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ISLAMABAD, Nov 09 (APP): National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has categorically rejected any claim of privilege under Article 248 of the Constitution, declaring that no individual regardless of position or office should stand above the law.
The rejection came in response to a proposal put forward by Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Law and Justice, Mahmood Bashir Virk, during a joint meeting of the Senate and National Assembly’s Parliamentary Committee on Law and Justice.
The proposal suggested that constitutional officeholders such as the Chairman Senate and the Speaker National Assembly may also be granted immunity under Article 248 of the Constitution of Pakistan. Virk argued that since these offices are constitutional in nature, they should, in principle, enjoy immunity similar to that accorded to the Governors under Article 4 of the Constitution.
Virk argued that since these offices are constitutional in nature, they should enjoy parity and legal protection. However, Speaker Sadiq firmly dismissed the idea, emphasizing that accountability and transparency are the cornerstones of democratic governance.
“I am, first and foremost, a representative of the people and an office-bearer only afterward. I do not seek, nor will I ever accept, any form of immunity,” Speaker stated.
Sadiq underscored that public trust in state institutions depends on the personal integrity of their representatives. By refusing to endorse the immunity proposal, he reinforced the principle that democratic systems thrive only when all individuals remain subject to the same standards of justice.
Reiterating his stance, the Speaker stressed that leadership is defined by service and responsibility, not privilege or protection. He affirmed that all public officeholders must remain answerable to the Constitution, the rule of law, and the citizens who have entrusted them with their mandate.