Since its the weekend (I have time!) & the teacher in me wants to educate you:
1. She didnt seek permission from her family. It wasnt a family decision. It was HER individual decision. Everyone is free to choose how to live their lives. Family hai; jirga nahi.
2. Please read this document called THE CONSTITUTION. Article 51(1) of the Constitution provides for reserved seats for non-Muslims & women. Article 51(3) will enlighten you on how many seats are reserved. Requires you to do a little reading though. Clearly, you're not a fan...
3. While there are arguments that can be made ag/ reserved seats, the argument you're trying to make is flawed. In the 2018 GEs, over 45% of political parties didnt field a female candidate for direct election. Where women were given tickets was in constituencies where the
political party in question had little to no likelihood of winning. That the reserved system is problematic has already been expressed by many, including SMM herself. Again, you're a journalist so please do a little bit of research & ask the person concerned. What you seem
to suggest is that women should have (further) reduced avenues for entering into Parliament seeing as how the system works in such a way that electoral laws are skirted/manipulated to field more male candidates than female candidates. That is a twisted argument and your problem
doesnt seem to be SMM's reserved seat but access of women in general. I cant help you with that!
For the record, out of the parties in Parliament, pl see the names each party proposed for the women's list. SMM is one of the few there who is not a relative of a male politician.
27 names that PMLN proposed (Ishrat Ashraf, Zaib Jaffar - relatives of Jaffar Iqbal; Maiza Hameed; Shaista Pervez Malik; Mariyam & Tahira Aurangzeb; Mussarat and Shaza Fatima - Kh. Asif's relatives; Rida Khan - Mushahidullah's daughter; Zahra Fatemi, etc.). Then see the PPP list:
(Faryal Talpur, Dr. Azra Pechucho; Nida Khuhro; Rubina Qaimhani). Then PTI list even (Nafisa Khattak, Noreen Ibrahim, Sajida Zulfiqar).
None of this is to say that these women didnt deserve it but to give context.
Wanted to make you a more informed citizen :) you're welcome!
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