The women councillors' network has rejected local government ordinance amendments aimed at slashing numbers of councillors, declared countrywide agitation from district level to center and women councillors belongs to Punjab, Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan would hold convention in Islamabad on January 14 to 15.
"We have united against the unjustified amendments and decided for fighting till the achievement of goals and we will not allow the bureaucracy to sabotage local government system", the network declared.
The slash on numbers of seats has invited a strong reaction among women representatives and they termed it the beneficiaries of amendments are the only elite class instead of working classes and it would further strengthen this particular class for capturing power corridors.
Office bearer of WCNW of Multan, Muzaffargarh and Khanewal in a joint press conference on Thursday widely lambasted slashing the numbers of union councils from 21 to 13 and feared the decision would further reduce numbers of women councillors.
While declaring their protest schedule, the WCNW office bearers said that women councillors in all the districts would set up protest camps in first phase from Friday besides holding corner meetings at Muhallah and street level against amendments and finally women councillors in all the four province would hold countrywide convention in Islamabad to record their protest.
The WCNW was also considering for a long march or the option of observing full night set-in on January 14 to 15.
Presently, 37,000 women councillors have been serving the general public that would reduce to 18000 and male councillors from 200,000 to 78,000, they said.
Speaking on the occasion WCNW office bearers Raheela Piracha, Saleema Sadia, Huma Nawab, Bushrah Adl and Khalida Perven deplored over the NRB for not consulting the local government system stakeholders in finalisation of amendments and this one sided action would not be acceptable for them.
This practice would strengthen elite class politicians include feudal and capitalists. The office bearers demanded for direct elections of councillors and nazims at the same time on the basis of joint electorate and elimination of indirect election procedures in the local government ordinance.
The WCNW office bearers demanded for protection of six seats of women councillors at union council level, providing them security shelter being a contestant and allocation of 33 percent development fund for women councillors and the honoraria for women, peasant and labour councillors should be part of the LG Ordinance.
The role of opposition leader among the councils should be enacted for check and balance and promotion of democratic traditions.
They demanded for 33 percent quota for women on union council, tehsil council and district council nazims' seats on the same patron of India and the WCNW appealed political parties raise voice against black amendments that would eliminate women's role from local government affairs.
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