ISLAMABAD: Political leaders from almost all hue on Tuesday unanimously demanded holding of local bodies’ elections as soon as possible and agreed to giving equal representation to women in the local government.

The policy dialogue: ‘LG Elections and Women Representation’ was organised by Oxfam in collaboration with other human rights organizations.

They also called for introducing local government system in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

They stressed the need for early elections to empower people particularly women at grassroots level.

The PPP leader Taj Haider was of the view that the data available with the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) could be utilised for holding the LG polls.

PML-N's leader, however, said that holding of the elections would be fruitless without national population census.

“If you ask Nadra about the number of people living in certain constituency, you would be given exact figure in just 24 hours. Then why you wait for a lengthy process of population census? It is a deliberate attempt to deprive masses of their representation at grassroots level,” the PPP leader opined.

But PML-N lawmaker Abdul Razzaq linked holding of LG polls to completion of the country-wide census adding that delimitation of constituencies also hinges on exact number of population.

“We will give equal representation to women in the polls but holding elections prior to national census would be a futile exercise. We have raised our voices for the rights of women, be it Dr Afia Siddiqui or Malala,” the Nawaz League MNA said.

But PML-Q leader and president of women wing of her party Farrukh Khan came hard on all political parties arguing that all political parties except hers were on same page to skip the local bodies elections.

“If people are not empowered at union council levels, it will be collective failure of all democratic parties. Entire lawmakers and heads of political leaders will not surrender power to elected representatives on district and tehsil level. Why so far LG polls could not be concluded?” she opined.

While PTI'S Ayesha Gulali said that her party was all set to hold elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in mid-April in which it would give more than 50 per cent representation to women.

ANP's Senator Afrasiab Khattak said that elections must be held in tribal parts of the country.

“Why we all politicians and even state failed to introduce LG polls in Fata? Are the tribal not the sons of the soil? Why we have always treated tribal people as strangers? Women lot in Fata is the worst victim by keeping them away from participation in democratic process,” he added.

MNA Nighat Shakil of MQM while assuring equal representation to women agreed with PML-N leader that national population census would be a key to holding transparent elections in the country.

Human rights activist Tahira Abdullah during a question session lambasted the political parties for not giving tickets to women candidates to fight elections on general seats adding that reserved seats for women was no service to women but to dynastic politics.

“In Turkey, political parties award tickets to women on winning seats but unfortunately male politicians in Pakistan would not give the chance to female party candidate. We as women rights activists will continue to raise our voices for empowerment of women and not for selection of women,” she said.