MarisaBlackwelde at 06:48, 2 January 2026

2026-01-02T06:48:42Z

New page

{{Short description|Pakistani politician (born 1954)}}
{{use Pakistani English|date=May 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Sardar Ayaz Sadiq
| honorific_suffix =
| image = Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in Iran.jpg
| office = 17th and 20th [[Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan]]
| term_start = 1 March 2024
| term_end =
| deputy = [[Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah (Pakistani politician)|Ghulam Mustafa Shah]]
| predecessor = [[Raja Pervaiz Ashraf]]
| successor =
| term_start1 = 9 November 2015
| term_end1 = 15 August 2018
| deputy1 = [[Murtaza Javed Abbasi]]
| predecessor1 = [[Murtaza Javed Abbasi]] (acting)
| successor1 = [[Asad Qaiser]]
| term_start2 = 3 June 2013
| term_end2 = 22 August 2015
| predecessor2 = [[Fahmida Mirza]]
| deputy2 = [[Murtaza Javed Abbasi]]
| successor2 = [[Murtaza Javed Abbasi]]
| office3 = [[Ministry of Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs|Federal Minister For Economic Affairs]]
| term_start3 = 26 April 2022
| term_end3 = 10 August 2023
| president3 = [[Arif Alvi]]
| primeminister3 = [[Shehbaz Sharif]]
| predecessor3 = [[Omar Ayub]]
| office4 = Federal Minister for Political Affairs
| term_start4 = 16 May 2022
| term_end4 = 10 August 2023
| president4 = [[Arif Alvi]]
| primeminister4 = [[Shehbaz Sharif]]
| predecessor4 = Position Created
| office5 = [[Ministry of Law and Justice (Pakistan)|Federal Minister For Law and Justice]]
| term_start5 = 31 October 2022
| term_end5 = 30 November 2022
| president5 = [[Arif Alvi]]
| primeminister5 = [[Shehbaz Sharif]]
| predecessor5 = [[Azam Nazeer Tarar]]
| successor5 = [[Azam Nazeer Tarar]]
| office6 = Member of the [[National Assembly of Pakistan]]
| term_start6 = 29 February 2024
| term_end6 =
| constituency6 = [[NA-120 (Lahore-IV)]]
| term_start7 = 13 August 2018
| term_end7 = 10 August 2023
| constituency7 = [[NA-129 (Lahore-VII)]]
| term_start8 = 18 November 2003
| term_end8 = 31 May 2018
| constituency8 = [[NA-122 (Lahore-V)]]
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1954|10|17|df=y}}<ref name="dawn/4june2013">{{cite news|title=Ayaz Sadiq – a profile|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1015955|access-date=11 January 2017|work=Dawn|location=Pakistan|date=4 June 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729100131/https://www.dawn.com/news/1015955|archive-date=29 July 2017}}</ref><ref name="na.gov.pk/profile">{{cite web|title=Profile of Speaker|url=http://www.na.gov.pk/en/content.php?id=134|website=National Assembly of Pakistan|access-date=11 January 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170111103038/http://www.na.gov.pk/en/content.php?id=134|archive-date=11 January 2017}}</ref>
| birth_place = [[Lahore]], [[West Punjab]], [[Dominion of Pakistan]]
| party = [[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PMLN]] (2001–present)
| otherparty = [[Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf|PTI]] (1997-2001)
| nationality = Pakistani
| education = [[Aitchison College]]
| alma_mater = [[Hailey College of Commerce]]
| spouse = {{marriage|Reema Ayaz|1977}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Aleem Khan and Ayaz Sadiq are married to daughters of ex-LHC judges |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/67063-aleem-khan-and-ayaz-sadiq-are-married-to-daughters-of-ex-lhc-judges |access-date=3 August 2018 |work=The News International|language=en}}</ref>
| children = 3
| native_name = {{nobold|ایاز صادق}}
| caption = Sadiq in 2017
| native_name_lang = ur
| majority6 = 18,921 (%12.2)
| majority7 = 8,142 (%34.55)
| majority8 = 18,893 (%45.89)
}}

'''Sardar Ayaz Sadiq'''{{efn|[[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], {{langx|ur|{{Nastaliq|سردار اياز صادق}}}}}} (born 17 October 1954) is a Pakistani politician and businessman serving as the [[Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan]], the lower house of the [[Parliament of Pakistan|federal parliament]], since March 2024. He is one of the senior members of the [[Pakistan Muslim League (N)]] on the [[politics of Pakistan]].

