Girl power: Pakistan's first 'madam speaker'

ISLAMABAD, March 19: Dr Fehmida Mirza of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), on Wednesday became the 18th speaker of the National Assembly and first woman in the country's history to hold this office.

Dr Mirza beat Israr Tareen, a candidate for the Musharraf-backed former ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Q by a wide margin. For the first time cries of "Madam Speaker" rang out in Pakistan's Parliament, a new addition to the country's political lexicon, as members of her party and of allied party addressed the chair.

For more detail story and profiles of Dr Fehmida Mirza and Faisal Karim Kundi as well as other Pakistan news, go to: maverickpakistanis.com