Attention please: Girls and women of all age groups are requested to keep at least two adult men or four adult women with them, regardless of whether they are at home or elsewhere. This measure will help in case the woman in question is raped. The witnesses can then testify in court and help the victim get justice. Rapists are also requested not to harm these

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Why were some of Pakistan’s women disenfranchised in this year’s elections?  This was the question on my mind as reports surfaced the day after the election that all the major political parties – PPP, PML-N, JUI, PTI – had signed agreements stating that women would not be allowed to vote in certain districts of Pakistan. 

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Women make up almost half of the almost 200 million people inhabiting Pakistan. That is indeed a huge number, but come election time, and the percentages we see the statisticians throwing at us present a pretty dismal picture.

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Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is set for his third term as the country’s prime minister. The economy is crippled, the people unhappy and a huge energy deficit reigns in the country. Islamic extremism has tarnished the image of the country in the world. Will Sharif be able to overcome the daunting tasks that lay in front of him? Will he able to do justice to the expectations of the women in the Pakistani society? Will he able to really bring about a change in Pakistan? WTO reporter Roma Rajpal asked five Pakistani women from varied backgrounds about their expectations.

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The sentence,  “Siyasut main barabri mera haq” means, equality in politics is my right. In Pakistan, when it comes to women, politics and voting, the picture looks bleak. For instance according to this report by FAFEN (Fair and Free Election Network), a gender analysis was conducted, revealing startling results. Out of a total number of 4,671 candidates contesting for National Assembly seats in the 2013 elections in Pakistan, there are only 161 women contesting for the elections – or just 3.5% of the candidates are female! An alarmingly low number.

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The twenty-first century described the rise of a new dawn for women in our part of the world. They were seen leaving their mark in various professional fields which were considered to be chiefly male dominated and they excelled. They also keenly participated in politics, another arena where men rule the roost, and proved their worth – a testimony of positive change in the mindsets of the people at large.

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This year has so far been historic for Pakistan. For the first time, a government has completed  its five-year tenure since the formation of the state in 1947 and the candidates have been thoroughly scrutinized. The constituencies are also being monitored in a way like never before.

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