Back in the house: Sherry Rehman to contest Senate polls

Latif Ansari to vacate his seat to accommodate her

ISLAMABAD: After completion of the constitutional bar to contest elections, Sherry Rehman will be contesting the Senate seat being vacated by a member of her party – Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

Sherry, who is Vice President of Pakistan Peoples Party-Parliamentarians, the name with which the party is registered with Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), could not take part in Senate elections held in March this year due to the constitutional bar. The bar was due to her service with government of Pakistan as its ambassador to the United States. Sherry had replaced Hussain Haqqani in Washington as Pakistan’s envoy during last regime of PPP.

Sources in PPP said Latif Ansari who was elected as Senator from Sindh in March this year, will vacate his seat to accommodate Sherry.

“Party leadership had given the ticket to Ansari with an understanding that he will quit once Sherry qualifies,” a PPP leader told The Express Tribune.

Having a background of journalism, Sherry was considered close to Benazir Bhutto, the assassinated former chairperson of PPP. She became member of the National Assembly in 2002 for the first time on a reserved seat. She was again nominated by her party for the second term in 2008 elections and made it to parliament.  Once Ansari’s resignation is accepted, ECP will issue schedule for polls to fill the seat.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 23^rd, 2015.