Former BA speaker Rahila Durrani urges voters to support women candidates

Says it is the only way to secure women’s rights

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and NA-265 candidate Rahila Hameed Khan Durrani has appealed to womenfolk to vote for women candidates in the upcoming general elections 2018, saying that women's rights can only be secured if they are elected.

In an interview with PTV, she emphasised, "Casting vote is a national obligation. By using this power, female voters should come out on July 25 and vote for the electable, who deserve to reach the parliament and strive for public rights."



For the first time in Pakistan's history, as many as 25 women politicians will contest general polls 2018 from Balochistan, she added.

Durrani, who is a former Balochistan Assembly speaker, also urged the media to launch an awareness campaign to educate the female voters about the importance of vote in the country, especially in the remote parts.

She claimed that female contestants would solve issues of the weaker gender on priority basis.



"I will try to meet the expectations of the people of Balochistan," she added. "We believe in equality and only a fair representation of women can address their issues."

Durrani said, “Women have a lot of potential in politics and it is high-time they are made a part of Balochistan's conventional political structure. Women are the most neglected, and I want to awaken them to politics so that they can take part in the democratic process."
She urged to address the problems being faced by women.

Durrani asked religious scholars to encourage women's participation in the election process through public awareness programmes.
Despite progress in different areas over the past decade, many women were still suffering from domestic violence and negative traditions, she lamented.