Despite the presence of a large number of political families, not a single female member of these powerhouses has ever been part of the national or provincial assemblies.
The legacy of women leaders from Sindh is formidable, most notably because of Benazir Bhutto’s rise to power. Ghotki however, located in upper Sindh, is notorious for its bloody tribal clashes and frequent cases of karo-kari (honour killing).
It’s not like Ghotki has a political vacuum of any kind. Almost all political parties, including Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have a presence there. Ghotki is the same district where PTI held one of its largest public gatherings, and where Shah Mahmood Qureshi joined the party. Yet, not a single female political worker or member of an influential political family in the region has come forward to join the government.
According to Raja Mujeeb, a social activist who focuses on violence against women, ‘sardar culture’ poses a hurdle: “You can see two or four sardars in a district but we have 12 sardars. They dominate politics. They do not support their own women to participate in politics, then how can they encourage others? I do not see how any of them can break this barrier,” he added.
Read more at The Express Tribune, published 21 November 2012.
Despite the presence of a large number of political families, not a single female member of these powerhouses has ever been part of the national or provincial assemblies.
The legacy of women leaders from Sindh is formidable, most notably because of Benazir Bhutto’s rise to power. Ghotki however, located in upper Sindh, is notorious for its bloody tribal clashes and frequent cases of karo-kari (honour killing).
It’s not like Ghotki has a political vacuum of any kind. Almost all political parties, including Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have a presence there. Ghotki is the same district where PTI held one of its largest public gatherings, and where Shah Mahmood Qureshi joined the party. Yet, not a single female political worker or member of an influential political family in the region has come forward to join the government.
According to Raja Mujeeb, a social activist who focuses on violence against women, ‘sardar culture’ poses a hurdle: “You can see two or four sardars in a district but we have 12 sardars. They dominate politics. They do not support their own women to participate in politics, then how can they encourage others? I do not see how any of them can break this barrier,” he added.
Read more at The Express Tribune, published 21 November 2012.