KARACHI, Feb 18: Political parties though frequently claim their commitment towards the cause of women uplift yet not many bothered to issue them tickets for elections.

Despite the forward-looking approach of various political parties only 37 women, who were able to gain confidence of their respective party high-ups, were contesting the elections on provincial assembly seats.

Ironically, the number of independent women candidates surpassed the total number of women nominated by parties.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) failed to repose confidence in more than five women allowed to contest elections from the four provinces.

The MQM allotted two tickets each for Punjab and NWFP assemblies, one for the Sindh Assembly and none for any seat in the Balochistan Assembly.

The Pakistan People’s Party, having no dearth of well-educated and die-hard women supporters, only allotted party tickets to six women for contesting elections from provincial assembly seats.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, considered to have rightist inclination, had issued general seat tickets to 13 of its women workers, including 10 for the Punjab Assembly, two for Sindh and one for the NWFP assemblies.

The Pakistan Muslim League allotted nine tickets to its workers for provincial assemblies, one each of them was from Balochistan and the NWFP, four from Punjab and three from Sindh.

PPP-Sherpao, Sunni Tehreek also could not find more than one appropriate woman candidate to represent them in the four provincial assemblies.

In the given backdrop it was not strange that 57 women mustered enough courage to fight as independent candidates.—APP