‘Women’s empowerment must for national development’

Islamabad : As her classmate cried tears of anguish at being harassed by boys on the way to school in Swat, Aisha grabbed the orphan girl’s hand and took her to the police station to report eve-teasing.

Not only did the station house officer deploy police personnel near the girls’ school, he got the minor child’s harassers arrested and punished as well.

The action sent out a strong message and from that day on, schoolgirls didn’t face street harassment.

As Aisha was a real help to class fellows on and off campus, no one at that time imagined that one day, the brave-heart from Kabal area will enter politics to further the cause of the women’s education and empowerment.

“Like other girls of my area, I got married at an early age. The marriage instantly interrupted my education but I resumed studies later and graduated from a local university. At the same time, I began teaching young female learners at my home and opened the area’s first girls-only school in baithak (drawing room) at the age of 21 years. Now, the school has 13 campuses offering free education to around 2,500 children every year,” former MNA Aisha Syed told ‘The News’.

As a staunch advocate of women's rights, the Swat resident with strong political and financial background also helped local women shape their lives through economic empowerment and autonomy, and rights protection.

“The poor women made shawls at home but got a paltry sum of Rs20 daily. I guided them, built their capacity and got them contracts and thus, increasing their monthly earning to Rs30,000. I also helped women prisoners and those living off charity,” she said.

Though social services won Aisha the prestigious President’s Award for Pride of Performance, she soon realised that the expansion of such activities was possible only from a political platform. Accordingly, she joined the Jamaat-i-Islami party, whose founders included her father.

From then onwards, the Jamaat made her the general secretary of its women’s wing, central deputy general secretary and even the Member of the National Assembly on one of the special seats reserved for women.

During her term as MNA from 2013 to 2018, Aisha Syed stood out among women colleagues in legislation.

“I sponsored 12 private member’s bills jointly and one individually and tabled most motions, which all highlighted issues of public importance, including an increase in maternity leaves for working women, stricter punishments for corrupt officials and public office holders, effective crackdown on obscenity, interest-free economy, trial of the perpetrators of the child abuse cases under the anti-terrorism law, enforcement of decrees by judicial process, protection of witnesses in legal proceedings, an end to unnecessary adjournments of legal cases, the welfare of people with disabilities, especially women, freedom, and protection of journalists, and promotion of the teachings of the Holy Quran,” she said.

The former lawmaker also has the approval of a women’s university for Swat and resumption of classes in many girls’ schools and construction of roads in the region to her credit.

Advocating the women’s empowerment for national development, Aisha Syed said as MNA, she had proposed on the floor of the house that anyone, who denied female members of their families the right to inheritance, shouldn’t be allowed by the law to hold public office.

“I know so many women, who are not entitled to their legitimate share in inheritance. Also, there are many, who work in the federal government institutions but don’t get the due promotion. I strongly feel that we can become a strong nation only if women are empowered within the family and outside,” she said.