ISLAMABAD, Jan 11 Sughra Imam of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) is all set to be elected as chairperson of the Senate's Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Kashmir and Northern Areas on Tuesday.

Informed sources told Dawn that her name was finalised for the position after PPP secretary-general Jehangir Badar declined to accept the responsibility.

The slot has been vacant since the retirement of Mushahid Hussain Sayed as senator. Previously, Standing Committee on States and Frontier Region (Safron) was looking into Kashmir affairs and Northern Areas, which now have been made part of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Ms Imam is a graduate of the Harvard University, USA. After graduation, she worked at the US-based foreign policy think tank, the Council on Foreign Relations, New York, and as a consultant to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other NGOs.

She served as chairperson Zila Council Jhang during 1998-99 and was elected as member of the Punjab Assembly in general elections of 2002. She was appointed as provincial minister for social welfare on November 24 24, 2003 but resigned on June 18, 2004.—Staff Reporter