Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The country may face another constitutional crisis as acting president Sardar Ayaz Sadiq is leaving for Germany on Sunday and there would be no one after him who could act as president, constitutional experts believe.

President Mamnoon Hussain and Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani are already out of country. Ayaz Sadiq is leaving for Germany on a four-day official visit on the invitation of his German counterpart and even Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi is not in the country. Due to the absence of both speaker and deputy speaker, the National Assembly secretariat would also be ‘headless’. A National Assembly official confirmed that the Lower House of parliament will be without its head or acting head temporarily.

Afte President Mamnoon Hussain’s leaving abroad, Senate chairman took the charge of acting president but he also left for Umrah on June 29 and his return is expected in a day or two. Due to the absence of Senate chairman, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq took the charge of acting president under Article 49 of the constitution.

National Assembly secretariat spokesman told Daily Times that speaker’s visit to Germany was already scheduled and that he was leading a parliamentary delegation there. Constitutional experts say that Pakistan’s constitution is silent on the matter that if president, senate chairman and national assembly speaker are put of country then who would be the acting president.