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Islamabad: The woman lawmaker nominated by Pakistan Peoples Party to become speaker of the National Assembly is a respected figure in the party who made it to the parliament thrice competing against male candidates during her political career.
Fahmida Mirza is solidly placed to easily win the election to the high parliamentary post by the 342-member assembly through a secret ballot scheduled for today.
Her elevation to the prestigious office will be a befitting tribute to the heroic struggle for democracy of charismatic PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in December while spearheading the party's election campaign.
Benazir earned world fame as two-time prime minister of Pakistan and now Fahmida is set to mark a new moment of glory for the country's women, who make up half of the country's 160 million population.
Fahmida is wife of Zulfikar Ali Mirza, one of the PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari's close friends.
She is sister of former parliamentarian and secretary general of All Pakistan Newspapers Society, Qazi Asad Abid.
Born on December 20, 1956 in Karachi, Fahmida is an agriculturist and business woman by profession, although she is also a medical graduate from the Liaquat Medical College, Jamshoro in her native province of Sindh.
She won berths in the National Assembly in 1997, 2002 and in the general elections held in February last month.
"I will run the house according to the constitution of the country and with complete impartiality" Fahmida told reporters after her nomination.
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