Islamabad, Nov 17: Pakistan's newly elected legislators presented a kaleidoscopic picture to the world as they assembled in parliament marking the start of the country's return to democracy after three years of military rule. Sitting in the Parliament building yesterday – renovated at a cost of nearly three million dollars towards the end of the time it sat empty -- the male MPs wore attire ranging from crisp western suits to flowing religious robes.
Female MPs from the Islamist alliance Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), which scooped an unexpectedly high number of seats at the October 10 polls, were enveloped in the all-encompassing burqa, revealing nothing but their eyes.
Others among the highest number of female lawmakers to sit in Pakistan's 55-year-old history dressed stylishly but modestly, draping respectful "dopatta" scarves over their carefully coiffed heads.

The Parliament is also the first in Pakistan to have only university graduates as members, thanks to a condition imposed by the outgoing military regime that allowed only degree-holders to contest the elections.
The 334 national assembly members met against a backdrop of weeks of tense negotiations among parties aiming to build a governing coalition in the hung parliament, a task yet to be completed.
The race for the prime ministership also remains wide open, but MPs made their favoured choices clear as legislators in turn walked to the front of the house to sign the registry, placed under a life-sized portrait of Pakistan's founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Bureau Report