Fahmida Mirza, a close aide of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, has been nominated to be the Speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly — the first woman to occupy the post.

Mirza, 51, is a lawmaker from a political family in Sindh province.

Faisal Karim Kundi, who was mentored by slain PPP leader Benazir Bhutto, was nominated for the post of Deputy Speaker.

The deadline for the filing of nomination papers for the two posts ended at noon on Tuesday. Polling for the posts will be held through secret ballot at 11 am on Wednesday, and the new Speaker will take charge the same day. The nominations were made by Zardari late on Monday night after weeks of consultations with the party’s MPs and its allies.

Mirza is the wife of Zulfiqar Mirza, a member of the Sindh provincial assembly. She had won in the February 18 polls from the coastal district of Badin.

The PPP, which emerged as the largest group with 120 seats in the 342-member House, is set to form the government. 

Fahim stands aside

PPP’s vice-chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim has offered to stand aside for Asif Ali Zardari in the race for the prime minister’s chair in the new coalition government. A definite candidate will be announced by Thursday, Fahim said. He made the proposal last night in a meeting with Zardari. But there was no word from Zardari on the proposal.
In December last year, just after Benazir was killed, Zardari had wanted Fahim to be PPP’s candidate for the prime minister’s post. But Fahim has in recent days expressed his unhappiness over Zardari’s delay in naming a prime minister.

IB chief shown the door

The Pakistani government has sacked the controversial Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief, Ijaz Shah, who was accused by slain former premier Benazir Bhutto of being involved in a plot to kill her, reports PTI from Islamabad.

Shah, a former official of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency, was appointed as Director-General of the IB in 2004. Shah has been accused of using his department for “political victimisation” and “undermining the judiciary”.

A close associate of President Pervez Musharraf, Shah was reportedly one of four persons named by Bhutto as prime suspects in the suicide bomb attack on her homecoming procession in Karachi on October 19 last year.