Punjab assembly women unite across party lines for release of their development funds

[Naveed Yaseen]

Battle of sexes in Punjab Assembly

PPP, PML-Q female legislators stage walkout

Tuesday, October 13, 2009
By Our Correspondent

LAHORE

Female legislators of the PPP and PML-Q and PML-Q dissident group staged a walk out during the assembly session to protest against the provincial government withholding their development funds.

Immediately after the provincial assembly session began, Sagheera Islam of the PPP, on a point of order, lodged protest against discrimination. She claimed that female parliamentarians were not being given development funds. The protest was followed by a joint walk-out of assembly proceedings by PPP and PML-Q female parliamentarians. Najaf Sayyal of the PML-Q dissident group also joined them, alleging that she had also not received development funds.

When female legislators had left, Ijaz Sharif 4 of the PML-Q dissident group on a point of order claimed that female parliamentarians neither had any constituency nor they were elected through ballet. He was of the view that female parliamentarians did not have any right over development schemes and they could not be treated equal to male members who had been elected through ballot.

Female parliamentarians on their return to the House strongly criticised Ijaz Shafi, calling him a turncoat. Nargis Faiz of the PPP urged the Punjab Assembly speaker to give a ruling that male and female parliamentarians were equal and should be given development funds without any discrimination. She alleged that women legislators were the target of been tolerating insulting remarks and taunts. She said women had reached the assembly because of their political struggle and that they were struggling for the women’s rights.

Opposition leader Chaudhry Zaheer condemned the remarks of Ijaz Shafi, saying women were a part of the provincial assembly because they had long political struggle to their credit. He claimed that women legislators were equal to male legislators.

Speaker Punjab Assembly Rana Iqbal in his ruling declared that female parliamentarians were as respectable to him as any male member and there was no discrimination between male and female legislators.

Meanwhile, press gallery of the provincial assembly boycotted assembly proceedings to protest the manhandling of journalists by security staff at Aiwan-e-Iqbal and registration of a case under anti terrorism act against the wife of senior reporter of GEO news channel. Journalists ended their boycott after the law minister assured them that a committee would be constituted to look into the matter.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=202959