Thursday, July 20 2006 16:43 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Pakistan National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain has suggested that political parties reserve 30 percent seats for women in the next general election.

"Women are fighter pilots, they are in the army and the police and already have reserved seats in parliament," he said while delivering the valedictory address Wednesday at a three-day Commonwealth workshop on Balancing Political Participation and Moving Towards Gender Equality.

"It is a good idea if political parties reserve 30 percent seats for women in the coming elections," he said, endorsing a recommendation given by Kashmala Tariq, a Pakistani lawmaker, during the workshop.

He, however, said to make it practicable, changes will have to be made in the constitution of the political parties and the Representation of the People Act.

During the last general election in 2002, Hussain said, only 12 women contested general seats in the National Assembly and won.

He pointed out that although Pakistan's constitution provided safeguards to women's rights, it was President Pervez Musharraf, who took practical steps for their empowerment.

"He reserved 17 percent seats for women in parliament and the four provincial assemblies and there are 50,000, women, who have been given representations in the local bodies system," he added.

He said revision of discriminatory laws against women, establishment of crises centre and shelter towns from women and fixing of 10 percent quota for women in public services are some of the steps, which have enhanced women's status in the society.

Empowering of women was one of the points Musharraf forcefully made in the presence of visiting US President George W. Bush in March this year when the latter urged him to take Pakistan on the road to democracy through "free and fair elections."

Indian participants at the workshop did not attend in the wake of the heat generated by the Mumbai blasts last week.