QUETTA: Female members of the Balochistan Assembly lodged a protest over what they called the insulting attitude of security officials towards them in the Governor House on Tuesday.

Ms Shahida Rauf, a member of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, informed the house that she and other women MPAs had gone to the Governor House to meet President Mamnoon Hussain but the security staff who had come from Islamabad misbehaved.

She said they stopped vehicles of women MPAs in the parking lot and asked them to go by foot to the Governor’s House.

“The attitude of the security officials was very insulting,” Ms Rauf said, adding that the MPAs were treated as if they were terrorists who would carry out attack in the Governor House.

She said that the president’s security staff had no respect and honour for female MPAs and they were even unaware of customs and traditions of Balochistan where people gave great respect to women and guests.

She said the security staff allowed a senior bureaucrat to go into the Governor House building in his car.

She called upon the government to take notice of the matter and ensure proper protocol and respect to women MPAs in future.

Chief Minister Dr Malik Baloch assured the women MPAs that he would take up the matter with authorities concerned and ensure full protocol and respect to them in future. He informed the house that the security staff belonged to Islamabad who took over all security arrangements when the president or the prime minister came to Quetta.

Senior Minister Sardar Sanaullah Zehri expressed anger over the incident and said “we will not allow our traditions to be broken by anyone,” adding that women MPAs were “our sisters and security staff must give them proper protocol and respect”.

Mr Zehri said he would take up the matter with the governor and other officials concerned.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2015

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