KARACHI, July 7: The Aurat Foundation has urged the women to contest the ensuing local bodies’ elections 2005 so that they could become a part in the decision-making at the local level and safeguard the rights of women. Speaking at a press conference at Karachi Press Club here on Thursday, Aurat Foundation Sindh chief Anis Haroon, Lala Hasan Pathan and Nuzhat Shirin, said that the foundation, under its election campaign Citizens Campaign for Women Representation (CCWR), has set up 23 district committees in the interior of the province and 18 town committees in the city to assist women candidates.

There are 23 districts and over 1,110 union councils in the province and the elections are being held in three stages.

They said these committees would establish their information offices near offices of the returning officers from July 18 to July 20 to assist women candidates in filling in their nomination forms and providing them other relevant information.