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) emerging as the obvious victors. Yet this seemingly redundant episode has had some positive effects, despite what PML-N politicians would have us believe. Furthermore, the ruling party hasn’t come out completely unscathed either. The end result – Ayaz Sadiq as Speaker – may be the same but this exercise in accountability will only strengthen the democratic institutions. While it certainly will not feel like a victory, the PTI needs to view this episode with positivity too. It forced accountability on a notoriously unaccountable party, and that it did not have to resort to street power to achieve what it wanted. It managed to justify its ‘dharna’ to some extent by winning to key verdicts and in the resulting by-elections it challenged the ruling party strongly. Now it must focus on the way forward.
That being said, for the PML-N, the diplomatic and reasonable step would have been to not to nominate someone for the post of speaker who has just been de-seated by an election tribunal for ‘widespread irregularities’, notwithstanding the fact that he was re-elected. Another choice from within the party would have probably succeeded in being elected and would surely have been much less controversial. Yet the PML-N is rarely known for subtlety, and re-electing a de-seated Speaker is its idea of a great symbolic victory. It is a statement of power, but it will win the party no friends.
pk.shafaqna.com
