DR. Fahmida Mirza made history when she took the oath to become Pakistan's first female speaker of the National Assembly (NA). She also becomes the first female parliamentary speaker in South Asia and the entire Muslim world. South Asian stereotypes about femininity put any female candidate in a difficult bind, but the election of woman as speaker in Pakistan reflects a genuine transformation of society. Pakistan does have progressive social policies, and a woman's elevation reflects the air of liberalism in the country's politics. Never before in the country's history had the House heard the words “Madam Speaker.” Credit goes to the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarian (PPPP) for nominating a woman and kudos to the coalition partners' who supported this decision. Mirza is the only woman to have held the office of deputy speaker twice. She is a senior Pakistani politician, parliamentarian and a member of the Pakistan Peoples Party. Her speech and dress, indeed, evoke images of Benazir Bhutto. Mirza has Mrs. Bhutto's poise and eloquence, speaking in a slow, deliberate manner that compels attention. Mirza was born on December 20, 1956. She is a medical doctor, agriculturist and businesswoman from Hyderabad, Sindh Province. She has been elected to the Pakistani Parliament for three consecutive terms in 1997, 2002 and 2008 has served as Minister of National Assembly (MNA) from Badin, in Sindh. She graduated with a medical degree from Liaquat Medical College, Jamshoro, Sindh, in 1982 and did her residency in gynecology and pediatrics. Before entering politics, Mirza ran an advertising agency, Inform chine, later renamed Information Communication Limited (ICL). In 1997, she contested elections successfully in her husband's former district of Badin, Sindh and has continued as a parliamentarian since then. She is one of the few women elected from a non-reserved constituency. Twenty percent of the seats in the NA are held for women and allocated proportionally to the seats won by the parties. Her father, Qazi Abdul Majeed Abid, held different ministries in Sindh and federal cabinet posts from 1982 to 1990. These included Provincial Minister for Communication, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture, Federal Minister for Education, and Federal Minister for Water and Power. Her Uncle, Qazi Mohammad Akbar, was also a long-term Provincial Minister in Sindh. She married Dr. Zulfikar Ali Mirza, a close friend of Asif Ali Zardari, a co-Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party. Her husband and her brother, Qazi Asad Abid (a renowned journalist), are former members of the NA. She is also the aunt of Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq, a two time Provincial Sindh Minister, who is related to the influential Sindhi political family through his mother. Last but not least, she is the daughter-in-law of Justice (Retd.) Zafar Hussain Mirza, who was a Supreme Court judge and also chairman of the Federal Public Service Commission. Benazir Bhutto nominated Mirza as provincial information secretary of the PPP Sindh and later appointed her to the central planning committee. As speaker she will have to maintain discipline in the House by presiding over the National Assembly, the lower house of the Parliament. She will have to act as “referee”, moderating debates to ensure that the Ministers of the National Assembly (MNAs) can participate freely while obeying the rules. The Speaker also has managerial duties to ensure that parliament runs smoothly. Each political party in the assembly elects a chief whip to run its affairs. The presiding officers, the chief whips, and the Leader of Government Business (the person appointed by the Cabinet to liaise with Parliament) together decide on the House agenda. According to the Pakistani Constitution, the National Assembly speaker is in line to the presidency. Thus, Mirza could conceivably be the first woman president of Pakistan in the absence of both president and chairman of the senate. Critics contend that rather than a case of female empowerment, Mirza's ascendancy is more a question of favoritism. They say it has influenced the choice of the Prime Minister. The decision to nominate Mirza as speaker has diminished the chances of Makhdoom Amin Fahim to become PM, since it is widely believed that after giving the two main parliamentary offices to Sindh and the NWFP, the leader of the house should be from Punjab. The PPPP finally nominated Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani for the prime minister. He hails from the ancient Punjabi city of Multan. Asif Ali Zardari's decision to nominate Mirza resulted in a lot of resentment within the PPP. Many said that the decision could be disastrous for the party because it appears that Mr. Zardari was appointing his friends to government posts. Mirza is the wife of Dr. Zulfiqar Mirza who was elected Minister of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) from Sindh. He is a close friend of Zardari. He also expected to receive a powerful position in the Sindh cabinet. Mirza's appointment is evidence of another transition, as well. Analysts say that it is further proof that President Musharraf is ceding control of the country to a new democratic government. The scale of her victory shows that President Musharraf is loosening his grip on power because her election gives the future ruling coalition full control of the lower house ahead of a looming parliamentary confrontation with the President . Experts have now started eying a possible impeachment of the President since the coalition has neared the number required for initiating such an action. According to a report from the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat), civil society has high expectations that Mirza will ensure the supremacy of parliament. It stressed that the new speaker should more aggressively monitor the performance of the assembly and its committees and encourage her colleagues to enhance their legislative output. As a woman, we can expect Mirza to run the house proceedings in an efficient manner. In fact, she has vowed to run parliament “like a home.” She also claimed that she would conduct the business of the House in an unbiased manner, and media would be given direct access to meetings of the Standing Committees. She also said that she would treat members from the treasury and the opposition equally in conducting business of the house in accordance with the Constitution. She said that her considerations of party affiliation had ended with her election as speaker. Mirza's ascendance is matter of immense pride and happiness for all Pakistani women, but it is also a chance to see what women do when they wield real power. She is an authoritative female speaker in a male-dominated legislature. Analysts say that it is a perfect countermeasure to the view of Pakistan as a falling domino in a global Talebanization movement. The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has fulfilled its one promise to give important positions to women. The performance of the first woman speaker of the National Assembly will break new ground on the subcontinent. __
