May 22, 2003	Thursday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 19,1424

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QUETTA, May 21: Women members of the Balochistan Assembly belonging to the PML-Q have demanded representation in the decision and policy-making institutions of the province so that they could play their due role to safeguard the interests of women.

Speaking at the Quetta Press Club programme “Conversation” here on Wednesday, they announced that women would continue their struggle against so-called “honour killings” so that women of the province could be treated on a par with men.

Ms Nasreen Khetran, a non-Baloch wife of a tribal chieftain and the first woman elected on a General seat from the Barkhan constituency, said that educated women could help change tribal society.

She stressed the need for efforts to provide education on a mass scale to girls so that backwardness of the province could be brought to an end.

She was critical of a former governor of Balochistan for giving what she called Barkhan the step-motherly treatment.

She said schools funds were withheld in her constituency and there was no hospital or other basic health unit in the area.

She said Balochistan women were very talented and they could prove an asset for the development of the province.

Ms Rubina Irfan stressed the need for introducing cottage industry in the province so that financial position of the people of the area could improve.

She said she had established a training centre for women in Kalat and more than 500 women would benefit from it.

Rahila Durrani, a social worker, said that women wanted to play a positive role in society.

Quetta Press Club president Rashid Beg, in his welcome address, said this programme had been launched to give an opportunity to the people’s representatives to air their feelings and highlight problems they were confronting.