PPP's Sherry Rehaman elected as First Female Opposition Leader in Senate

Pakistan People’s Party central leader Senator Sherry Rehman has been appointed Leader of Opposition in the Senate, the first female to hold this position in country’s history.

She is the 12th Opposition Leader of of 104-member Upper House and seventh PPP member to hold this prestigious position.

On March 15, Sherry had submitted her nomination papers bearing signatures of at least 34 senators from various opposition parties, including independents, except the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Jamaate Islami (JI), in her support.

At the time, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had said the party was making history by nominating the first woman to lead the opposition.

Senator Azam Khan Swati of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), another opposition party in the House, contended that the list of members supporting Senator Sherry for the slot of opposition leader contravened rules and procedures of the Senate.

After being elected, Sherry Rehman thanked her party’s leadership and its allies for supporting her. She vowed to cooperate with all opposition parties in the Senate going forward and to make the Upper House more effective and active.

“We will play our role in making the government answerable,” she said, adding that the opposition would make efforts to strengthen the federation.

Born on December 21, 1960 in Karachi, Senator Sherry Rehman had served as Member National Assembly (MNA), as a federal minister and also as Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States in the last PPP-led government.