- Sadia Danish of PPP becomes the first female deputy speaker of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly.
- She was elected unopposed as no opposition member submitted nomination papers for the post.
- Danish previously served as tourism and information minister and vows to work for women’s empowerment in GB.
Sadia Danish of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has made history as the first female deputy speaker of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly.
The election took place without opposition as no other member from the opposition submitted nomination papers for the position.
Sadia Danish, hailing from Gilgit, was elected to the assembly in 2020 on a reserved seat for women and had previously served as a member on PPP’s ticket from 2009 to 2014.
During the PPP government in the region, she held the position of tourism and information minister from 2009 to 2014.
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The 22nd assembly session, summoned by GB Assembly Speaker Nazir Ahmed Advocate, saw Chief Minister Gulbar Khan and members from PPP, PML-N, JUI-F, and PTI’s forward bloc in attendance.
With no other candidates coming forward, Sadia Danish was announced as the deputy speaker and subsequently sworn into office.
Expressing gratitude to PPP leaders, including chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, as well as Chief Minister Gulbar Khan and assembly members, Sadia Danish emphasized her commitment to women’s empowerment in GB.
Notably, GB has seen significant changes in its leadership recently, with a new speaker, deputy speaker, and chief minister being elected within a short span of 39 days.
In June, Nazir Ahmed was elected as the speaker after the previous speaker, Amjad Ali Zaidi, was removed through a vote of no-confidence. Gulbar Khan became the region’s new chief minister, supported by PPP, PML-N, and JUI-F, replacing PTI’s Khalid Khurshid who was disqualified in a fake degree case.
However, the announcement of the cabinet members was delayed due to discussions about the power-sharing formula among the allied parties. The formula is expected to allocate three ministries each to PPP and PML-N and one to JUI-F in the 12-member cabinet. Agreement on portfolios for ministers, special assistants, and coordinators was still pending.
Kudos to Sadia Danish for setting a milestone in the province’s history and opening a gateway for girls. We wish her all the very best.
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