Pakistan People's Party (PPP) on Monday nominated Dr Fahmida Mirza, a directly elected female member from Badin district, for the slots of Speaker of National Assembly, and a youngster from North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) as Deputy Speaker.Fahmida will submit her nomination papers to become Speaker for next five years. It will be for first the time in Pakistan's history that a female would hold the key National Assembly post that has primary function of controlling often unruly parliamentarians, mostly males.
Faisal Karim Kundi, a London educated youthful newcomer to the Lower House of the Parliament, will be Deputy Speaker. Son of a PPP stalwart Fazl Karim Kundi, Faisal is credited with defeating Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam chief Fazlur Rehman from Dera Ismail Khan.
A sheer stock of luck and not his high educational and electoral credentials won the party's nomination for the young Pushtoon. The slot was originally offered to a PPP NWFP stalwart Abdul Akbar Khan from Mardan district.
But Akbar refused because he was more interested to retain a provincial assembly seat. Dr Fahmida was accidentally forced into politics ahead of parliamentary in 1997 and had since then won all general elections in 2002 and now.
Her husband and one of the closest friends of PPP de facto chief, Dr Zulfikar Mirza, was barred from contesting election due to legal reasons in 1997, brightening the luck of his wife.
Zulfikar was a member National Assembly during a PPP stint in power between 1993 and 1997. He has now been elected as Sindh provincial assembly member from Badin district and is being tipped as home minister there.
Born on December 20, 1956, Dr Fahmida did graduation in medicines from Liaquat Medical College in 1982. The Mirzas have two sons and as many daughters.
Comments
Comments are closed.