PESHAWAR, Jan 12: Women councillors of the province here on Saturday decided to constitute a united forum to launch a joint struggle for stamping out discrimination faced by them in local bodies.

At a consultative workshop, women councillors from about 19 districts of the NWFP, constituted a 22-member committee which would formulate terms of reference, rules and regulations for the proposed forum.

All the councillors in the workshop, arranged by Aurat Foundation Peshawar Chapter, were unanimous to observe that they had been facing discrimination in distribution of funds, addressing  the  sessions  of  their  respective  councils, representation  in  different committees  and  fixation  of honorariums for members.

The committee members are: Shamim Qaiser Khan, Shazia Tehmas, Fakhrun Nisa and Naheed Zulfiqar from Peshawar; Elizabeth from Malakand; Nusrat Naeem and Rozina Johar from Mardan; Dr Shaheen Zamir and Jamila Tanoli from Mansehra; Shehnaz Ahmad and Ameena from Swat; Parveen Salahuddin from Shangla; Faiza Hameed from Swabi; Shakeela and Ayesha from Karak; Naseem Khattak from Nowshera; Rohaila and Mussarat from Chitral; and Tasleem Akhtar and Rukhsana Shaheen from Haripur.

Most of them questioned that why the government had reserved 33 per cent seats for women when they had no powers in day-to-day business of local councils and had no funds to begin projects for their people.

“We will struggle for our rights and want to get due powers under the Local Government Ordinance 2001,” said Shameem Qaiser Khan, district councillor from Peshawar. She added: “I got elected as councillor of district as well as union council and my voters have been coming to me, but I have no authority to solve their problems.”

Shazia Tehmas, district councillor from Peshawar regretted that women councillors had not been trained so that they could be aware about their powers under the Local Government Ordinance 2001. “We want to raise important issues pertaining to women but the convener of the session very rarely allow us to speak,” she added.

Fakrun Nisa said they had neither been provided funds nor invited to important programmes of the council. She added that not a single copy of the Local Government Ordinance had been given to any woman councillor, which could help her in realizing her powers and responsibilities.

Shagufta Rehman from Nowshera said they had been passing through a bitter experience of the newly established local government system as the male councillors often ridiculed them and they were not taken seriously. She added: “Neither women councillors have any place to sit nor they are provided any office in the district council.”

Kishwar Sultana from Hangu said the government claimed of devolving power to grassroots level, but the elected women members had not been given due importance and even not allowed to speak in sessions of local councils.

All the speakers agreed that there should be a joint forum for all the women councillors of the province. From this forum they would make efforts for achieving their rights equivalent to other members. They added that the peasants and workers and minorities councillors have also been facing almost identical problems.

Naeem Mirza of Aurat Foundation said about 36,000 women councillors had been performing in local councils across the country. He said: “We don’t want to establish a separate government for females, but at least the due rights of women councillors shall be given to them.” More benefits should also be extended to women as they were at a disadvantaged position.