Women on wheels take on Sargodha

30 women participate in a rally at the Police Lines

SARGODHA: Of the 250 women who had signed up with the Women on Wheels project to learn how to drive motorcycles, 30 participated in a motorbike rally in Sargodha on Tuesday. They also received certificates for completing their training.

The women participating in the rally drove motorcycles across Police Lines. They were dressed in green and white as a way to celebrate Defence Day.



Ambassador of Sweden to Pakistan Ingrid Johansson was the chief guest. Minister for Women’s Development Hameeda Waheeduddin, Minister for Higher Education Begum Zakia Shahnawaz, MPAs Farhana Afzal and Rashida Yaqoob, Dr Nadia Aziz, Abdur Razzaq Dhilloon, DIG Zulfiqar Hameed, Chief Minister’s Special Monitoring Unit (Law & Order) Senior Member Salman Sufi, DSP Traffic Sher Bahadur, DPO Sohail Chaudry and Nasir Mehmood Cheema, focal person for Women on Wheels, participated in the rally. Representatives of the Punjab Commission for the Status of Women and Aurat Foundation also attended the event.

Addressing the participants of the rally, Johansson said the women of Pakistan played a remarkable role for progress and development in the country.

“Since the Women on Wheels project took off in May, it has captured the interest of hundreds of women from different socio-economic backgrounds and professions,” Salman Sufi said. Nearly 100 women had learned to drive motorcycles in training sessions organised by Sargodha Traffic Police female wardens. “This project aims to empower women, put an end to street harassment and allow women unimpeded access to public spaces.”



Waheedudin said the project would help women become independent. “More often than not, women have to rely on male members of their family for mobility.” She said the Women on Wheels project aimed to end to gender-based discrimination in society.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 7^th, 2016.