105 bravehearts file nominations papers in Dir
Delawar Jan Banori
DIR: More than 105 female candidates have filed their nomination papers in both districts of Dir for Local Bodies elections despite strong opposition from all parties, particularly religious parties.
Fifty female candidates filed their nomination papers for general and peasant seats in Lower Dir distric,t spurning a much-criticized ban imposed on them by all political parties to contest elections and cast votes in the local bodies polls scheduled to be held in August.
The defiance of illegal and unconstitutional ban on women to contest elections came as a blow to all parties particularly the religious parties, which were vigorously opposing women participation in the LB polls.
It also merits a mention that more 55 women filed their nomination papers in Upper Dir district against general and peasant seats. On the whole, more than 105 female filed their nomination papers in both the districts of Dir, which is much higher than 2001.
The reports regarding barring women from contesting elections got the attention of the federal government as well as Election Commission (EC) of Pakistan, and they made hectic efforts to ensure female participation in the polls and discourage those elements who were out to bar females from taking part in the election process.
As part of its efforts, the federal government sent advisor to Prime Minister on women development, Nilofar Bakhtiar, to district Dir Lower to monitor the situation as 27 July was the last date for filing nomination papers.
The main objective of Ms Bakhtiar's visit was to ensure that females are not barred from filing their nomination papers. She also accompanied four females in filing their nomination papers and went with them to the returning officer for the purpose.
"We wrote a new history of Dir vis-à-vis women rights and no-one would dare in future to usurp women rights," she declared while addressing guest-hour programme of the Lower Dir press club.
She asked the provincial government to immediately arrest the murderers of Zubaida Baigum, a women rights activist who was killed along with her daughter for having affiliation with an NGO, and warned if provincial government failed in arresting the culprits, she would bring special forces from Islamabad and would arrest the murderers. No untoward incident was reported till filing of this report and filing of nomination papers by women continued smoothly. |
