Day: December 24, 2007

ISLAMABAD (PPI) – More than 50 women candidates are in the field contesting the National Assembly (NA) general seats, of them, some had achieved access to the House by winning elections on general seats earlier also.

PPP, PML, ANP, MQM and PML-N have awarded tickets to these women, of them, those being member of the NA earlier also included Benazir Bhutto, Raffat Javed Kahlone, Zubaida Jalal, Tahmina Daulatana, Hina Rabbani Khar, Begum Abida Hussain and Ghulam Bibi Bharwana, while Khushbakht Shujaat and Ghanwa Bhutto are for the first time participating in the elections.

EC list further said that Fauzia Behram in Punjab contesting on Attock NA-57 and Chakwal NA­60, Begum Malik Shoaib Awan on Sagodha-3 NA-66, Rahila Perveen on Faisalabad NA-78,
Mahwash Chaudhry Advocate on Faisalabad-10 NA-84, Syeda Sughra Imam, Ghulam Bibi
Bharwana on Jhang-2 NA-87, Begum Syeda Abida Hussain on Jhang-3 NA-88, Saima Akhtar
Bharwana on Jhan-5 NA-90, Farkhanda Amjad Waraich on Tobateksingh-1 NA-92, Dr Sadia Mumtaz Daulatana on Tobateksingh-3 NA-94, Aasma Shahnawaz Cheema on Gujrnawala NA-101, Saira Afzal Tarar on Hafizabad-2 NA-102, Firdaus Ashique Awan on Sialkot-2 NA-111, Samra Naz on Narowal-1 NA-115, Suraiyya Asghar on Narowal-2 NA-116, Raffat Javed Kahlone on Narowal-3 NA-117, Saeeda Nazar on Sheikhupura-1 NA-131, Saeeda Nazar on Sheikhupura-2 NA-132, Nurul Aain NA-134, Uzma Wasim, Nilofar Qasim Mehdi Kasur-2 NA-139, Nasira Arshad on Kasur-5 NA-142, Shahnaz Javed on Sahiwal-4 NA­163, Begum Tahmina Daulatana on Vehari NA-168 and 169, Shamoon Ambreen Qaisarani on DG Khan-1 NA-171, Mina Ehsan Laghari on DC Khan-3 NA-173 and former Federal Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Muzaffargarh­2 NA-177.

In the province of Sindh, 13 women contesting NA general seats, which include: Ghanwa Bhutto on Larkana NA-204, Benazir Bhutto on Shahdadkot, Ratodero NA-207, Maleeha Malik on Jacobabad NA-208, Uzra Afzal Pechoho on Nawabshah NA-213, Adeeba Gul Magsi and Shamshad Sattar Bachani on Tando Allahyar cum Matiari, old Hyderabad NA-223, Bibi Yasmeen and Dr Fahmida Mirza on Badin cum Tando M Khan NA-225, Rasheedan Akhtar Phanwar on old Dadu-2 NA-232, Hir Soho on Thatta NA-238, Farah Awan Advocate on Karachi-5 NA-243, Khushbakht Shujaat on Karachi-12 NA-250 and Shazia batool on Karachi-18 NA-256.

Source: The Nation

Date:12/24/2007

ISLAMABAD, Dec 24: A woman was axed to death by her brother’s rivals here on Monday. Police said Matloob had run into a brawl with his rivals in Pind Paryan area last night over some issue. On Monday morning when he left home for his farmland along with some of his relatives in a tractor, his opponents again intercepted him. As they were quarrelling, some elders of the area intervened in the matter and the two parties left the spot.

In the meantime, Matloob’s sister Asia Bibi, 24, came out of her house along with her relative Shahnaz Bibi and rushed towards the house of her brother’s rivals. However, when they reached the house, her brother’s opponents attacked them with axes and batons. Asia fell on the ground after she was hit in the head and started bleeding profusely.

The attackers also beat and injured Shahnaz and escaped from the scene.

Both the injured were shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), where Asia died, while Shahnaz was stated to be out of danger.

Meanwhile, a man was killed after coming under the wheels of a train on Sunday night.

The unidentified deceased was in his 30s. The police said the man was lying naked on the track located at Shams Colony. The driver of the train honked after seeing him on the track but he did not move and was run over.

Source: Dawn

Date:12/25/2007

For the past few years, issues relating to women’s rights and their empowerment have been on the forefront with much fanfare. Be it the government, civil society or the NGO’s — all had been working together to highlight the issues of the urban and rural classes of women but it seems that in their effort to do so they have forgotten about the females coming from rural areas to big cities like Karachi to earn their livelihood.

These women usually working as housemaids faced several problems. Most of them were those who had already been exploited by their own family members and later mistreated by their employers. The employer usually decided the nature of the maid’s work — whether she’d be a nanny, a cook, or a cleaner; whether she’d work for five people or 10; whether her services would be lent to other households, her working hours and rest periods etc. And this attitude was commonly found in Pakistan as people here assumed that if you were paying someone, he or she became your property.

