Women should make education their priority in order to play their role in the development of the society, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MPA Advocate Meher Sultana said while talking to Pakistan Today.
She said development was not possible if women do not contribute to the society and education was the only way in which their capabilities could be enhanced and used
Women were faced with multiple problems because of lack of education, she said, adding that education would result in better environment at home and would also reduce the economic burden on the husband.
“Efforts are underway to educate women about their political right to increase their vote casting ratio in the upcoming poll,” she said.
She said the female members of the KP assembly were “puppets” and had no real role in the proceedings since they were dominated by the male majority, adding that even though it was discouraging, the women parliamentarians would continue to fight for their due share in the parliament.
She said the existing representation of women in the Assembly was not enough and if the number of seats were increased, women would feel more confident. She said the Pukhtun society was a great society when it came to women rights but the only problem was education and if that is imparted, the situation would improve greatly.
She said the time was ripe to work on the mindsets of people and to remove the idea from their mind that educating women was against Islam. “A mother is the child’s first source of knowledge. How can we leave her uneducated,” she said.
She said gender rights in the country would have to cater to the limitations imposed by Islam because development did not mean that a society’s traditional and cultural values be trampled upon. “Islam is the best religion and both male and female rights have been stipulated in the best way and there can be no parallel,” she said.
