National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said the draft of the 28th Constitutional Amendment had not yet reached his office, and that his constitutional role would begin only after the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs sent him the draft. Speaking in detail to the media in Lahore, he discussed various political matters, the constitutional amendment and the government’s performance. In response to a question about the draft, Sadiq said he would not form a prior opinion on whether the amendment was good or bad until its draft was formally presented and he knew its contents.

Speaking about the responsibilities of government figures and ministers, the National Assembly speaker said everyone in the government was fulfilling their respective constitutional and administrative responsibilities. Each minister was running their ministry and had a role of their own, he said. His role in the process was of a specific nature, and he would perform his duties in accordance with the rules and procedures only after receiving the draft from the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. Asked about Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Sadiq said Naqvi worked hard and actively on any government assignment given to him. “I don’t ask whether an amendment is coming or not; we will know when it comes. I will not call the amendment good or bad.

My job is to facilitate, and my work will begin when the government says the 28th Amendment is coming,” he said. On Federal Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain’s remarks and political allegations, Sadiq said such accusations were routinely made in politics. Continuing his point, he said no one objected if a doctor’s son became a doctor, yet politicians were always taunted over dynastic politics. Commenting on statements by Mohsin Naqvi and other political leaders, as well as the idea of a “system reset,” the National Assembly speaker said everyone in politics had their own way of thinking and perspective. However, he said, there was always room to improve the country’s system and situation at every level.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)