ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq said on Thursday that there is no room for appointment of the acting prime minister as the constitution has no such provision.
“No leader of PML-N including Interior Affairs Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar or the speaker have any desire to become prime minister as incumbent Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is our consensus leader,” he said.
Talking to parliamentary reporters of Islamabad and Lahore, he said that no suggestion was being contemplated to appoint alternate person as the prime minister. “There is no such consideration in the ruling party about appointing the alternate of the prime minister,” he said.
He said that the constitution has no provision about the appointment of the deputy prime minister. Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi had been appointed as the deputy prime minister through an executive order, he said. Regarding drone attacks, he said that no country would allow to carry out drone attacks on its territory. Drone attacks have no justification, he said.
“Think about the reaction of the US if Pakistan resorted to drone attack on their territory. The issue should be raised at diplomatic level besides raising the issue in the parliament,” he said. He said that he had already talked to Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz for arranging a detailed briefing to the joint sitting of the National Assembly’s standing committees on foreign affairs and defence about the implications of the drone attacks.
He said that Mullah Mansour should had been hit when he was 400km inside the Iranian territory. To a question regarding chief of Awami Muslim League Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, he said that he (Sheikh Rashid) would remain angry but the fall of fourth wicket of PML-N was not imminent.
Responding to a question, he said that Parliamentary Committee on ToRs members were serious in resolving the issue of framing Terms of Reference (ToRs) to probe Panama papers issue. However, he observed that the framing of ToRs must not become a matter of ego for any member of the committee as it could create problems.
The Calling Attention Notices moved in the National Assembly regarding the drone attack in Balochistan last month would be looked into the meetings of the standing committees on foreign affairs and defence. Narrating an event of his student life, he said he had hit a fellow with stick while playing hockey erroneously, which still haunts the friend.