Born in [[Lahore]], Sadiq previously served as the 17th Speaker of the [[National Assembly of Pakistan|National Assembly]] from 2013 to 2018. Sadiq is also notable for overseeing voting on the [[No-confidence motion against Imran Khan|motion of no-confidence]] against Imran Khan in April 2022; the next day, he oversaw voting for the election of the subsequent Prime Minister, [[Shehbaz Sharif]]. He is currently a member of the [[National Assembly of Pakistan]] from [[NA-120 Lahore-IV|NA-120 (Lahore-IV)]], having been elected to the Assembly in every election since 2002.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 February 2024 |title=PML-N nominates Ayaz Sadiq for NA speaker's slot |url=https://arynews.tv/pml-n-nominates-ayaz-sadiq-for-na-speakers-slot/ |access-date=28 February 2024 |website=ARY News |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Early life and education==

Sadiq was born on 17 October 1954<ref>{{cite news|title=If elections are held on time…|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/archive/print/404658|access-date=4 December 2017|work=The News International|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Detail Information|url=http://www.pildat.org/mna/rsDetail.asp?detid=122|access-date=10 July 2017|date=19 April 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419130432/http://www.pildat.org/mna/rsDetail.asp?detid=122|archive-date=19 April 2014}}</ref> into a [[Kashmiri Shaikh]] family in [[Lahore]] to businessman Sheikh Muhammad Sadiq and Attiya Sadiq, a social worker and philanthropist.<ref name="na.gov.pk/profile" /> His father and his grandfather Sheikh Sardar Muhammad have both been influential local figures.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Malik |first=Farid |date=16 September 2015 |title=Match with Ayaz Sadiq |url=https://www.nation.com.pk/16-Sep-2015/match-with-ayaz-sadiq |website=The Nation}}</ref> His grandfather had served as the [[Deputy mayor|Deputy Mayor]] of Lahore and was a political activist close to [[Fatima Jinnah]].<ref name=":1">{{cite web |title=Speaker Profile: Sardar Ayaz Sadiq |url=https://na.gov.pk/en/print.php?content.php&id=220 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251231103753/https://na.gov.pk/en/print.php?content.php&id=220 |archive-date=31 December 2025 |access-date= |website=[[National Assembly of Pakistan]] |publisher=[[Government of Pakistan]]}}</ref>

He completed his education at [[Aitchison College]], Lahore. [[Imran Khan]], [[Nisar Ali Khan]], [[Pervaiz Khattak]], [[Sardar Akhtar Mengal]] and [[Zulfiqar Ali Magsi]] were among his class fellows at Aitchison College.<ref name="dawn/4june2013" /><ref name="dawn/30april2013">{{cite news|title=I hit Imran with a hockey stick, says NA Speaker|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1025864/i-hit-imran-with-a-hockey-stick-claims-rival-candidate|access-date=11 January 2017|work=Dawn|location=Pakistan|date=30 April 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819234614/https://www.dawn.com/news/1025864/i-hit-imran-with-a-hockey-stick-claims-rival-candidate|archive-date=19 August 2017}}</ref> After completing his [[Senior Cambridge]], Sadiq received a degree in commerce from [[Hailey College of Commerce|Hailey College]] of [[University of the Punjab|Punjab University]] in 1975.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="dawn/4june2013" /> Sadiq represented his college in [[cricket]] and [[field hockey|hockey]] and also held the title of Lahore’s junior [[table tennis]] champion.<ref name=":1" />

