August 24, 2006	Thursday	Rajab 28, 1427

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PESHAWAR, Aug 23: A provincial consultation meeting was told on Wednesday that the civil society groups could play an important role for political empowerment of women and that the group had worked hard to ensure that local government seats reserved for women were filled.

The country executive director of Aurat Foundation, Nigar Ahmad, said the organisation would bring out a report on contributions made by civil society activists in the local government election of 2005.

She was speaking at the two-day consultation held here with coordinators of a recently-concluded campaign — Women participation in Local Government Election 2005.

“The civil society activists have a definite role to play and this has been substantiated in the two campaigns launched during the local government elections of 2001 and 2005 that made 40,000 and 23,766 women, part of the local governance,” she said.

AF Peshawar chapter resident director Rukhshanda Naz said there were apprehensions that such a large number of female candidates would not be available when 33 per cent seats were announced for women in the local government.

However, she pointed out, they ran a countywide campaign and encouraged women to contest the polls.

Later, a certificate-distribution ceremony was held to honour the staff and the district partners who had taken part in the campaigns. Provincial Local Government and Rural Development Minister Sardar Mohammad Idrees was the chief guest and Peshawar District Nazim Haji Ghulam Ali presided over the ceremony.