Pakistan Assembly Deputy Speaker Resigns Ahead of No-Confidence Vote Against Him

The no-confidence motion against Suri was submitted by PML-N leader Murtaza Javed Abbasi on 9 April.

Qasim Khan Suri. 

(Photo: Pakistan National Assembly website) 

Qasim Khan Suri tendered his resignation as the deputy Speaker of Pakistan's National Assembly on Saturday, 16 April, an hour before the tabling of a no-confidence motion against him.

"Resignation from the National Assembly is a sign of my party's vision, its glorious legacy and its commitment to democracy. We will never compromise on Pakistan's sovereignty and integrity. We will fight for national interests and Pakistan to any extent," Suri said in a tweet in Urdu.

This comes after mounting criticism levelled against him for rejecting a no-confidence motion against the then Prime Minister Imran Khan on 3 April and postponing the Assembly's session for electing a new Speaker from 16April to 22 April.

Background

The no-confidence motion against Suri was submitted by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Murtaza Javed Abbasi on 9 April.

Abbasi said that Suri 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," ANI reported.

Raja Perveiz Ashraf, leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), is set to become the new Speaker of the National Assembly as no nominations have been filed to contest against him for the post.

Ruckus in Punjab Assembly, 'Lotas' Thrown at Dy Speaker

Meanwhile, members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) created a ruckus in the Punjab Assembly during a session to elect the province's new chief minister on Saturday.

Lawmakers of the PTI allegedly slapped the deputy Speaker of the House Dost Muhammad Mazari and threw "lotas" at him, the country's Samaa TV reported.

Amid the ruckus, the deputy Speaker was escorted by the Sergeant-At-Arms from the House.

The session to elect Punjab's new chief minister was ordered by the Lahore High Court on Wednesday. Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) leader Pervaiz Elahi and Hamza Shehbaz, PML-N member and Leader of the Opposition in the House, are seen as key candidates in the fray.

The election is being conducted after the resignation of Sardar Usman Buzdar, who was chosen by former PM Imran Khan for the post in 2018.

(With inputs from ANI and Samaa TV.)