Looks like Zardari’s hand is closing on power… one of his allies is being given this powerful position. On the plus side, good to see a female role model like this in such a public position.
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) of slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has named a close associate of her husband as parliamentary speaker.
Fahmida Mirza, a businesswoman, will be Pakistan’s first female speaker of the national assembly if she is approved in a vote on Wednesday.
But correspondents say divisions remain over who should be the next PM.
Ms Mirza, 51, is an experienced politician from Ms Bhutto’s home town in the province of Sindh.
Her husband, Zulfiqar Mirza, is a long standing ally of Asif Ali Zardari, Ms Bhutto’s widower and now the PPP’s leader.
Mr Mirza sits in the Sindh provincial assembly.
The new parliament - comprising opponents of President Musharraf who swept to victory in last month’s elections - met for the first time on Monday.
Re: Woman to be Pakistan’s Speaker of National Assembly
Record 76 female lawmakers in NA
ISLAMABAD: A record 72 female lawmakers took oath as National Assembly members on Monday. Sixty women were elected on reserved seats and 16 secured NA seats in elections. Of 35 seats reserved for women in Punjab, the PML-N got 16; PPP 12; and PML-Q seven. The PPP secured seven; MQM five; and PML-Q and PML-F one seat each reserved for Sindh’s women. The ANP and PPP got three reserved seats each, and the PML-N one seat, in NWFP. In Balochistan, the PPP, PML-Q, and MMA secured one reserved seat each
Re: Woman to be Pakistan’s Speaker of National Assembly
Yep, it’s an undeniable fact that it was Musharraf that gave women record representation in the National Assembly, Senate, Provincial Assemblies, and district bodies, never seen before in the history of Pakistan. Now we have thousands of women elected at federal, provincial and local levels, challenging the previous stranglehold of men only.
Even our beloved democrats despite all their talk never made any such moves in the 1990’s to increase women’s representation at governmental level. Women’s seats are now enshrined in the LFO and 17th Amendment, which even our new democrats are loath to change, I am sure.
Re: Woman to be Pakistan's Speaker of National Assembly
^^^ there is NO mushy effort for specifically for her as the new master nominated his close friends wife to be on this seat, surely its only zardari's effort.
Mushy should only claim bringing more empowerment to Pakistani women in general , no one has seen so much women folk on all assemblies floors before him.
Re: Woman to be Pakistan's Speaker of National Assembly
**Pakistan parliament elects Dr Fehmida Mirza first woman speaker **ISLAMABAD, March 19 (AP): Pakistan's new parliament elected the country's first female speaker Wednesday. Dr Fehmida Mirza of the Pakistan Peoples Party, a businesswoman and three-time lawmaker was voted in as speaker of the National Assembly. Dr Mirza got 249 votes out of 319 votes cast. Her opponent Sardar Mohammad Israr Tarin polled 70 votes. (Posted @ 15:00 PST)
Re: Woman to be Pakistan's Speaker of National Assembly
In 2008 are we still Amazed that a woman will be speaker of Assembly. We had a presidental candidate in 1960 (who actually won the election if it was not for rigging by Ayub Khan) when women's rights movement was still going on in West. We also had woman PM in neighbouring country. Amazing was All India Muslim League's women wing a century ago, which put everyone in awe at that time. Since it was only 1920's 19th ammendment which allowed women to vote in US.
Our women mashallah has been leading the world in democratic struggles and system. Here I am not talking about dynastys and Monarchs.
Re: Woman to be Pakistan's Speaker of National Assembly
Mushy should only claim bringing more empowerment to Pakistani women in general , no one has seen so much women folk on all assemblies floors before him.
Womans rights workers like Asma Jehangir, Muktar Mai, and Dr.Shazia would vehemently disagree with you
people who were born probably after 1980s must give women’s development to Mushy :k: before that it was all a dark tunnel for them 