Syeda Razia Faiz

Syeda Razia Faiz (18 April 1936 – 15 November 2013) was a prominent Bangladeshi politician and government minister. She served as a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan in the 1960s. In 1979, she became the first (and only) woman to be elected as one of 300 members of the Jatiya Sangsad (Parliament of Bangladesh).

Early life and family Faiz was born on 18 April 1936 into a Bengali Muslim family of Syeds from the village of Talibpur in Murshidabad. Her father, Syed Badrudduja, was a mayor of Kolkata and a member of the Bengal Legislative Assembly and India's Lok Sabha.

Meanwhile, her sister Syeda Sakina Islam, was among the 30 nominated members for reserved women’s seats (a quota for the party which holds the majority) in the same national parliament.

Career Faiz was elected to the Pakistan National Assembly in the 1960s under President Ayub Khan, She was the first female elected member of parliament in Bangladesh.