==Political career==

=== Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf ===
Sadiq began his political career as a member of the [[Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf]] (PTI) in the mid-1990s<ref name="dawn/4june2013" /> when he was a close friend of PTI chairman [[Imran Khan]].<ref name="dawn/30april2013" /> Sadiq ran for the seat of [[Provincial Assembly of the Punjab]] as a candidate of PTI in the [[1997 Pakistani general election]] from Constituency PP-121 Lahore but was unsuccessful. He received 4,541 votes and lost the seat to [[Pakistan Muslim League (N)]] (PML-N).<ref>{{cite web|title=Election Result|url=https://ecp.gov.pk/Documents/Results%201988%20-%201997/Punjab.pdf|publisher=Election Commission of Pakistan|access-date=30 August 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830191836/https://ecp.gov.pk/Documents/Results%201988%20-%201997/Punjab.pdf|archive-date=30 August 2017}}</ref>

=== Pakistan Muslim League (N) ===
Sadiq left PTI in 1998 owing to differences with Imran Khan<ref name="dawn/30april2013" /> and joined PML (N) in 2001.<ref name="na.gov.pk/profile" />

Sadiq was elected to the [[National Assembly of Pakistan]] as a candidate of PML-N from [[NA-122 (Lahore-V)|Constituency NA-122 (Lahore-V)]] on the [[2002 Pakistani general election|2002 general election]],<ref>{{cite news|title=As Pakistan goes to polls: Take a peek at some major NA constituencies|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/813877|access-date=6 April 2017|work=Dawn|location=Pakistan|date=10 May 2013|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305114952/https://www.dawn.com/news/813877|archive-date=5 March 2017}}</ref><ref name="tribune/12may2013" /><ref name="dawn/30april2013" /> by defeating Imran Khan.<ref name="dawn/4june2013" /> Sadiq claimed "it was a big victory as his leader Nawaz Sharif in exile and Pervez Musharraf, a close aide of Imran Khan at that time, in power".<ref name="dawn/30april2013" /> During his tenure as the member of the National Assembly, he remained a member of the National Assembly's Standing Committees on Railways,<ref name="dawn/4june2013" /> Finance and Defence Production.<ref name="na.gov.pk/profile" />

Sadiq was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of PML-N from Constituency NA-122 (Lahore-V) in the [[2008 Pakistani general election|2008 general election]].<ref>{{cite web|title=NA-122-Lahore-V election results|url=http://www.geo.tv/election2008/result/na122.html|publisher=Geo News|access-date=11 January 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080328065918/http://www.geo.tv/election2008/result/na122.html|archive-date=28 March 2008}}</ref><ref name="tribune/12may2013">{{cite news|title=Imran Khan loses Lahore seat to PML-N – The Express Tribune|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/547979/imran-khan-loses-lahore-seat-to-pml-n/|access-date=11 January 2017|work=The Express Tribune|date=12 May 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822181916/https://tribune.com.pk/story/547979/imran-khan-loses-lahore-seat-to-pml-n/|archive-date=22 August 2017}}</ref> During his tenure as the member of the National Assembly, he became the chairman of the National Assembly's Standing Committees on Railways.<ref name="dawn/4june2013" />

Sadiq was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of PML-N from Constituency NA-122 (Lahore-V) in the [[2013 Pakistani general election]],<ref name="tribune/12may2013" /> by defeating Imran Khan.<ref name="dawn/2june2013">{{cite news|title=PML-N's Ayaz Sadiq submits nomination papers for speaker NA|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1015592/pml-ns-ayaz-sadiq-submits-nomination-papers-for-speaker-na|access-date=11 January 2017|work=Dawn|location=Pakistan|date=2 June 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113121805/http://www.dawn.com/news/1015592/pml-ns-ayaz-sadiq-submits-nomination-papers-for-speaker-na|archive-date=13 January 2017}}</ref><ref name="dawn/4june2013" /> In June 2013, Sadiq was elected as the Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan.<ref name="dawn/2june2013" /><ref>{{cite news|title=Coveted posts: New speaker, his deputy in saddle – The Express Tribune|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/558581/coveted-posts-new-speaker-his-deputy-in-saddle/|access-date=11 January 2017|work=The Express Tribune|date=4 June 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823132506/https://tribune.com.pk/story/558581/coveted-posts-new-speaker-his-deputy-in-saddle/|archive-date=23 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=PML-N's Ayaz Sadiq elected speaker of the National Assembly – The Express Tribune|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/558186/pml-ns-ayaz-sadiq-elected-speaker-of-the-national-assembly/|access-date=11 January 2017|work=The Express Tribune|date=3 June 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822220856/https://tribune.com.pk/story/558186/pml-ns-ayaz-sadiq-elected-speaker-of-the-national-assembly/|archive-date=22 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=PML-Ns Sardar Ayaz elected NA speaker, Murtaza Javed deputy|url=http://www.geo.tv/GeoDetail.aspx?ID=103637|access-date=11 January 2017|publisher=Geo News|date=7 June 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607161135/http://www.geo.tv/GeoDetail.aspx?ID=103637|archive-date=7 June 2013}}</ref>

