Women want action from new representatives

Pakistan now has the largest number of women ever in its government, following compulsory female representation in the country’s general election last October. But activists celebrating International Women’s Day on Saturday say more of them in power must be turned into an improvement in women's status. “One major change is the very substantial number of women in policy-making areas. We owe our gratitude and thanks to General [Pervez] Musharraf [Pakistan’s President] for doing great service for the women of Pakistan,” a prominent Pakistani women’s rights’ activist, Shanaz Bokhari, told IRIN in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, noting, however, that now was the time to see some results. “It is now up to these women who are in the National Assembly to push forward our cause and to stay passionate about these issues.” Celebrating the large number of women in the National Assembly, Senate and Provincial Assemblies on Saturday, Bokhari, nonetheless, remained cautious. “These women should realise that they are here on behalf of the Pakistani population, and not just representing their families. These women in the National Assembly are there because of us activists who have put up a struggle for the past 18 years or so,” she stressed. In total, 60 seats were reserved and filled by women in the country’s National Assembly of 332 seats, with 13 women winning general seats, making a total of 73. A further 17 took seats in the Senate, with 120 women in the four Provincial Assemblies. This was implemented under Musharraf’s legal framework ordinance to reserve 33 percent of seats for women. Women’s NGOs across the country hail this huge injection of women into the political sphere as an historic event. “In terms of political participation, some great things have happened this year. We now have some 36,000 female councillors,” Nasreen Zehra, the national coordinator for advocacy for the Pakistani NGO, Aurat Foundation, told IRIN from the Punjabi city of Lahore. However, she echoed Bokhari’s view that much more work was needed on the ground. “Reports of violence against women are increasing. This may be due to the fact that women are becoming more willing to talk about it. But we need to do more work in stopping these incidents,” she maintained. Dr Attiya Inayatullah, a woman member of the National Assembly and a campaigner for the advancement of the rights of her sex, also remained sceptical. “Pakistan’s women cannot be empowered, because over 70 percent of women are illiterate, enrolment of girls [in schools] is under 50 percent and the continuation rate in schools is unsatisfactory,” she told IRIN in Islamabad. “Maternal mortality rates are the highest in South Asia, and there is still a high incidence of violence against women, which must be addressed in the public and private domains,” she said. Additional challenges include the fact that for the first time ever, religious groups swept the polls in the North West Frontier Province, alarming some women’s groups, who fear that attitudes towards women on the part of religious parties such as the Muttahida Majlis-e Amal (MMA) and United Council for Action (UCA) within a coalition of six other right-wing religious political parties could hamper their efforts. But MMA members maintain that their party stands strong on promoting women’s rights. “We put forward five areas in our policy for improving women’s rights, including education, social status of women, literacy and violence against women,” Samiya Raheel Qazi, a member of the lower house of parliament representing the UCA, told IRIN from the Punjabi city of Lahore. She added that they were committed to improving women’s rights as much as any other party. “It is a misconception about the MMA not promoting women’s rights because we are a religious group,” she said. The party currently has 13 women in the National Assembly, two in the Senate and a further 20 in Provincial Assemblies. Meanwhile, government officials are confident that the positive representation and reserved seats for women will help to change gender issues in the near future. “This is the first time ever that we have seen such a number of women in the decision-making process. Now that they are in place, we are hoping they will take care of the gender aspect whenever it arises,” Parveen Qadir Agha, secretary to the government of Pakistan for the Ministry of Women’s Development, Social Welfare and Special Education, told IRIN in Islamabad. Agha admitted that women had their work cut out for them, but was confident that there would be beneficial results all round. “One of the main priorities is economic empowerment for women. Not only will they become financially stable but they will also be contributing to the economy of the country,” she maintained. “We women in the elected forums of Pakistan will pursue an agenda which eliminates all discriminatory laws against women and addresses social practices which are un-Islamic and militate against women,” Inayatullah added.