JUIF member to be elected deputy speaker unopposed

ISLAMABAD: A JUI-F parliamentarian, Zahid Akram Durrani, will be elected unopposed as the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly. He was the only candidate who filed his nomination papers with the National Assembly Secretariat by the end of stipulated time here on Tuesday.

The Speaker, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, after announcing the election of Zahid Akram Durrani, would also administer oath to him during the National Assembly proceedings on Wednesday. However, the oath-taking might be deferred to the next day (Thursday) due to the death of MQM member Iqbal Muhammad Ali Khan, who breathed his last on Tuesday.

As per traditions, no other item except for Fateha and condolence speeches are taken on the very first day of proceedings following the death of a Member of the National Assembly. Zahid Akram Durrani is the son of Muhammad Akram Khan Durrani, who was the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the MMA's provincial government from the year 2002 to 2007 and federal minister for housing from 2013 to 2018.

Meanwhile, at the outset of proceedings of the House on Tuesday, the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) member Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali demanded of the coalition government to get Dr. Afia Siddiqui released from the US prison. He said that the government should raise its voice for the purpose and also use diplomatic channels.

The JI parliamentarian also expressed the hope that the speaker would also play his role in this connection. As it was the Private Members Day, no other business except points of order were taken up on Tuesday.

PML-N member Ali Gohar Baloch came harsh on the former prime minister Imran Khan for this politics of agitation, saying that he was promoting violence and division across the country. He also asked Imran Khan to tell as to how many of his advisers and ATMs were enjoying dual nationality.

Shakih Rohail Asghar of PML-N, who in the past used to unleash hard-hitting attacks on his opponents, called for promotion of harmony and tolerance among politicians regardless of their affiliations. He said that as he looks back to politics starting from 1985, he feels that he also has been a part of the same politics. "It is regretful that instead of doing serious politics, we have moved further to deterioration in politics on moral grounds," he said.

Another PML-N member Rao Ajmal Khan said that Pakistan was importing wheat of Rs150 billion, warning the government that the country would be facing a crisis if corrective measures were not taken. He regretted that the rural areas were facing loadshedding after every hour while factories producing urea fertilizer were also closed due to inefficiency of the last government.

The speaker congratulated members of the federal cabinet for taking oath of their offices on Tuesday. He expressed the hope that the cabinet members would endeavour to resolve problems of masses and would come upto their expectations.

PTI leader Muhammad Afzal Khan Dhandla said agricultural loans of farmers of Thal area should be waived off. PPP leader Mahar Irshad Ahmed Khan Sial said availability of fertilisers at affordable prices should be ensured and the Irrigation Department should be directed to release water in canals to facilitate the farmers of Muzaffargarh district and surrounding areas. BNP-Mengal leader Shehnaz Baloch emphasized on addressing issues and problems being faced by the people of Balochistan.