February 17, 2007	Saturday	Muharram 28, 1428

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ISLAMABAD, Feb 16: The chairperson of the Pakistan People‘s Party (PPP) Benazir Bhutto and a group of civil society organizations (CSOs) on Friday condemned the assault on party‘s central information secretary and MNA Sherry Rehman in Karachi on Wednesday.

An unknown assailant hit Ms Rehman in the neck with a blunt instrument as she was standing on the truck with other party leaders in front of the Election Commission office in Karachi to protest against the rigging and use of force in the by-election on February 10.

She fell down unconscious and had to be immediately removed to a hospital where she was hospitalised. The MRI scan showed the injury. She suffered from a concussion of the spine from two hits on the back of her neck.

In a statement on Friday, Ms Bhutto said those who attacked women were dishonourable thugs who violated both Islamic and cultural injunctions against violence on women which neither Islam nor the Indus Valley civilization accepted. “They will surely face natural retribution for the evil acts and be disgraced in the eyes of the public,” she said.

Ms Bhutto prayed for the early recovery of Ms Rahman and demanded arrest of the culprits.

NGOs CONDEMN ATTACK: Representatives of some civil society organizations (CSOs), in a statement, also condemned the attack on Ms Rehman.

The representatives of Pattan Development Organization, Women Councillors Network, Women’s Action Forum, Sustainable Development Policy Institute, ActionAid Pakistan and Sungi Development Foundation said that these tactics of intimidation were highly condemnable especially against women politicians who already faced tremendous socio-cultural constraints for working in male dominated area of politics.

“This is an attempt to terrorise and harass active women politicians. It is urged that the government must find the culprit and award strictest punishment, failure to which will contribute to enhance vulnerability of women in public space and politics. We denounce the use of women against women by retrogressive political forces to promote their anti-women, anti- rights and anti-democracy agenda,” they said.