Empowering Women in Pakistan: Haseena’s Story
Ms. Haseena Begum was a housewife living in the remote village of Shigar in
the Northern Areas of Pakistan. In the 2005 local government election when women
were given a reserved quota of 33% of seats, several women from her area came
and asked her to represent them as their political leader in the Skardu District
Council. Despite being unsure, she agreed to contest the election, won, and
became District Councillor.
The first time Haseena visited the District Council Office, she was told that she should not attend meetings as there was nothing she could do there. Not knowing any better, Haseena accepted that women councillors could not attend meetings and stayed at home.
In December 2005, the Agha Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) organised an orientation session for newly-elected female councillors, as part of a project sponsored by DFID under the Gender Equality Project (GEP). The objective of the session was to make the women aware of their role and responsibilities as elected representatives. They were told that they must fully represent the women of their electorate, present their issues and fight for their rights.
From that day on, Haseena and her colleagues insisted on attending council meetings. She demanded her share of the development budget, was given training in leadership and conflict management and taken on familiarisation visits to ministries at national level.
Haseena has become one of the most active members of the Skardu District Council. She has recently filed a case against the Chairman of the District Council for discrimination against women councillors and demanded the equal distribution of funds among the men and women on the Council.
She has also been the driving force behind several projects, not only in her own electorate, but also in other areas. These include the first road infrastructure project by a woman councillor, water supply projects, and vocational centres. Haseena is planning to compete for a place on the Northern Areas Legislative Council in the next elections.
