Women in politics

Pakistan is one of the largest countries globally in terms of population. We have a history of mistreating women. The posi­tive aspect is that there has been a woman prime minister in our country, and human rights orga­nizations have been fighting for equal treatment of women for years. Women are not treated equally in our country and face discrimination. Forty-nine per­cent of the population are women, yet it is a male-dominated society. Despite the time that has passed since Pakistan was created, dis­crimination against women still persists and is a problem. In sim­ple terms, there are no women’s rights. Women are often confined to being wives, expected to take care of children, be good house­wives, and manage all household chores and duties.

There is a very small percentage of women in the parliament and other aspects of society, which is sad and disturbing. I believe that women should be granted all rights, and there should be more women in parliament. The laws do not favour women. A country can­not progress if it does not treat its women equally. We should break this taboo and treat women with the respect they need and deserve.

According to reports, Paki­stan lags behind even Somalia or Rwanda when it comes to women in politics, which is terrible. This fact saddens me about the direc­tion our country is heading, and I don’t know what will become of it. Women are not even allowed to vote. I believe that as a society, we should encourage co-education, and there should be more univer­sities dedicated to women, allow­ing them to be educated so that our nation can flourish.

Also, there should be more women elected in the national as­sembly. Pakistani women struggle for a voice in politics, and we must not let their cries go unheard.

DANIAL TANVIR

ISLAMABAD