ISLAMABAD:National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on Thursday administered the oath of the office to NA Deputy Speaker Zahid Akram Durrani, a Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam’s (JUI-F) leader, who was elected unopposed as no other candidate filed nomination papers for this post.

The NA DS seat fell vacant after Qasim Suri resigned from this post amid no-confidence motion submitted against him. Similarly, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on April 16 was elected 22nd Speaker of the National Assembly unopposed as no other candidate submitted nomination papers against him.

Parliamentarians congratulated Zahid Akram Durrani for being elected unopposed as Deputy Speaker National Assembly. Speaking on floor of the National Assembly, Dr Nisar Ahmed Cheema of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) felicitated Zahid Akram Durrani on assuming charge as deputy speaker of the august House. He said that the former prime government Imran Khan was pushing country towards anarchy, chaos and civil war.

He said un-necessary narrative of American interference was being promoted in the country. USA pressurized Pakistan thrice in history, he added. He said first Pakistan was threatened when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was asked to be away from nuclear programme, second time America forced Pakistan in 1998, when the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif, to not conduct nuclear tests in response to Indian atomic explosions and threat came after the 9/11 incident.

Ghous Baksh Mehr of Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) while felicitating the new speaker hoped that he would follow the constitution and work for supremacy of the Constitution and the Parliament. Shahida Rehmani of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) while congratulating the newly elected Deputy Speaker said his party always struggled for the supremacy of the parliament and the constitution.