PESHAWAR: Representatives of various civil society organisations on Thursday lauded the government for extending the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Commission on the Status of Women Act 2016 to the Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (Pata) and asked the federal government to extend all pro-women laws to Fata as well.
Addressing a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club, coordinator for Blue Veins, Qamar Naseem, thanked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for the extension of the act to Pata and said it was an achievement.
Extension of the act would control violation of women’s rights, address individual grievances and lead to better management and efficient provision of justice and social services through the relevant forums and authorities, he added.
Shafiq Gigyani, from the NGO Chaperchal, said that the abolition of the Articles 246 and 247 of the Constitution would ensure basic rights to the tribal people, adding that Fata could be brought into national mainstream by its merger into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Taimur Kamal, coordinator for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Civil Society Network, told media that the inhabitants of Pata were unlucky as the acts of Parliament were not applicable to the region unless the governor of the province with the approval of the president issues a notification about their applicability there.
Redesh Tony, an activist of minorities’ rights, said that law enacted in Pakistan that guaranteed equality and protection for women have never been extended to Pata.
