Women around the world ride motorbikes to work, leisure places and wherever else they may need to go. While it is a common phenomenon in most countries across the globe, it is a rare sight in Pakistan. Seldom do we see females taking to the roads on motorbikes alone. It is either their spouse, father, son or any other male accomplice who rides the bike while they sit behind them. While the more privileged women travel in their own private vehicles, others opt for public transport, sometimes even using commuting services such as Uber. But motorbikes are a no-go zone for the majority of them. Since morning, Twitter has been flooded with posts centering on the subject.
@ImranKhanPTI
Can a woman not ride a bike in Pakistan? I'm being told by the License Office that they do not issue bike riding licenses to women.They said and I quote: "Larkiyo ko bike ka license nahi dete, aap gaari chalaye."
Why? What kind of rule is this? Please respond.
— Shireen Ferozepurwalla (@SFerozepurwalla) September 14, 2020
Why? Exactly what kind of law is this? Have these people decided themselves as to who should and who shouldn’t be allowed to ride a bike? Where do I complaint about this? Is anyone in this country accountable for anything at all?
— Shireen Ferozepurwalla (@SFerozepurwalla) September 14, 2020
A recent tweet about a woman being denied a motorbike license has been making the rounds on the internet. Directing her concerns to Prime Minister Imran Khan, a user named Shireen Ferozepurwalla posted, “Can a woman not ride a bike in Pakistan? I’m being told by the License Office that they do not issue bike riding licenses to women. They said and I quote, ‘Larkiyo ko bike ka license nahi dete, aap gaari chalaye’. Why? What kind of rule is this? Please respond.”
?? ??? ?? ?????? ??? ???? ?? ????? ?? ?????? ?? ????? ??? ??? ??? ?? ?????? ?? ????? ?? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ???? ??? ????? ???? ?? ?? ????? ??? ??? ???? ?? ????? ?? ??? ??? ????? https://t.co/wS7mxXbQnj
— Naimat Khan (@NKMalazai) September 15, 2020
http://thebrownidentity.com/2020/09/14/motorway-incident-mahira-khans-request-to-pm-imran-khan/
An enthusiastic biker herself, Shireen was speaking up for herself and many like her who cannot afford to buy cars. “Why? Exactly what kind of law is this? Have these people decided themselves as to who should and who shouldn’t be allowed to ride a bike? Where do I complaint about this? Is anyone in this country accountable for anything at all?” she added. She later took to the micro-blogging site, stating that her complaint had been looked into and resolved. On the contrary, another user named Naimat Khan snubbed the claims about women not being granted a motorbike license. He added that Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Qamar Zaman denied the presence of any such rules. According to his post, women can easily be given a motorbike license provided they meet the necessary criteria for it.