PESHAWAR: Representatives of various civil society organisations have urged the federal government to ensure participation of female stakeholders in the Fata reforms process to make the Fata-KP merger plan a success.

They were speaking at a seminar organised by the Fata Youth Empowerment and Development Association (Fyeda) in connection with the International Women`s Day at PeshawarPressClubonFriday.Representatives of the Fata Students Federation and Fata Youth Assembly also participated in the event.

Baacha Khan Trust Educational Foundation managing director Dr Khadim Hussain, Fyeda chairperson Mehreen Afridi, Khyber Youth Forum chairman Amir Afridi, Fata LawyersForum former president Karim Mehsud, Tribal NGOs Consortium chairman Zar Ali Khan Afridi, director culture and youth affairs Fata Secretariat Mohammad Nawaz, Hindu Rights Movement chairman Haroon Sarab Diyal shared their views about women`s rights.

They said that the population of women was over 50 per cent in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, but the government was ignoring them in all policy making bodies which showed the biased attitude of the rulers towards them.

The women, they said, were not given access to their fundamental rights in tribal regions which was a violation of the country`s Constitution.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Hussain said that quota system for Fata women was a step in the wrong direction. `Women and girls should have separate universities and colleges in the tribal regions. Unfortunately, there is no women`s university in Fata. Likewise, basic health units in the tribal belt have no local lady doctor or nurses. The government should ensure equal opportunities for women in the reforms process so as to empower them,` he said.

Opposing Riwaj Act, Dr Hussain said that there was no clear definition of tradition whichmade the act controversial, asking the government to make public the details about it. He said that equal share in economic system would politically empower women in Fata.

Mehreen Afridi said that women living in Fata remained voiceless and invisible in the reform process since its start by the reforms committee. Urging the federal government to respect aspirations of those living in Fata, including women, she said that women should have equal participation in the reforms process and their economic, social and political rights must be safeguarded.

Sarab Diyal talked about problems being faced by minority groups in Fata. He said the non-Muslims were also citizens of the country and were supposed to get equal rights, but the rulers were not ready to treat them like other people.

Other stakeholders also shed light on women issues and urged the government to ensure provision of rights to all the citizens without gender discrimination. At the end, the participants agreed to establish a joint working group of civil societies, parliamentarians and policymakers to integrate women empowerment in the reforms process.