Punjab government’s programme Women on Wheels, the move to encourage female bike riding, on Monday was launched in Faisalabad after Lahore as the step towards women empowerment. It was meant for minimizing women dependency of transportation on their family members.

The launching ceremony was held at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanuallah was the chief guest whereas Senior Member, Special Monitoring Unit (SMU)Law and Order Salman Sufi, UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan, Acting DCO Ijaz Khaliq Razaqi, MPs Madiha Rana, Dr Najma Afzal, Fatima Fariha, Haji Ilyas Ansari, Jafar Ali, Chief Traffic Officer Arif Shahbaz Khan Wazir, Atlas Honda Manger Tasneem Shuja, and other notables also spoke on the occasion. Addressing on the occasion, Rana Sanaullah stressed upon the women to play their active role in socioeconomic activities of the country. He said that the government was taking revolutionary steps to empower the women. The various steps are initiated including Women on wheels and Women Protection Bill. He said that the country population comprises 50 percent of women. It is the need of hour to engage them in economic activities also and to fight taboos being made on name of gender discrimination. He said that some segments of the society are making nefarious plan to link the initiative as propaganda of western lifestyle. He said that initiatives were being made to easy the life and urged women to become good Muslim and to promote the eastern tradition. He added in the agricultural sector, women are standing shoulder to shoulder with men. The same spirit is needed in the other fields. He said that the Government was making the serious efforts to promote the Islamic values in the people. He said that the Women Protection Bill was being criticized but we can’t even think against the Islam and Shariah.

Senior Member SMU Law and Order Salman Sufi said that the participation of women in the development process was essential to achieve the goal of national progress and prosperity. He said that the the circle of Women on Wheels will be raised to the 36 districts of the provinces.
UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that in 1970, the women at the campus were used to drive the bike but the process remained stalled for decades. He said that the UAF was running a programme to promote the cycling in the women. He said they had distributed 100 cycles among the women students in order to facilitate them to cover the distance and to remove their decency on the family members. He praised the initiatives of Punjab government for the women empowerment. He said that such initiates would pave the way to make the development and prosperity and to compete with the rest of the world. He said a hostel for 1000 female students was being established funded by Punjab Government and another hostel for thousand women was coming up with the funding of federal government. He said that idea of women cycling was initiated at the UAF. Acting DCO Ijaz Khaliq Razaqi said that the beginning of women on wheels programme in Faisalabad was the commendable step to provide an opportunity to women. He urged the women to get the benefit from the programme and to become an active member of society in term of socio-economic activities. He assured the full cooperation of district government to flourish the programme and to make it a success story in the second largest city of the province. The women riding bike also also took out a rally at the campus . The women riding bike also took out a rally at the campus .