PESHAWAR, July 19: The Aurat Foundation has suggested to the major political parties to include some change-oriented points in their manifestos regarding empowering womenfolk in all walks of life.

Speaking at a news conference here at the Peshawar Press Club, Rakhshinda Naz, resident director of the Aurat Foundation, said they had prepared some suggestions and sent them to the Pakistan People’s Party, Awami National Party and Pakistan Muslim League to make them a part of their electoral programme. The attitude of all these parties was positive, she added.

She said: “The Jamaat-i-Islami and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, both the major religico-political organisations, didn’t respond to our request. We think, without the political support of these parties, women cannot win equal status on economic, political and social planes.”

Most parties, she said, either had come up with their electoral programme or were preparing their manifestos. Unfortunately, these parties had given no incentive to the women, who accounted for half of the country’s population, she added.

The general public and women in particular were faced with many a problem in such areas as health, education and employment, but none of the parties ever tried to solve them, she lamented.

Besides socio-economic ills, she said, women were confronted with a number of discriminatory laws at certain levels, but the political parties remained silent.

She said though the government had increased the number of reserved seats in the Senate, and national and provincial assemblies, but this was not up to their expectations. “We want 33 per cent increase to be made at these fora,” she added.

The women could not benefit from the proportional mode of representation authored by the government, she said.

The decision-makers must revise their decision and reserve 33 per cent seats in the Senate and assemblies for women, she added.

The foundation suggested to the political parties to review their manifestos and incorporate some solid points on empowering women by giving them legal rights, share in employment and representation at decision-making fora, she maintained.