FAISALABAD City News

Women on wheels hit Faisalabad

Sanaullah, others lead women bike rally

From Our Correspondent

FAISALABAD: The Chief Minister’s Special Monitoring Unit organised a women motorcycle rally under the women on wheels project here on Sunday.

Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan, Special Monitoring Unit Senior Member Salman Sufi, DCO Salman Ghani and UAF Vice-Chancellor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan led the rally from the university main gate. It ended at the same place after passing through University Road, Zila Council Chowk and Hilal-e-Ahmar Chowk.

More than 60 woman graduates participated in the rally. Parliamentarians Begum Khalida Mansoor, Madiha Rana and Dr Najma Afzal, CTO Arif Shahbaz Khan Wazeer and others were also present on the occasion.

Earlier, a certificate distribution ceremony was held in the university. Speaking on the occasion, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said that the Punjab government was taking revolutionary steps to empower the women. He said that the Women Protection Act was also part of the measures being taken by the government for safety of the women. He said that the women on wheels were another remarkable project of the Special Monitoring Unit under the CM directions. The law minister said that 50 per cent population of the country comprised women and it was the need of hour to engage them in economic activities and to fight taboos made on gender discrimination. He said that CM Shahbaz Sharif had approved Rs 100 million for providing support to the motorcycle rider women and more funds would also be provided in case of further need. He congratulated those women who had completed their motorcycle riding training successfully. The minister said that the Dolphin Force had been working efficiently in Lahore and it would soon be introduced in Faisalabad to decrease the street crime and protect the motorcycle rider women.

Senior Member Special Monitoring Unit Salman Sufi said that the women on wheels project had been initiated by the Chief Minister’s Special Monitoring Unit in Sargodha, Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and Multan. He said that the project would be expanded to 36 districts of the province. He said that a mega rally would be held in Lahore on November 27 in which all women on wheels graduates from the five districts would be invited to participate.

DCO Salman Ghani said that the women on wheels programme was a commendable step to encourage the women for riding motorcycles. He assured full cooperation of the district government to make the programme a success.

UAF Vice-Chancellor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that the university had managed to distribute more than 600 cycles among the woman students with the cooperation of a local industrial group to promote the culture.