Islamabad

Qasim Khan Suri resigned as the Deputy Speaker of the Pakistan National Assembly, less than an hour before the voting on the no-confidence motion against him started.

Suri shared a copy of his resignation on Twitter and said that his decision signified his association with his party, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), and democracy, Dawn newspaper reported.

"We will never compromise on Pakistan's sovereignty and integrity. We will fight for the country's interests and independence. We will go to any length to protect Pakistan," he added.

Suri, who is currently functioning as the acting speaker, faced severe criticism over his decision on April 3 ruling to dismiss a no-confidence motion against former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his decision to defer the session scheduled for the NA speaker's election from April 16 to April 22 as a delaying tactic, reported Dawn newspaper.

On April 9, Murtaza Javed Abbasi of the Pakistan Muslim League-N submitted a resolution of the no-confidence motion against Suri, saying he had "repeatedly violated the rules, parliamentary practices, democratic norms and traditions, and even Constitutional provisions and when presiding over the House, failed to conduct proceedings in an orderly manner to enable productive debate on issues of public importance".

Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Raja Pervaiz Ashraf is set to assume the office of the National Assembly speaker as no other candidate submitted nomination papers against him till the 12-noon deadline on Friday.

The office of the Speaker fell vacant after Asad Qaiser resigned minutes before the voting on the no-confidence resolution against the then Prime Minister Imran Khan on April 9