KHAR, Pakistan — A 40-year-old Pakistani housewife has made history by becoming the first woman to run for Parliament from the country’s deeply conservative tribal region bordering Afghanistan.
Badam Zari is pushing back against patriarchal traditions and braving potential attack by Islamist militants in the hope of forcing the government to focus more on helping Pakistani women.
“I want to reach the assembly to become a voice for women, especially those living in the tribal areas,” Zari said Monday. “This was a difficult decision, but now I am determined and hopeful society will support me.”
Most women in the tribal region are uneducated, rarely work outside the home and wear long, flowing clothes that cover most of their skin when they appear in public.
Zari, who finished high school, was accompanied by her husband when she filed the paperwork Sunday for the May 11 vote.
Zari is from of Bajur, one of many areas in the tribal region where the Pakistani army has been battling the Taliban.
“This is very courageous,” said Asad Sarwar, one of the top political officials in Bajur. “This woman has broken the barrier.”
