PTI women chapter launches membership drive in Kohistan districts

MANSEHRA: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa women’s chapter of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) launched a membership drive across the three Kohistan districts on Saturday.

“This is a great opportunity for the women of Kohistan, who are often confined to domestic life, to come forward and play their role in politics to bring about change in the lives of their gender,” Maliah Ali Asghar Khan, the central senior vice-president of PTI’s women’s wing told a gathering here.

The divisional president for the Hazara division, Uzma Riaz, and the general secretary, Shakila Rabbani, were also in attendance.

Women from various parts of Kohistan attended the meeting and enrolled as political workers, setting a new precedent in their districts’ histories.

“PTI is the party that offers equal opportunities to its female members, allowing them to run the party according to their choice and mandate. The day is not far when our party will bring women to polling stations in large numbers in Kohistan,” she added.

Shakila Rabbani, who contested the February 8, 2024, general elections from the only provincial constituency of the erstwhile tribal belt of Torghar, said that women in the upper parts of Hazara were eager to play an active role in politics but face social barriers.

“For the first time in the history of Torghar, Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan, and Kolai-Palas, our party fielded candidates in the February 8 general elections and encouraged local voters to participate,” she added.

The divisional general secretary added that the membership drive, which had already been launched in other parts of the Hazara division, has now been extended to the Kohistan districts.

“We have set membership targets for all three Kohistan districts and will ensure that as many women as possible join our party,” Rabbani said.