Majority of these women came from Interior Sindh and the Punjab. They had no specific work hours and in most cases they didn’t even get the opportunity to enjoy any public holiday. These women were brutally treated by their own families and were then married to men who were either ten times older than them or already had wives. Moreover, these men were usually jobless and forced their wives to work at the homes of the elite and established families. Later, they demanded a major portion of the earning and sometimes forcibly took all of it from their wives. Even after all this, they wanted their wives to work like animals in order to fill up their pockets.

Hassena, a housemaid in Gulistan-e-Jauhar said, “My parents married me to an old man who is not even able to work. I am his second wife and have four children. Now I have to work to earn a livelihood for my family. I work in four houses and earn about Rs1,500 monthly.” Complaining about her work conditions, Haseena said that they were highly exploited and badly treated by their employers. She continued, “I just want to request the government to provide us with proper employment facilities so that we can also lead a respectable life”.

However, this was no where near the end of their miseries — these females did not even have permanent residential facilities. They just lived from hand to mouth even after a long day of hard work. Their families were not supportive and medical conditions very poor. But these women still kept working under all these conditions for the survival of their families.

Some of these maids were from the lower middle class families but due to some incident or the other, they were forced to work as housemaids. Accidentally, or incidentally they have to join this profession not by choice but by luck. Saira, a 23-year-old young lady was one of them. She was from a noble family but a few years back her father died in an accident and being the eldest she had to work to run her family. Initially she tried to work in some other profession but because of being less qualified she had to take up this line of work. “I was enjoying my life to the fullest but the sudden death of my father made me work as a house maid. I have to feed my mother and four younger siblings. I am satisfied with my life but just have one message for all the people — they should respect all women including their housemaids,” Saira said, adding, “People make us feel embarrassed because of our work and sometimes create hurdles for us. But they should understand that we are not doing this by choice but it is actually our fate.”

Another aspect of this issue was child labour as girls aged 10 to 12 were also working as housemaids. The house owners made these young girls work a lot, ultimately exploiting their childhood. At times they were also abused by the male members of the families. Innumerable cases of sexual harassment and abuse, excessive workload and income-related exploitations have been reported numerously. The mothers of these girls took them along to lessen their work load without realising that they themselves were actually responsible for spoiling the lives of their own children. Hina, 13, faced a similar situation where she was misused by her so called ‘sahab’. Many young girls were mistreated by their authorities and if they did not comply, they were kicked out of those houses.

It is high-time that the concerned authorities do something for the welfare of this working-class of women. Women’s groups, NGO’s and human rights bodies should be more involved in monitoring the working conditions and living standards of these housemaids.

Source: The News

Date:12/24/2007

SWABI: Contrary to previous elections, no non-governmental organisation has come forward this time to educate women voters about their right to vote. The reason is the fast changing scenario in the NWFP, and the increasing incidents of violence.
Sources told Dawn on Sunday that in the past elections, especially for the ones for local bodies, various NG0s had arranged training programmes for women voters but this time they did not have such plans.

When asked, the chief of a leading NGO said no such programme was in the pipeline. However, he brushed aside the threat from the local Taliban. But insiders say the blowing up of CD shops and warning to various girls’ schools were a clear message to the local NG0s to refrain from encouraging women to come out of their homes.

The parents, whose children study in NGO-run schools, have been warned to get them transferred to other schools.

Meanwhile, it has been learnt that the family members of the candidates have started approaching women voters to persuade them to vote for their parties.

Sources said that some women have been going from house to house urging women to cast votes in the forthcoming elections. When asked, the candidates said that they had formulated a special plan under which women voters were being contacted.

They rejected the verbal agreements struck by the candidates in the local government elections under which women were not allowed to vote. However, they admitted that the turnout of women would be low as compared to men because they could not force men to allow their wives or daughters to vote.

The candidates added, however, that they would ensure that a large number of women vote in the elections.

Source: Dawn

Date:12/24/2007

HYDERABAD, Dec 23: A young woman, Kausaur, has sought protection from higher authorities against her mother who she alleged was forcing her into prostitution.

She made the appeal at a press conference at the local press club along with her daughter and her husband Riyasatullah Brohi.

She is from Kanpur in Kotri taluka of Jamshoro district. She said that she had married Riyasatullah in 2002. Her mother, Kishwar took her to Karachi along with her daughter on the pretext that a marriage was scheduled there. She said that her mother took away her baby and asked her to seek divorce from Riyasatullah or else her daughter would be killed.

She said that she appeared before a civil court judge in Karachi and demanded divorce which was announced. Then, she said, she returned to Kotri and put pressure on her family that she wanted to live with her husband.

She said that she had obtained an Islamic decree against her divorce because it was against her consent and under compelling circumstances.

She further said that before Ramazan she returned to her husband but her mother again lodged a case against her husband for kidnapping her with an intention to commit rape.

She said that her mother wanted to force her into prostitution because she herself is living with a man without marriage. She said that she had been threatened that she would not be allowed to approach court of law so that she could make a correct statement.

She said that she needed protection against her mother.
Source: Dawn
Date:12/24/2007