PTI fields women candidates in KP conservative districts

MANSEHRA: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has fielded women aspirants for the February 8 elections in highly conservative Kohistan and Torghar districts.

“We don’t claim to be champions of women’s rights, we have practically proven it as the party’s founder Imran Khan advised we have submitted our nomination papers in Kohistan and Torghar districts,” Shakeela Rabbani, the PTI’s women wings divisional general secretary, told reporters on Sunday.

The candidates’ lists of Torghar and Kohistan districts constituencies for the first time in the country’s history experienced names of woman aspirants and the nomination papers of all are cleared by their respective Returning Officers.

Shakeela has been participating in general elections from the erstwhile tribal belt of Mansehra district NA-41 Torghar, and the Returning Officer of that constituency gave her a clean chit to sail in electioneering from here.

The PTI’s Divisional President (Women wing) Uzma Riaz, who is also a former MPA of her party, has been contesting elections from PK-31 Upper Kohistan.

Her party’s other leaders Tehmina Faheem and Rina Anwar have also submitted their nomination papers from that constituency. The PTI central governing body’s member, Momina Basit, is also in the running from KP-33 of Kolai-Palas (Kohistan) and her nomination papers are also cleared by the Returning Officer concerned.

Shakeela said her party was giving due importance to issues faced by the women in such remote parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“We have the distinction of having our women’s chapter in Upper Kohistan, which is a record and its president Rina Anwar, a daughter of soil, stands among PTIs probable list to find an opportunity to run from here,” she said.