DUSHANBE, May 26, 2014, Asia-Plus — Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the Speaker of the National Assembly (Pakistan’s lower house of parliament), arrived in Dushanbe today on an official two-day visit.
Muhammadato Sultonov, a spokesman for Tajikistan’s lower house (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of parliament), says Mr. Sadiq is expected to hold talks with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and the speakers of both chambers of Tajikistan’s parliament Mahamdsaid Ubaidulloyev and Shukurjon Zuhurov as well as Tajik Security Council Secretary Abdurahim Qahhorov today afternoon.
Tomorrow, the speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly is expected to meet with Tajik Minister of Energy and Water Resources Usmonali Usmonzoda and visit the Norak hydroelectric power plant (HPP).
The main objective of the visit is for Mr. Sadiq to hold talks with high-ranking Tajik state officials to discuss state and prospects of bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and Tajikistan as well as international and regional issues being of mutual interest, Sultonov said.
Born on October 17, 1954, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq is the 19th and the current and Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan. A native of Lahore, Sadiq is a senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz).
The Pakistani National Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Majlis-e Shura, which also comprises the President of Pakistan and Senate (upper house). The National Assembly is a democratically elected body consisting of a total of 342 members who are referred to as Members of the National Assembly (MNAs), of which 272 are directly elected members and 70 reserved seats for women and religious minorities. A political party must secure 172 seats to obtain and preserve a majority. Members are elected through the first-past-the-post system under universal adult suffrage, representing electoral districts known as National Assembly constituencies. According to the constitution, the 70 seats reserved for women and religious minorities are allocated to the political parties according to their proportional representation.
