Senate elections: PTI hands reserved women's seat ticket to K-P's Samina Abid

PTI's parliamentary board unanimously approved her nomination

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), after a series of extensive interviews, has decided to award a party ticket to its Kyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) women wing chief Samina Abid for the upcoming Senate elections.

The party's parliamentary board has decided to field five candidates, out of a total of 12 Senate seats, from K-P.

Abid told The Express Tribune that she was repeatedly interviewed by the party's parliamentary board before being awarded the ticket on reserved seat for women.

A dedicated party worker, Abid is credited by the party leadership for playing an instrumental role in organising and activating participation of women in the PTI. She is also credited for devising a strategy for women's reforms in K-P including promoting access to education, employment and health care.

A tireless campaigner for PTI, she also suffered injuries during the party's dharna.

Due to her dedication and contribution to the party, she enjoys the confidence of party chairman Imran Khan and Vice-Chairman Shah Mehmood, and was unanimously selected as the main candidate for the women's senate seat by the PTI leadership.

In addition to her efforts for the party, Abid hails from the former princely state of Amb and Chitral. Her brother is a five time MNA, Prince Sahuluddin from Hazara who is the chief of the Tanoli tribe and is the first cousin of the Mehtar of Chitral. Her husband is from a prominent Yousafzai family in Malakand and was a former officer of the Pakistan Air Force who later served as a senior United Nations official in Kosovo. Her London based son-in-law, Ch Raza Anjum is an international lawyer who advises Imran Khan on legal matters.

PTI sources say her presence as a senator will allow her to use her expertise to expedite much needed women's reforms in K-P.