PML-N reposes faith in Nawaz as PM

Names Ayaz Sadiq and Murtaza Javed Abbasi as candidates for speaker and deputy speaker, respectively.

ISLAMABAD:

Minutes before taking oath on Saturday, the newly elected members of parliament of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz unanimously nominated their party chief Nawaz Sharif as a candidate for the office of prime minister.

Nawaz’s name was proposed by senior party leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan during a meeting of PML-N MNAs at the Parliament House prior to the oath-taking ceremony. All PML-N lawmakers present unanimously agreed to nominate their party chief for prime minister.

The party also finalised the names of Ayaz Sadiq and Murtaza Javed Abbasi as candidates for National Assembly speaker and deputy speaker, respectively.

The nomination papers for the leader of the house will be submitted in the Speaker’s Secretariat on June 4 and a formal election would take place in the National Assembly the following day. Upon receiving the majority vote, Nawaz will be the first prime minister in the country’s parliamentary history to serve a record third term.

During the meeting, Nawaz informed his fellow PML-N lawmakers of their government’s priorities. He particularly mentioned economic woes‚ poverty‚ unemployment‚ load-shedding and terrorism among challenges which needed to be addressed on a priority basis and expressed his resolve to do so. The PML-N chief cautioned his fellow party lawmakers that a crisis-like situation awaited the new government. To handle that, he said, stringent measures would have to taken. He told the members the government would need around Rs550 billion to end the ongoing load-shedding in the country.  “We are losing billions of rupees due to line losses… we will have to fix them and recover the outstanding dues,” Nawaz said, adding that a strategy to resolve the issue of circular debts was also being devised. He vowed to drive the country towards self-sufficiency.

Referring to the war on terror, he said more than 40,000 people lost their lives due to violence while the country’s economy suffered the loss of billions of rupees.  “We have to return things to the right track, and for this, we will have to change our policies and our conduct,” he added.

Expressing gratitude over the overwhelming response that his party received in the elections, Nawaz said had PML-N not been given a clear mandate, he would have preferred to sit outside the government.

Speaker and deputy speaker

Talking to The Express Tribune outside Parliament House, PML-N information secretary Mushahidullah Khan confirmed the nominations of PML-N’s Ayaz Sadiq and Murtaza Javed Abbasi as NA speaker and deputy speaker respectively. “Both nominees have a good reputation, not just before PML-N but other parties as well…. We hope they will run the house better than anyone else,” Khan said.

Sadiq won the elections from NA-122 (Lahore-V), beating Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan. Abbasi, meanwhile, defeated PML-Quaid’s Sardar Yaqoob in NA-18 (Abbotabad-II).

Meanwhile, Muttahida Qaumi Movement has also decided to field candidates for the slots of the NA speaker and deputy speaker. While the party did not disclose who its nominees were, it has urged other parties to support the candidates it names.

According to sources, the names of Rehan Hashmi, Rashid Godil, Dr Nighat Shakil, Kishwer Zehra and SA Qadri are being considered for the two slots. The party will announce the candidates today (Sunday).

Earlier, Pakistan Peoples Party leader Khursheed Shah also collected the nomination papers for his party’s candidates for speaker and deputy speaker. While the party has yet to announce its candidates for the slots as well, a consultation meeting in this regard was under way.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 2^nd, 2013.