Honourable Sardar Ayaz Sadiq

SPEAKER, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF PAKISTAN
(MARCH 2024 – TO DATE)

Speaker National Assembly of Pakistan

•    (November 2015 – August 2018)
•    (June 2013 – August 2015)

Member National Assembly of Pakistan

•    (12th National Assembly - 2002-2007)
•    (13th National Assembly - 2008-2013)
•    (14th National Assembly - 2013-2015)
•    (14th National Assembly - 2015-2018)
•    (15th National Assembly - 2018-2023)
•    (16th National Assembly - 2024-2029)

Important Offices

•    Former Acting President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
•    Former Federal Minister for Economic and Political Affairs
•    Former Federal Minister for Law and Justice
•    Former President, Parliamentary Assembly of ECO Countries
•    Former Chairman, Parliamentary Committee on National Security
•    Former President, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
•    Former President, Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians
•    Former Convener, Pakistan-Russia Parliamentary Friendship Group
•    Former Chairman, Monitoring & Implementation sub-committee of PAC

Board Membership

•    Former President, Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Services (PIPS)
•    Former Governor, Board of Executive Directors for the Islamic Development Bank
•    Former Governor, Board of Governors of the World Bank Group
•    Former Governor, Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank

Brief Summary

Honorable Sardar Ayaz Sadiq was sworn in as the 22nd Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan on March 1, 2024, having secured an impressive mandate with 199 votes. He etched his name in the annals of parliamentary history by achieving the remarkable distinction of being elected Speaker for the third time across two distinct terms. He brings diverse experience and distinct grace to the office of the Speaker. His non-partisan conduct strengthens the respect of the Chair as he evenly commands the trust and respect of the Treasury as well as the Opposition. Beyond adeptly managing House affairs, his profound knowledge, gender-neutrality, subtle humor, and inherently graceful demeanor further distinguishes his speakership.

During the last tenure, he served as the Federal Minister for Economic and Political Affairs in the Cabinet of Honorable Shehbaz Sharif, then Prime Minister of Pakistan from April 2022 to August 2023. Earlier, after he had assumed the office of the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs on 26th April 2022, he was assigned the additional duty to advise and assist the Prime Minister on political and parliamentary affairs on 16th May 2022. He was also allocated the portfolio of the Federal Minister of Law and Justice on the 31 October 2022.

Acting President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan:

In accordance with Article 49(2) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Honorable Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has also performed the functions of the President of Pakistan recently and on numerious occasions in past during the absence of President and Chairman Senate from the Country.

Family Background:

Sardar Ayaz Sadiq was born on October 17, 1954, into a respected business and philanthropic family of Lahore, where his parents settled after independence. His father, Sheikh Muhammad Sadiq, was a prominent businessman and philanthropist, a commitment shared by his mother, Begum Attiya Sadiq. His grandfather, Sheikh Sardar Muhammad, a noted reformer and former Deputy Mayor of Lahore, founded the city’s first Muslim Girls’ School and later supported Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah in her democratic struggle, enduring arrest under the Ayub regime. In his memory, the family established the Sardar Trust Eye Hospital in 1994, now a leading charitable institution providing free corneal transplants.

In 1977, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq married Ms. Reema Ayaz, a dedicated social activist and daughter of Pakistan’s first Federal Ombudsman and Former Chief of Lahore High Court Sardar Mohammad Iqbal. They are blessed with a daughter and two sons.

Early Life and Education:

Raised in a self-made, hardworking business family, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq grew up with a strong emphasis on education, discipline, and moral values. He studied at the prestigious Aitchison College, Lahore, where his mother instilled in him a firm foundation of religious, social, and ethical principles. After completing his Senior Cambridge, he earned a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Hailey College of Commerce, University of the Punjab. Known for his sportsmanship, he was part of the college cricket and hockey teams and was also Lahore’s junior table tennis champion

Political Career:

After completing his studies, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq joined the family business while actively engaging in social welfare, which deepened his commitment to public service. He entered mainstream politics in 1997 and joined the Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML-N) in February 2001, at a time marked by political upheaval following the military coup. Throughout this challenging period, he remained steadfast, enduring arrests and political victimization, and later served on the party’s Central Executive Committee and as Central Finance Secretary.

He was first elected to Parliament in 2002, winning both National and Provincial Assembly seats, and chose to serve in the National Assembly as one of the only 19 Members from his Party, contributing to key committees on Finance, Railways, and Defense Production. Re-elected in 2008, he chaired the Standing Committee on Railways, served on the Public Accounts Committee and the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir, and helped establish Parliamentary Friendship Groups, notably strengthening ties with Germany as Convener of the Pak-German Group.

