Fahmida Mirza (; born 20 December 1956) is a

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

politician who was Federal Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination, in office from 20 August 2018 until 10 April 2022. She served as the 18th and only woman

Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan The Speaker of the National Assembly (Urdu: اسپیکر قومی اسمبلی); informally as Speaker National Assembly, is the Speaker (politics), presiding official of the National Assembly of Pakistan, National Assembly of Pakistan, the low ...

from March 2008 to June 2013. Previously, she was a member of the National Assembly from 1997 to 1999, 2002 to May 2018 and from August 2018 to August 2023.

Early life and education

Mirza was born on 20 December 1956 in Karachi to

Qazi Abdul Majeed Abid Qazi Abdul Majeed Abid or Qazi Abid (), was the father of Former National Speaker Fahmida Mirza and former member of the National Assembly and Chairman of the Daily Ibrat Newspaper Kazi Asad Abid. He died due to lung cancer on 27 August 1996. ...

. She belongs to an influential political family of Sindh. Mirza is married to

Zulfiqar Mirza Zulfiqar Mirza (Urdu: ) is a Pakistani politician who is currently affiliated with the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA). He is from Badin District, Sindh, Pakistan. Early life and education He acquired his early education from Cadet College Pet ...

. She has two sons and two daughters. Mirza did her schooling from St Mary's Convent in

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

in 1972. She is a medical graduate and did her MBBS from Liaquat Medical College in Jamshoro in 1982. She is an agriculturist and businesswoman by profession. She was chief executive of a Karachi-based advertising company and the chief executive officer of the Mirza Sugar Mills.

Political career

Mirza joined

Pakistan Peoples Party The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is a political party in Pakistan and one of the three major List of political parties in Pakistan, Pakistani political parties alongside the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. With a Cent ...

(PPP) in 1997 and was elected to the

National Assembly of Pakistan The National Assembly of Pakistan, also referred to as ''Aiwān-ē-Zairīñ'', is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, with the upper house being the Senate of Pakistan, Senate. As of 2023, the National Assem ...

as a candidate of PPP from Constituency NA-173 (Badin-II) in the

1997 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on 3 February 1997 to elect the members of National Assembly. The elections were a fierce contest between Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) led by pre-election Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and the Pakistan Mus ...

. She was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of PPP from Constituency NA-225 (Badin-II) in the

2002 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on 10 October 2002 to elect the 12th National Assembly and four Provincial Assemblies. The elections were held under the military government of Pervez Musharraf. The two mainstream parties, Pakistan ...

. She received 71,537 votes and defeated Khan Mohammad Halipota, a candidate of

Pakistan Muslim League (Q) The Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid e Azam Group) ; ''Pākistān Muslim Līg (Qāf)'', Acronyms: PML(Q), PML-Q, PMLQ, "Q League" (officially registered as the Pakistan Muslim League) is a political party in Pakistan. As of the 2024 parliamentary e ...

(PML-Q). She was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of PPP from Constituency NA-225 (Badin-cum-Tando Muhammad Khan-II) in the

2008 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on 18 February 2008 to elect members of the 13th National Assembly and the four Provincial Assemblies. On 3 November 2007 President Pervez Musharraf enacted a state of emergency; elections were initia ...

. She received 88,983 votes and defeated Bibi Yasmeen Shah, a candidate of PML-Q. In March 2008, she was elected as the 18th and first woman

. She received 249 votes and defeated her opponent

Muhammad Israr Tareen Sardar Muhammad Israr Tareen is a Pakistani politician who had been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from August 2018 till August 2023. Political career In the 2008 General Elections he had won from his constituency NA263, on the ...

who secured 70 votes. She was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of PPP from Constituency (Badin-cum-Tando Muhammad Khan-II) in the

2013 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on Saturday 11 May 2013 to elect the members of the List of members of the 14th National Assembly of Pakistan, 14th National Assembly of Pakistan, National Assembly and the four Subdivisions of Pakistan, Pr ...

. She received 110,738 votes and defeated Bibi Yasmeen Shah, a candidate of

Pakistan Muslim League (F) The Pakistan Muslim League (Functional) (, Acronym and initialism, acronym: PMLF, PML-F, PML (F)) is a Nationalism in Pakistan, nationalist and pro-Hurs clan political party in Pakistan. It is one of the List of Muslim League breakaway groups, br ...

(PML-F). In May 2018, she quit PPP, saying that "the PPP government caused deteriorating conditions in Sindh and ignored the people of Badin". She announced to join a party which providing basic facilities to the people of her constituency, Badin. In June 2018, she joined

Grand Democratic Alliance The Grand Democratic Alliance (; ) is a Regionalism (politics), regional political coalition of seven Sindh-based political parties. It was founded on 23 October 2017 by the Sindh-based Regionalism (politics), regional political parties along with ...

(GDA). In June 2018, both Mirza and her husband

were declared loan defaulters by the

State Bank of Pakistan The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) is the central bank of Pakistan. Its Constitution, as originally laid down in the State Bank of Pakistan Order 1948, remained basically unchanged until 1 January 1974, when the bank was nationalised and the scope ...

. It was noted that the couple used political influence to obtain millions of loans from different banks which were later written-off. She was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of GDA from Constituency

NA-230 (Badin-II) NA-223 Badin-II () is a constituency for the National Assembly of Pakistan. Assembly Segments Members of Parliament 2018–2023: NA-230 Badin-II 2024–present: NA-223 Badin-II Election 2002 General elections were held on 10 October 2 ...

in the

2018 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on 25 July 2018 to elect the members of the 15th National Assembly and the four Provincial Assemblies. The three major parties were Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by Imran Khan, the Pakistan Muslim ...

. On 18 August,

Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi (born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician, philanthropist, and former cricketer who served as the 19th prime minister of Pakistan from August 2018 until April 2022. He was the founder of the political party Pak ...

formally announced his federal cabinet structure and Mirza was named as Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination. On 20 August 2018, she was sworn in as Federal Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination in the federal cabinet of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mirza, Fahmida 1956 births Living people Women federal ministers of Pakistan Pakistani business executives Pakistani MNAs 1997–1999 Pakistani MNAs 2002–2007 Pakistani MNAs 2008–2013 Pakistani MNAs 2013–2018 Pakistani MNAs 2018–2023 Pakistan People's Party MNAs Women members of the National Assembly of Pakistan Women legislative speakers Speakers of the National Assembly of Pakistan F Grand Democratic Alliance MNAs 21st-century Pakistani women politicians