Women in public buses

THIS refers to the letter ‘Plight of women in public buses’ (March 30) by Sq-Ldr (Rtd) S. Ausaf Husain. There are two things I would like to point out.

First, the writer says that men occupy seats in the women’s compartment. But he did not mention if women also occupy seats in men’s compartment.

At least in Lahore I have noticed women barging into men’s compartment upon not finding empty seats in their own compartment. Men, who board the transport, had to stand as a result.

It is possible that same happens in Karachi as well. The police action should, therefore, not be specifically targeted towards men. Instead, they should take to task anyone who sits in the compartment reserved for the opposite gender.

Second, the writer argued that there should be no separate sections for women travellers. This is not a viable solution since many travellers, both men and women, will not be comfortable with this idea and might even find it quite objectionable. What applies to India and other countries does not necessarily apply to Pakistan.

HASSAAN QAYYUM
Lahore

Dawn