Ashraf takes oath as Speaker of Pakistan's National Assembly

Islamabad, April 17 Raja Pervaiz Ashraf took oath as the 22nd Speaker of Pakistan's National Assembly, or the lower house of the country's parliament.

Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, who chaired the National Assembly session, administered the oath of office to Ashraf, a former Prime Minister of Pakistan and prominent lawmaker of the Pakistan Peoples' Party on Saturday, the National Assembly said in a tweet.

The newly-elected Speaker was the lone contender for the Speaker's position as no other candidate had submitted nomination papers against him, Xinhua news agency reported.

The office of the Speaker had fallen vacant after former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser resigned from his post ahead of voting on a no-confidence motion against former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was eventually voted out of power on Sunday.

In his inaugural speech, Ashraf said it would be his prime responsibility as a Speaker to safeguard the sovereignty of the House while maintaining impartiality during proceedings of the parliament.

"Reviving impartiality and sanctity of the parliament is vital to leading the country on the path of stability and progress," he added.