In 2015, Imran Khan alleged rigging in the constituency of Sadiq from where Sadiq won in 2013 election.<ref>{{cite news|title=NA-122 rigging allegations: Tribunal terms Ayaz Sadiq's election null and void – The Express Tribune|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/942719/na-122-verdict-in-rigging-case-to-be-announced-today/|access-date=11 January 2017|work=The Express Tribune|date=22 August 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160622143853/http://tribune.com.pk/story/942719/na-122-verdict-in-rigging-case-to-be-announced-today/|archive-date=22 June 2016}}</ref> Following which the [[Election Commission of Pakistan]] de-seated Sadiq and ordered re-polling in the constituency.<ref name="dawn/22august2015">{{cite news|title=NA-122 election tribunal deseats Ayaz Sadiq, orders re-polling|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1202134|access-date=11 January 2017|work=Dawn|location=Pakistan|date=22 August 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113125053/http://www.dawn.com/news/1202134|archive-date=13 January 2017}}</ref> In October 2015, Sadiq retained his National Assembly seat by defeating a PTI candidate in by-election and was re-elected to the National Assembly for the fourth time.<ref>{{cite news|title=Ayaz Sadiq takes oath as MNA|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1217867|access-date=11 January 2017|work=Dawn|location=Pakistan|date=6 November 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113125940/http://www.dawn.com/news/1217867|archive-date=13 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Ayaz Sadiq retakes NA-122, but PML-N loses provincial assembly seat to PTI|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1212484|access-date=11 January 2017|work=Dawn|location=Pakistan|date=12 October 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113112823/http://www.dawn.com/news/1212484|archive-date=13 January 2017}}</ref> In November 2015, Sadiq retained its position as the speaker of the National Assembly by getting re-elected for the second time<ref name="dawn/9november2015">{{cite news|title=Ayaz Sadiq elected NA Speaker again|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1218504|access-date=11 January 2017|work=Dawn|location=Pakistan|date=9 November 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113123441/http://www.dawn.com/news/1218504|archive-date=13 January 2017}}</ref> and become the first person to have been elected as the Speaker of the National Assembly for the second time during the same government's tenure in Pakistan.<ref name="dawn/9november2015" />

He was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of PML-N from Constituency [[NA-129 (Lahore-VII)]] in the [[2018 Pakistani general election]].<ref>{{cite news |title=PML (N) Sardar Ayaz Sadiq wins NA-129 election |url=https://www.app.com.pk/pml-n-sardar-ayaz-sadiq-wins-na-129-election/ |access-date=3 August 2018 |work=Associated Press of Pakistan |date=27 July 2018}}</ref> On 15 August 2018, he was replaced by [[Asad Qaiser]] as speaker of the National Assembly.<ref name="dawn/17aug2018" />

He is generally considered a soft-spoken<ref name="dawn/17aug2018">{{cite news |last1=Wasim |first1=Amir |title=PTI finally takes up reins of National Assembly |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1427273/pti-finally-takes-up-reins-of-national-assembly |access-date=17 August 2018 |work=Dawn|location=Pakistan |date=17 August 2018}}</ref> and cool-headed politician in Pakistan.<ref name="dawn/4june2013" />

