PESHAWAR, Jan 13: Denouncing the disenfranchisement of women during the by-election in Bajaur Agency, participants at a consultation on Saturday stressed sensitisation of different segments of society specially Ulema for mainstreaming of women’s participation in the political process.

They suggested that like the settled areas, political parties should be allowed to freely function in the Federally-Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and for that purpose the Political Parties Order should be extended there.

The consultation programme on “Strengthening democracy through participation of women in politics” was organised by the Institute of Legal Studies and attended by women MPAs, lawyers and social activists.

Participants recommended that special emphasis should be on improving educational facilities in tribal areas. Political parties should also be sensitised on such issues as mostly they enter into agreements in tribal areas regarding women’s vote, they added.

“The Constitution guarantees equal political rights to men and women. Barring women from participating in the political process is unconstitutional and a condemnable act,” said Qazi Mohammad Jamil, a former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association.

He said that allowing women to cast vote was not a concession to them as it was their fundamental right.

Mr Jamil regretted that even in some settled districts the practice of disenfranchisement of women was in vogue. “The Supreme Court had ruled in the cases of Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif that formation of a political party is a fundamental right and there are various other rights attached to it including the right to vote,” he said.

“Although, Islam guarantees rights to women, but centuries-old traditions and customs have been kept sacrosanct and the male-dominated society is adamant to allow changes in the outdated and inhuman traditions,” said Farah Aqil Shah, an MPA of the Awami National Party.She said that she had twice filed resolutions in the provincial assembly regarding disenfranchisement of women in the local government elections and would also agitate the barring of women from casting votes in Bajaur Agency in her party meeting.

She said that the concept of ‘pardah’ was never a barrier in the participation of women in the political and social life as various women MPAs had been doing well in the National and provincial assemblies despite observing complete ‘pardah’.

“It is the need of the hour to establish more and more schools in tribal areas and also to educate male members of the society so that they may not place undue curbs on political rights of women,” Ms Shah said, adding that although their male counterparts in the assembly had been giving them secondary status as they got elected on reserved seats, but still they had been doing their level best to address public issues.

JUI MPA Rehana Ismael highlighted the role of Ulema in creating awareness in the tribal society about political rights of women. “As the inhabitants of tribal areas are against NGOs and other organisations, therefore change could be brought by utilising services of clerics who enjoy influence on people,” she said.