KARACHI, June 29: Saira Shahliani is set to fill a Sindh Assembly seat reserved for women, it emerged on Friday.

The seat fell vacant following the nomination of Pakistan People’s Party lawmaker Shazia Marri to the National Assembly.

The PPP submitted a list of its candidates for seats reserved for women to the provincial election commissioner on Nov 25, 2007 and Ms Shahliani’s name appeared on number 22 in the last.

The election commission has already notified Ms Marri’s elevation as a member of the National Assembly against a reserved seat that fell vacant following the death of PPP MNA Fauzia Wahab.

Ms Marri’s provincial assembly’s seat will soon be declared vacated by the election commission.

Under Rule 6 of Article 224 of the Constitution, when a seat reserved for women or non-Muslims in the National Assembly or a provincial assembly falls vacant, for death, resignation or disqualification of a member, it shall be filled by the next person in order of precedence from the party list of the candidates submitted to the election commission for the last general election by the political party whose member has vacated such seat.

After the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, it was further clarified in Rule 6 of Article 224 that “if at any time the party list is exhausted, the concerned political party may submit a name for any vacancy which may occur thereafter”.