In 2020, he made claims relating to the [[2019 India–Pakistan border skirmishes]], in particular that foreign minister [[Shah Mahmood Qureshi|Qureshi]] was "trembling with fear" and insisted on releasing a pilot captured during the conflict, to avert an Indian invasion. This issue initiated a row, drawing sharp criticism from [[Inter-Services Public Relations|ISPR]] and the Pakistani government, terming his statements as "irresponsible" and demanding an apology. He addressed the controversy and added that his statement was misrepresented. Sadiq added that "[[Abhinandan Varthaman|Abhinandan]] had not come to Pakistan to distribute sweets; he had attacked Pakistan and it was a victory for Pakistan when his plane was shot down".<ref name="The Dawn">{{Cite news|last=Hussian|first=Javed|date=29 October 2020|title='Misleading' to link Abhinandan's release with anything other than Pakistan's mature response: DG ISPR|newspaper=The Dawn|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1587624/misleading-to-link-abhinandans-release-with-anything-other-than-pakistans-mature-response-dg-ispr|access-date=30 October 2020}}</ref>

Amid the April 2022 political crisis in [[Pakistan]], when the speaker and the deputy speaker resigned, he was asked to hold voting on a [[no-confidence motion]] against the [[prime minister of Pakistan]].<ref name="Al Jazeera">{{Cite news|date=10 April 2022|title=Pakistan political crisis latest updates: Khan removed as PM|newspaper=Al Jazeera|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/4/9/pakistan-political-crisis-live-news-imran-khan-no-confidence-motion-parliament-liveblog|access-date=11 April 2022}}</ref>

==Personal life==

=== Family ===
Sadiq married Reema Ayaz in 1977, and has a daughter and two sons.<ref name="na.gov.pk/profile" /> Reema is the daughter of former [[Lahore High Court|Chief Justice of Lahore High Court]] and the [[Federal Ombudsman of Pakistan|First Ombudsman]] of Pakistan Sardar Muhammad Iqbal.<ref name="dawn/4june2013" />

=== Business ===
Sadiq is a businessman by profession.<ref name="dawn/4june2013" /> Among his declared business interests is Sardar Chemical Industries Limited, a publicly listed company engaged in the manufacture of dyes and chemical products for the textile and leather industries. Established as a private company in 1989, the firm commenced production in 1993 and was converted into a public limited company upon its listing on the [[Pakistan Stock Exchange]] in 1994. The company produces acid, direct, and reactive dyes, as well as optical brighteners, supplying primarily the domestic textile sector while also exporting a limited portion of its output, mainly to [[Bangladesh]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 October 2020 |title=Sardar Chemical Industries Limited |url=https://www.brecorder.com/news/40026080 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251231110820/https://www.brecorder.com/news/40026080 |archive-date=31 December 2025 |website=[[Business Recorder]]}}</ref>

=== Philanthropy ===
He along with members of his family runs a non-profit hospital Sardar Trust Eye Hospital, established in Lahore in 1994.<ref name=":1" /> Previously, his grandfather had founded the Sheikh Sardar Muhammad Girls High School in Lahore after partition encouraging women education; the school was later nationalised.<ref name="dawn/4june2013" /><ref name="na.gov.pk/profile" /> It was the first Muslim Girls School established in the locality.<ref name=":0" />

== Notes ==
<references group="lower-alpha" />
==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Fahmida Mirza]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan|Speaker of the National Assembly]]|years=2013 – 2018}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Asad Qaiser]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Speaker National Assembly Pakistan}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sadiq, Ayaz}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:Pakistani MNAs 2002–2007]]
[[Category:Pakistani MNAs 2008–2013]]
[[Category:Pakistani MNAs 2013–2018]]
[[Category:Pakistani MNAs 2018–2023]]
[[Category:Pakistani MNAs 2024–2029]]
[[Category:Pakistan Muslim League (N) MNAs]]
[[Category:Politicians from Lahore]]
[[Category:Aitchison College alumni]]
[[Category:Hailey College of Commerce alumni]]
[[Category:Speakers of the National Assembly of Pakistan]]

Ayaz Sadiq - Revision history

MarisaBlackwelde at 06:48, 2 January 2026