Marginalised women

Leading political parties of Balochistan have no plans yet to put forward any woman candidate for a mayoral post.

While the tide is shifting in much of Pakistan as more and more women enter the public domain, Balochistan still appears to be trapped in a time warp. The voice of the other half of the population there largely goes unheard. Its rights are denied or violated with impunity. To contemplate the possibility of Balochistan women being perched on the leadership throne is to indulge in fanciful thinking. The patriarchal culture there is too entrenched for women to break from its clutches. In this context, when some 11,000 councillors go to elect the city mayors and chairmen of local governments next month across Balochistan, it will be a miracle if any woman bucks the trend and takes the top slot anywhere.

An exhaustive report in this paper, which quotes different political leaders, makes it abundantly clear that leading political parties, both in the government and the opposition, have no plans yet to put forward any woman candidate for a mayoral post. When quizzed pointedly, some of the political party representatives simply pooh-poohed the idea. National Party’s spokesman questioned the right of women elected indirectly to be considered for the mayoral job. Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party’s representative was rather brusque in dismissing the idea as he said that in the presence of competent (male) candidates ‘we cannot elect any female’. If this logic is to be accepted, why were women elected on reserved seats considered for the high office of Speaker of the National Assembly or deputy speaker of the Sindh Assembly? This accommodation is meant to empower a section of society which has traditionally been ignored in matters of governance. It burnishes Pakistan’s credentials as a tolerant and accommodative nation which cares for its women and gives them their due right.

However, the political and feudal class in Balochistan is not ready yet to give similar treatment to its women. A sad reflection of this is evidenced in the fact that four leading coalition parties here — the PML-N, PML-Q, PkMAP and NP — have not allocated a single cabinet office to any female members of the provincial assembly. A province which carries the unenviable distinction of burying its women alive (the infamous 2008 incident), must do something to create a better image.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2014.

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