TIMERGARA: Lower Dir is likely to get another seat in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly as Dr Sumera Shams has been placed on number five in the priority list of 15 women candidates submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan by the PTI for the women reserved seats in the province.

The total number of women reserved seats in the provincial assembly is 21 and as the PTI has won majority of the general seats it is expected that all women in the list, if not changed, would become members of the parliament.

Dr Sumera, who graduated from the Jinnah Medical College, is the daughter of late Shams ul Qamar who was a staunch activist of Awami National Party but quitted it.

He passed away due to cardiac arrest on Feb 18, 2018, on the polling day when he was running for NA and PA seats from Lower Dir as an independent candidate.

Saira Shams, the eldest daughter of late Shams ul Qamar, joined the PTI after the death of her father and became a district councillor on a reserved seat in Lower Dir in 2015.

Dr Sumeera has completed her MBBS degree and is doing a house job.

According to her sister Saira, she was an active member of Insaf Students Federation during her studies and later became youth speaker of the National Youth Assembly.

Saira’s third sister, Naurena Shams is a sports girl and representing Pakistan in squash.

Talking to Dawn on Monday, Ms Saira said all the credit went to her mother who not only educated her children, four daughters and two sons, but also took control of construction business of her husband.

“We believe in honesty and hard work,” Saira who is physically challenged, said, adding her family had no links with the PTI leadership.

Ms Saira has worked for making women aware of their right to vote.

It may be recalled here that the PTI has won four provincial and two national assembly seats in Lower Dir while the addition of Dr Sumera as an MPA on reserved seats would take the toll to seven.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2018