ISLAMABAD, Sept 3: Women parliamentarians from the Pakistan Muslim League on Friday complained that they were being ignored in party matters, on policy issues, foreign tours and other matters concerning the government.

The MPs raised their voice in a meeting called by PML chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain at his residence, which was attended by secretary-general Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, senior vice-president Gohar Ayub Khan and senior party leaders.

The meeting discussed, among other things, fielding of suitable and competent women for the offices of district, tehsil and town nazims. The women MPs forwarded some names to the party leadership for consideration in this regard.

The PML chief asked the women MPs to refrain from expressing their grievances against the party or its leadership through the media.

He said it was a clear policy of the PML that women must be given equal rights in the country’s prosperity and development and their rights ought to be protected so that they could play an effective role in this regard.

He asked the women MPs to discuss their internal differences within the party. He assured them that the PML was a democratic party, which would give due weight to their views.

A committee was formed to receive private bills from the party’s women wing and present those to Chaudhry Shujaat within 48 hours for approval. The committee will comprise Law Minister Wasi Zafar, Mehnaz Rafi, Zeb Gohar Ayub, Noor Jehan Panezai and Rubina Shaheen.

The women MPs were directed to take guidance from the party secretary-general before going to the media.