PESHAWAR, March 4: The People's Party Parliamentarians has denied that its district organizations in Dir (upper) and Dir (lower) have opposed the participation of women voters in the local bodies by-elections in the two districts.

Talking to Dawn here on Thursday, the PPP parliamentary leader in the NWFP Assembly, Abdul Akbar Khan, denied that his party was opposed to the participation of the womenfolk in the local bodies by-elections to be held on march 20, and March 28, in the two districts. "The PPP believes in the equal rights to the womenfolk, which makes up half of our society," he added.

He warned that none of the PPP office-bearers in any district had the right to take the undemocratic, unjust and unwise decision, which was opposed to the PPP's basic political philosophy and the directives of party chairperson, Benazir Bhutto.

The PPP led by a woman could not dare to take such a decision, he observed. Mr Khan said the PPP was not bound to abide by the decision of a group, barring women voters from polling during the local bodies by-elections. The party had decided to take action against those who would be found involved in the decision, he added.