March 15, 2008	Saturday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 6, 1429

ISLAMABAD, March 14: Six women elected to reserved seats for women in the provincial assemblies of Sindh and Punjab have quit their seats and decided to retain their membership in the National Assembly. They belong to the Pakistan People’s Party.

Farah Naz Ispahani has resigned from the Sindh assembly and Farzana Raja, Justice (retd) Fakhar-un-Nisa Khokar, Fauzia Habib, Yasmeen and Shakeela Khanum Rasheed from the Punjab assembly.

The Election Commission has declared Mrs Najma Saeed Chawla elected to the Sindh assembly on the seat vacated by Farah Naz Ispahani. Those declared successful on the vacant seats in the Punjab assembly are Saghira Islam, Azma Zahid Bukhari, Faiza Ahmad Malik, Shabina Riaz, and Dr Musarrat Hussain.

PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar told Dawn that Shagufta Jumani and Dr Mehreen Razaque Bhutto had also quit their seats in the Sindh assembly and retained their National Assembly seats. The next candidates on the priority list submitted to the Election Commission by the PPP will now be notified as successful candidates on the two vacant seats.