They were speaking on the first day of the two-day provincial conference on “Towards developing a support network for women councillors,” organized by the Aurat Foundation, which was being participated by over 200 women councillors.
Four such provincial conference had been planned in all the four provincial capitals, of which two were held in NWFP and the Punjab, while the final moot of the series would be held in Balochistan.
Sindh Chief Minister’s Home affairs Advisor Aftab Ahmad Shaikh, urging the women councillors to continue struggle for their rights, said that they would have to work to change the mind set of the people to improve the quality of life of the women.
Saying that due to deep-rooted social biases women were exploited in the society, he urged them to get education and also educate their children, particularly the girls.
Referring to violence against women, he said that draft laws were being made to check karo kari, honour killings etc, which would be tabled in the assembly for legislation.
He said that under the devolution plan, the powers were to be transferred to the grassroots level and if the problems of the women councillors were not being solved what could be expected with regard to the common people and women in particular.
He said that women of the region were more enlightened and empowered than in many western democracies, as there had been many women prime ministers — Benazir Bhutto, Indira Gandhi, Khalid Zia, Hasina Wajid, and the mother and daughter in Sri Lanka — in he region, which proved that women were equally capable of achieving the top positions.
Earlier, Sindh Women Development minister Dr Saeeda Mallik, referring to the points raised regarding the violence against women and some ‘discriminatory’ laws, said that the government was formulating drafts and hoped that after these were passed by the assemblies, many problems of women would be solved.
Earlier, City Nazim Naimatullah Khan, referring to the controversial laws, said that he was a supporter of the Hudood Ordinances.
Referring to the issue of honorarium to the councillors, he said that the city council had prepared a case in its support and it had been sent to the provincial government, which had not yet taken any decision on the issue.
He said that he always gave equal priority to the proposals submitted by the women councillors.
Earlier, Anis Haroon of the Aurat Foundation said that as the women were facing discrimination in the society the women councillors, owing to the biased attitude of the officials, were not allowed to perform their duties properly.
She said that as a large number of women councillors had been elected for the first time, they were not aware of the modalities of the system. She said that various training workshops had been organized and a large number of councillors had participated in these.
She deplored that despite Balochistan government’s award of honorarium to the women councillors, these public representatives in Sindh were being deprived of the same facility.
Referring to the growing incidents of violence against women, she said a large number of women were suffering owing to the discriminatory laws enacted during the repressive dictatorial regime of Gen Zia and that these laws, including the Hudood Ordinance, should be abolished.
Many of the councillors complained that they were called to attend the meeting as a formality, while their proposals were not even considered.
They said that in many of the union councils, even the meetings had not been held for a long time, complaining that it was hard for women to travel long distances to attend the district council meetings.
They demanded that they be paid honorarium so that they could perform their role in the local bodies system more effectively.
Referring to growing incidence of violence against women, as reflected by karo kari incidents, so called honour killings, domestic violence etc, they said that due to biased attitude of the law enforcement agency personnel, the culprits were rarely caught or punished, which intimidated women.
Some of the councillors, however, said that they were facing no problems and their development schemes, like the schemes of their male counterparts, were also approved.
Khursheed Begum, Nirmila Devi, Rozan Khatoon, Zahida Shah, Inam Khatoon, Azra Umeed, Fauzia Soomro, Noor Banu, Kaneez Sakeena, Shahzadi, Kulsoom Shama, and the Aurat Foundation’s Project Director, Sajid Mansoor Qaisarni, and others also spoke on the occasion.