In 2013, he secured a landmark victory and was elected Speaker of the National Assembly with an over two-thirds majority. He continued his winning streak, returning for another term and being re-elected Speaker in November 2015. Most recently, he was elected for a sixth consecutive term in February 2024 from NA-120 Lahore, reaffirming his consistent public support and long-standing parliamentary leadership

Role As the Speaker:

As Speaker, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has consistently demonstrated statesmanship, neutrality, and an unwavering commitment to strengthening Pakistan’s parliamentary democracy. His leadership style is marked by calm authority, fairness across party lines, and an instinctive ability to build consensus on issues of national importance.

During his terms as Speaker, he led a series of transformative institutional reforms through a comprehensive Strategic Plan, modernizing the legislative and administrative functions of the National Assembly. These reforms included establishing the SDGs Secretariat, introducing digitization initiatives, strengthening the committee system, enforcing merit-based recruitment, and creating a dedicated human resource framework for the Secretariat. His drive for efficiency also resulted in Pakistan’s Parliament becoming the world’s first fully solar-powered “Green Parliament”.

He has been a key proponent of connecting Parliament with academia, enabling universities and higher institutes to introduce Parliamentary Studies as a discipline, significantly expanding research capacity and civic understanding among youth. Under his guidance, the National Assembly also opened its doors to students and young graduates through study visits and internship programs, reinforcing public trust and parliamentary visibility.

In the realm of national security and legislative consensus-building, he played a pivotal role as Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security and acted as a bridge between the Government and the Opposition on critical matters, including judicial appointments, electoral reforms, military courts, delimitation, and the historic FATA-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa merger.

In September 2024, Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq constituted a Special Committee on key parliamentary and constitutional matters, which led to the historic Twenty-Sixth Constitutional Amendment, strengthening the judicial appointment framework and formally committing to eliminate Riba by January 1, 2028. Building on this momentum, the Twenty-Seventh Constitutional Amendment was passed in November 2025, introducing major reforms in governance, institutional restructuring, justice delivery, and defense oversight.

Under his stewardship, the National Assembly also convened the 18th Speakers’ Conference in Islamabad in December 2024, bringing together Federal and Regional Legislatures to promote inter-parliamentary cooperation.

Sardar Ayaz Sadiq continues to oversee parliamentary business with professionalism and integrity, heading the House Business Advisory Committee and the Council of Chairmen. His stewardship remains instrumental in shaping a transparent, accessible, and future-ready Parliament.

Parliamentary Diplomacy:

Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has played a defining role in strengthening Pakistan’s parliamentary diplomacy since his early years in public service. As the author of the Rules for Parliamentary Friendship Groups (PFGs), he established a clear framework for structured engagement with sister legislatures worldwide. Upon assuming the Speakership, he reorganized and revitalized these Groups by appointing dedicated Conveners and ensuring their regular, purposeful interaction with global partners.

His leadership on multilateral platforms has been equally prominent. He has actively represented Pakistan at major forums, including Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians, and the Asian Parliamentary Assembly. He has also held prestigious offices, notably:

·         President, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA)

·         President, Parliamentary Assembly of the ECO Countries (PAECO)

·         President, Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians

Under his stewardship, Pakistan was offered the opportunity to host the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in 2015; however, he declined the CPA Presidency and withdrew from hosting in principled support of Pakistan’s position on Jammu & Kashmir.

Committed to fostering regional trust and dialogue, he initiated key forums such as the first SAARC Young Parliamentarians Conference (2016) on peace and development. His Speakership also oversaw several high-impact national and international conferences, including the National Parliamentary Meeting on Malnutrition (2016), the International Parliamentary Seminar on Kashmir (2017), and the Women Parliamentarians Conference (2017) with participants from over 13 countries.

A landmark achievement of his diplomatic efforts was the first Speakers’ Conference on Countering Terrorism and Inter-Regional Connectivity (2017), bringing together China, Afghanistan, Turkey, Russia, and Iran, and securing joint recognition of the longstanding Kashmir issue.

International Travels

Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has widely travelled to various parts of the world in his capacity as a parliamentarian and as the Speaker. He has led parliamentary delegations to numerous friendly countries as state and official guest. These include:

Saudi Arabia, Russia, Turkmenistan, Bahrain, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, The Maldives, Belarus, The United Kingdom, Cameroon, Spain, Cuba, Kuwait, The United Arab Emirates, Tajikistan, China, Qatar, Iran, Iraq, Romania, Turkey, Germany, Afghanistan and others.