On this day in 2008, Dr Fehmida Mirza became the first female Speaker of the National Assembly in Pakistan
Photo: Dr. Fehmida Mirza / Government of India / India (GODL)
On this day in 2008, Dr Fehmida Mirza was elected as Speaker of the National Assembly in Pakistan, becoming the first woman to ever lead the lower house of Parliament. She previously was a member of the parliament for several years, representing the centre-left Pakistan People’s Party. She held the position of speaker for more than five years, and was later sworn as Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination.
Also on 19 March
In 1911, the first International Women’s Day took place in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. More than 1 million men and women attended rallies to demand women’s right to vote and to hold public office, the right to work, and to protest employment discrimination.
Read more about women’s achievements throughout history here
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