LAHORE: Hundreds of women, carrying flags and banners of their political parties, on Sunday attended the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s rally at Minar-i-Pakistan.

They had come to the provincial metropolis from different cities. Belonging to almost all socioeconomic backgrounds, some of them had also brought their children along them.

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz had urged the women of her party, especially wives of parliamentarians and office-bearers of the party, to be proactive and ensure participation of the maximum women in the rally. It seems the PML-N women acted on her call and attended the rally in a large number.

Just like their male counterparts, the women also were charged and they continued sloganeering against the PTI government during the rally.

Sadia Rafiq of Shadbagh, a student of FSc, was chanting ‘respect the ballot’ (vote ko izzat do), the slogan made popular by former PM Nawaz Sharif, while carrying a picture of the PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz.

Ms Rafiq toldDawnshe had come to see and meet Ms Nawaz as she was her fan. She said the PTI government had not fulfilled its promises and it should be ousted for increasing prices of various commodities.

Another woman, Samia Naz, from Faisalabad, who was a supporter of the PPP, said Prime Minister Imran Khan was telling his supporters not to fear but he himself was afraid of the PDM rally and he would have to resign.

She said she had been attending every PDM rally in Punjab since the start of the movement and would also march towards Islamabad if the parties’ leaders directed them.

Ms Naz also did not look happy with the performance of the government, saying the current government had no vision, which had resulted in price hike and devastation of the economy.

She said ‘the selectors’ had brought this government by manipulating the election and she and other opposition parties workers were protesting for restoration of true democracy.

PML-N leader from Rawalpindi, Begum Zareen, said she and others along her were housewives. She bemoaned that the policies of the current government had increased the price of commodities by more than 100pc.

She said they were attending the protest as the establishment had brought this government and not counted their votes.

Nusrat Bibi from Johar Town, who was also attending the rally, said the government was playing with the lives of the common people and she had come to be a part of the protest.

It was the first big public rally of Maryam Nawaz in Lahore, her party’s stronghold, and participation of women in large numbers was expected.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2020