Parties promise to work for women’s political rights

Amna Sardar, an MPA from KPK, said all parties should agree on issues related to rights of women and minorities

LAHORE:

Parliamentarians from several political parties and various provinces have teamed up for a campaign to promote and protect civil and political rights of women and minorities.

This was announced at a consultation organised by the Democracy Reporting International (DRI) in collaboration with the Punjab Youth Parliamentary Caucus on Thursday.

The consultations, which will be held in all four provinces, are part of DRI’s initiative to facilitate inter-provincial and multi-party dialogue on civil and political rights of women and minorities.

Lawmakers from Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Muslim League–Q (PML-Q), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), National Party (NP) and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) attended the summit.

They presented drafts for campaigns to raise representation of women and minorities on decision-making positions in core committees of political parties, government institutions and in elected bodies.

The MPAs also developed draft advocacy plans for reviewing the system for reserved seats in local governments so that seat holders had direct links with and were accountable to constituents.

Participants agreed that it was imperative for political parties to come together beyond party lines for civil and political rights of women and minorities.

Amna Sardar, an MPA from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said all parties should agree on issues related to rights of women and minorities.

Shama Ishaq, a National Party lawmaker from Balochistan, said political participation of women and minorities in all elected houses should be improved.

“Political parties should work together to build consensus for reforms on these matters”, she said.

MPA Nosheen Hamid said multi-party forums helped develop such consensus among political parties.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 18^th, 2015.