KARACHI: A close look at the list of those elected on seats reserved for women shows that some MNAs-elect belong to politically influential families while others are new faces who will be contributing to the lawmaking business first time.

Traditionally, political parties consider the women for reserved seats whose family members have remained active in politics. The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), however, made a departure from this practice by mostly nominating office-bearers of the party’s women wing, claims party spokesperson and MPA-elect Jamal Siddiqi in Karachi.

Since the PTI emerged as the largest party in the lower house of parliament, it clinched 28 out of the 60 seats reserved for women. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) got 16 seats, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) secured nine seats and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) two, while the Balochistan Awami Party, Balochistan National Party, Grand Democratic Alliance, Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Pakistan Muslim League-Q won one seat each.

Punjab

Dr Shireen Mazari of the PTI, a graduate from London School of Economics, is the daughter of ex-bureaucrat Ashiq Mazari. A defence analyst and CEO of Strategic Technology Resources, Ms Mazari served as PTI’s MNA from 2013 till this year.

Munaza Hassan, the first president of the PTI’s women wing and the chief polling agent for Imran Khan in NA-95 (Lahore) in 1997 polls, also remained MNA on a reserved seat in 2013-18.

Andleeb Abbas, the PTI’s Punjab communication director, earlier abortively ran for a Senate seat on a PTI ticket in March.

Asma Qadeer, who has been working for the PTI for the past 20 years, has been elected to parliament for the first time. Dr Nausheen Hamid, who served as PTI’s MPA in 2013-18, Javaria Zafar and Rukhsana Naveed have also been elected to the NA for the first time.

PTI claims to have given most of tickets to first-timers

Kanwal Shauzab, who had contested for a Senate seat, is the president of PTI women wing of north Punjab, while Sobia Kamal Khan is senior vice president of PTI’s central Punjab chapter. Rubina Jamil is chairperson of the PTI’s Punjab women education wing.

Maleeha Ali Bokhari is party’s adviser on legal and parliamentary affairs. A corporate lawyer committed to pro bono publico, Ms Bokhari is a member of the PTI core committee.

Fauzia Behram, who had served as PPP’s MPA thrice, joined the PTI in 2015.

Tashfeen Safdar is the granddaughter of former president Chaudhry Fazal Elahi and the daughter of ex-MPA Chaudhry Safdar.

Wajiha Akram was defeated by former minister Danyal Aziz on a general seat from Narowal in the 2013 elections.

PML-N’s Marriyum Aurangzeb is the former federal information minister, while her mother Tahira Aurangzeb has been twice elected as MNA. PML-N’s Shaista Pervaiz Malik is the wife of ex-federal commerce minister Pervaiz Malik. Ayesha Rajab Baloch is the widow of twice-elected MNA from Faisalabad Rajab Ali Khan. Former finance minister of Punjab Ayesha Ghaus Pasha is the wife of former federal finance minister Hafeez Pasha. PML-N’s Zahrah Wadood Fatemi, the wife of former special assistant on foreign affairs, served as MNA. Kiran Imran Dar was elected to the National Assembly in 2015 when PML-N member Ayesha Raza Farooq resigned.

Romina Khursheed Alam and Shaza Fatima Khwaja served as PML-N’s MNA in 2013-18.

Musarrat Asif Khwaja is the wife of former defence minister Khawaja Asif. Zeb Jafar is the daughter of former NA deputy speaker Chaudhry Jafar Iqbal.

Samina Matloob is making her debut in the parliamentary politics.

Shahnaz Saleem Malik, a practising lawyer, had been elected to the Punjab Assembly in 2002 on a PML-N ticket.

Seema Mohyuddin has earlier served as an MNA in 2013 on a PML-N ticket.

PML-N’s Maiza Hameed, a cousin of Zeb Jafar, served as MNA in 2013-18.

PPP’s Hina Rabbani Khar, a LUMS graduate, served as the youngest female foreign affairs minister from 2011 to 2013.

Farrukh Khan is the PML-Q’s women wing president. She earlier resigned from the party in 2013 in protest against nominations for reserved seats.

Sindh

Seven MNAs have been elected on PPP tickets — Shagufta Jumani, Shazia Marri, Musarrat Naz Baloch, Shahida Rehmani, Mehreen Razzaq Bhutto, Dr Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro and Shamim Ara Panhwar.

Shagufta Jumani, who belongs to Hyderabad, has been active in politics since her student days. This is the fourth time that she has been elected on a reserved seat.

Mehreen Razzaq Bhutto has also been elected for a third time. She is married into the Jilani family of Khairpur district.

This is the second time that Dr Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro has been elected to the National Assembly.

Shamim Ara Panhwar will be serving as an MNA for the first time though she remained a member of the Sindh Assembly in the past.

Shazia Marri has been in active parliamentary politics for quite long. She has also served as information minister in PPP’s provincial government in 2008. Ms Marri also won a seat of the National Assembly in the July 25 election by defeating a candidate of the Grand Democratic Alliance Kishin Chand Parwani from NA-216 (Sanghar-II).

Ghazala Saifi is vice president of the PTI’s women wing in the province while Saima Nadeem is president of the PTI’s women wing in Karachi.

Kishwar Zehra, a founding member of the then Mohajir Qaumi Movement in 1984, has returned to the parliament for a third consecutive time since 2008.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Out of eight MNAs elected from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on reserved seats for women, six belong to the PTI. They are Nafeesa Khattak, Sajida Begum, Naureen Farooq Ibrahim, Shandana Gulzar, Uzma Riaz Jadoon and Zille Huma.

Nafeesa Khattak is the sister-in-law of ex-chief minister Pervez Khattak (widow of his brother). Sajida Begum is the niece of Pervez Khattak (daughter of his other deceased brother Ikramullah Khan). Naureen Farooq Ibrahim is the wife of Sardar Farooq Ibrahim of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. She remained president of the PTI’s women wing in KP.

Shandana Gulzar is the daughter of the late Gulzar Khan, a disgruntled PTI MNA who had not tendered resignation during the 2014 sit-in in Islamabad.

Uzma Riaz Jadoon, who belongs to Abbottabad, and Zille Huma, a resident of Peshawar’s Hayatabad, will be new entrant to NA.

MMA’s Shahida Begum has remained MNA twice on reserved seats in 2002 and 2013.

Begum Tahira Bukhari served PML-N’s MNA from 2013 to 2018.

Balochistan

Aliya Kamran is the wife of Kamran Murtaza, former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association.

BAP’s Rubina Irfan is the wife of Dr Irfan Karim, who belongs to the family of Khan of Kalat Mir Ahmed Yar Khan. Ms Rubina comes from Zehri tribe. In 2002, she was elected to the provincial assembly on a PML-Q ticket. She also remained a senator until 2015.

Shahnaz Naseer, a gynaecologist from Mastung, is a retired professor of the Bolan Medical College. Her husband, Dr Naseer Ahmed Baloch, was a former health director of Balochistan.

Munnawra Munir Baloch was elected as a member of Quetta Metropolitan Corporation on a PTI ticket on a reserved seat in 2014.

Amjad Mahmood from Lahore, Imtiaz Ali from Karachi, M.H. Khan from Hyderabad, Waseem Ahmad Shah from Peshawar and Saleem Shahid from Quetta contributed to this report.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2018