• Bilawal distributes e-bikes among 200 lucky recipients
• Says Sindh govt introducing pink taxis

KARACHI: It felt like stepping into Barbie Land. There were pink scooters at the entrance, pink scooters along the aisles and so many women dressed in pink. If they were not wearing pink clothes, then they had pink helmets on. They were the lucky recipients of some 200 free pink electric scooters distributed by Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari during a ceremony at a venue adjacent to Bilawal House here on Thursday.

Pink is a colour usually associated with softness and femininity. But on Thursday pink became the colour of empowerment and bravery as the women rode home or wherever else they felt like going on their e-scooters. To aid them in doing so as quickly as possible, there were also officers of the department of Excise and Taxation of Sindh for registration and issuance of new licence plates to each lucky scooter owner.

Maria Mazhar Ghori, a schoolteacher, told Dawn that she had received training in motorcycle riding from the women’s bike riding and self-defence club, Bint-i-Ahan, which was also organised for women by the Government of Sindh through a public-private partnership with the KFC with the slogan “Empower her, empower the future”.

Urooj Anwer also said that she did not know how to ride a motorcycle earlier. “I found out about this scheme through an advertisement. “After accessing the website mentioned in the advertisement and filling out the online form, it was not that long a wait before I got a phone call along with an email informing me that I was eligible for training,” she said.

“It did cross my mind while filling out the form that maybe the advertisement was just the eyewash and all the scooters will go to some favoured people’s sister, daughter or wife. But I was wrong,” she added.

Ayesha Mateen, a trainee chef, dressed in pink from head to toe, said that she had learned how to ride a motorbike two years ago but she did not have a bike herself. “I used to get after my mother to get me one but it did not happen. I’m so grateful to God that He answered my prayers and I could get this scooter through this government scheme,” she said.

Sambreen Karim Mughal, an early childhood education teacher, said that she was equally happy about her new pink scooter and her new helmet. “It is for our safety. I will always wear this helmet when riding,” she said. “In fact. I wish they had given us two matching helmets for a pillion rider,” she said.

Meanwhile, Javeria Khalid, a student of MBA, said that she has experience of riding many different big and small motorcycles on all kinds of roads in Karachi. “I absolutely love my pink scooter,” she said. “But I’m only worried about the battery getting stolen,” she said. She explained that the scooters are entirely electric, not hybrid, which is great as they will save on fuel. “But the battery is portable and placed under the seat, which easily lifts open,” she shrugged.

A few of the cool riders also entered the ceremony hall on their new scooters amid thunderous applause. One of them, Syeda Taskeen, said that she used to depend on her father to drive her to places. “But things are going to change for the better now for both me and my father when I will be available to take him places on my pink scooter,” she said.

Speaking on the occasion, PPP Chairman Bhutto-Zardari commended the Transport Department, saying that it was a big day for the Sindh government and that he was glad to see the transportation issues of women being addressed through such schemes, which also included the Pink Bus.

He said that soon they would also be introducing pink taxis. “No nation can prosper without women’s participation and that their initiatives help provide the women workforce with mobility and empowerment.”

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Mr Bilawal also pushed for more public-private partnerships, as was done for the Pink Scootie Scheme for training riders, in other fields.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah remembered the late Benazir Bhutto and various firsts for women which were attributed to her. “Herself the first women prime minister of an Islamic republic, she founded women police stations and now her vision is being carried forward by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and President Asif Ali Zardari, who started the Benazir Income Support Programme,” he said, while mentioning other PPP initiatives such as giving peasant women land and home ownership, etc.

Sindh Senior Minister for Information, Transport and Mass Transit, Sharjeel Inam Memon said that the pink scooter scheme was not just about transportation, it was also about women empowerment. “They are also eco-friendly scooters,” he pointed out.

“And they are more than just machines, as they are the vision of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, President Asif Ali Zardari and other PPP leadership, including the Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah who extends full support for such causes, including the Pink Buses.

“PPP is synonymous with women empowerment,” he said. CEO of KFC Raza Pirbhai also spoke.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2025