PESHAWAR: Awami National Party Senator Sitara Ayaz has been honoured with national human rights award by the president of Pakistan.

Ms Ayaz, who hails from Jhanda village of Swabi district, is among the founders of Women Action Forum established in Peshawar in 1992 when it was a taboo to talk about women rights in Pakhtun Society.

She also has the credit of being one of the founder members of Human Rights Committee, Peshawar chapter. She also has served as director of All Pakistan Women Association (APWA), Peshawar, for three years, according to a press release issued here on Sunday.

Under her watch, many welfare projects were launched by APWA for social and financial wellbeing of women. She managed to complete all these projects smoothly, contributing a lot to the uplift of Pakhtun women.

Senator Ayaz also created history by becoming the first woman minister in the entire history of politics of the province.

During her tenure as minister, she had the credit to get a bill seeking repeal of the old custom of ‘Ghag’ passed from the provincial assembly.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2016