PESHAWAR, Feb 25: Scores of women from different tribal areas on Monday complained of their misery and demanded proper representation in parliament.

Holding banners and placards, these women had gathered on Sher Shah Soori Road outside Peshawar Press Club.

Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf women wing leader Ayesha Gulalai, who led protesters, said the successive government had never paid due attention to development of women in tribal regions. She said women in Fata should be given their constitutional and legal rights to receive education, participate in politics and get employment.

“The womenfolk in Fata can raise voice for their rights but they need a suitable platform to bring them into mainstream of life,” she said. Ms Gulalai said tribal women should be given proper representation in parliament through election so that they could have a say in the process of policymaking about their region.

She said in the male-dominated society, women were given no right to play role in the traditional jirga system at least to represent the vast population of women by sharing opinion, mainly for restoration of peace.

The PTI leader said her was the only political party that arranged a long march against the US drone attacks in Fata and took the matter to the international media.

She said only innocent people were targeted in the attacks and its ultimate effect was on whole of the country.

Ms Gulalai said the only effective way to overcome Fata problems was to Fata women proper representation in policymaking process so that they could apprise stakeholders of their problems.

She said tribal people were deliberately kept backward in all fields, and a large number of women had lost life due to the ongoing situation in Fata.

She said despite having great role in establishment of peace, she said women were not being taken into confidence in decision-making process.

The PTI leader said it was not difficult to restore peace in Fata if the government was ready to give equal opportunities to tribal women in parliament.

“We only want quality education and health facilities and employment opportunities in Fata,” she said.

A woman from South Waziristan, Baseerat Bibi, asked the government to expedite efforts for restoration of durable peace in South and North Waziristan, saying that was the only way to pave way for development and progress in the tribal areas.