LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has reportedly finalised the list of its candidates for the seats reserved for women in the Punjab Assembly.

The list has been prepared after the recent Supreme Court verdict in favour of the party for getting the reserved seats on the basis of the general seats won by the candidates with its support in the Feb 8 vote.

It is learnt that the PTI has prepared a list of 35 women candidates, including recently released social media activist Sanam Javaid and incarcerated central Punjab chapter president Dr Yasmin Rashid. However, it may claim only 24 women reserved seats in the provincial house.

The final approval of the list will be given by the founder chairman Imran Khan.

Yasmin, Sanam among candidates

Other women leaders included in the Punjab Assembly list are: Tayyaba Ambreen, Naheed Niaz (Okara), Abida Raja (north Punjab women wing head); Saira Raza (north Punjab general secretary), Azra Naseem (west Punjab general secretary), Qurban Fatima (ex-south Punjab president), Farah Agha (ex-MPA and Rawalpindi dist head), Firdous Rahna (ex-MPA and women wing VP), Sadia Ayub, Ayesha Bhutta, Neelam Iftikhar Rao (Sahiwal chapter head), Sara Ali Syed, and Tanzeela Imran (Lahore women wing chief).

Rukhsana Raza Bano, Ruqia Bibi (Rajanpur dist president), Safia Javed (recommended by Moonis Elahi), Aminah Badar, Bushra Saeed (DG Khan), Amira Azhar, Aqsa Asim (Chiniot dist president), Shehla Mumtaz Niazi (Mianwali), Maimoona Kamal (Islamabad), Shireen Nawaz, Syeda Fatima Haider, Tehmina Riaz, Nelofer Ahmad Malik (Jhelum), Maryam Kulsoom (daughter of Mahmoodur Rasheed), Adeeba Nazar, Saima Noreen, Syeda Hina, Parveen Zaman, Shahmeen Shahid (recommended by Hammad Azhar), and Mrs Bilal Warraich.

Almost all the nominees have either been part of the May 9 protest or have performed ‘security’ duty at Zaman Park residence of Imran Khan, reveals the comments given about each of those on the list.

In May, Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan had suspended 24 women and three minority MPAs elected on reserved seats and barred them from joining house proceedings after the Supreme Court had suspended the Election Commission of Pakistan’s verdict to allocate reserved seats to parties other than PTI/Sunni Ittehad Council.

Meanwhile, the PTI has also prepared a list of 14 nominees for the reserved seats for women from the Punjab quota in the National Assembly.

They are: Women’s wing president Kanwal Shauzeb, general secretary Rubina Shaheen, ex-north Punjab president Seemabiya Tahir, Farkhunda Kokab, Aaliya Hamza, interim Punjab president Shahnaz Tariq, general secretary Punjab Dr. Misbah Zafar, Rubiya Jameel, Rehana Dar, Khadija Shah, Dr Nosheen Hamid, ex-governor Umar Cheema’s wife Rabia Sultan Cheema, Farah Agha and Firdous Rehana.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2024