More than 300 women candidates have filed papers to stand in local bodies elections in the NWFP, defying a ban called by Muslim clerics, women's rights activists said on Friday. "Around 320 women filed their nomination papers in three districts where clerics had imposed a ban on their democratic and constitutional rights," said an activist Aimal Khan.
"The figures are encouraging and give a new lease of life to the struggle for women's rights in this province," she told AFP.
"We want women to be in mainstream politics. Democracy is incomplete without their participation in the democratic exercise."
Religious parties, joined by some secular groups, have opposed women's participation in next month's local government elections in the districts of Upper Dir, Lower Dir and Batagram.
They said allowing women to contest seats would violate local cultural norms in the deeply religious province.
"We have imposed the ban collectively, getting other political parties on board, to preserve local culture and traditions," said local religious leader Qazi Fazlullah.
Women candidates and their supporters have staged rallies this week, including Friday, when about 100 women protested in solidarity in Lahore.
Dir is dominated by religious groups who in the past have also opposed the presence of non-governmental organisations and foreign aid workers, prompting some aid agencies to pull out their staff about four years ago.
The MMA's July 17 ban on women candidates prompted the federal government's intervention, and Prime Minister 's women's affairs adviser, Nilofar Bakhtiar, visited the area to express her support for the women.
Chief Election Commissioner Abdul Hamid Dogar has also warned that "barring women from taking part in the electoral process is a crime" and vowed that action would be taken against offenders.
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