Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq is having sleepless nights these days due to references controversy of the government against PTI Chief Imran Khan and PTI against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The speaker had to decide first a reference submitted by ruling party Pakistan Muslim League N against PTI chairman Imran Khan for not showing his offshore companies in his nomination papers and thus argued, rather desperately, that he could be disqualified under article 62 and 63.

Sardar Ayaz Sadiq was due to spend the weekend in Lahore but ended up spending it in Islamabad, where he held marathon sessions of legal and constitutional experts on these references.

PTI and Awami Muslim League want disqualification of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for not disclosing off shore companies in his nomination papers. His deception was laid bare in the Panama Papers. Both parties mentioned article 62 and 63 in their references as well, while PML-N submitted another reference against PTI secretary general Jahangir Tareen on the basis that he was allegedly a defaulter of millions of rupees and had his loans written off.

In this situation, the Speaker had to decide carefully the fate of all four references but right now, he had to cross the bridge of his political rival Imran Khan so he had consultation with law minister Zahid Hamid as well. He was being briefed regarding the laws of other countries and past practices. The speaker was also briefed about the ruling of ex speaker Fahmida Mirza in the case of former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani and the decision of apex court on her ruling. Sources were of the view that the nature of all references was almost the same so speaker Ayaz Sadiq had to apply his mind without discrimination .The decision of the first reference against Imran Khan may be applied on other references as well and if he takes different lines on every reference then the post of the Speaker could become controversial.