Speaker proposes direct elections to 100 seats for women

Speaker Major (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram has proposed replacing reserved parliamentary seats for women with 100 directly elected seats to ensure their greater participation in politics and genuine empowerment.

He made the proposal while addressing the centenary celebration of Barishal Government Girls' High School on Friday (November 13).

The Speaker said women are not lagging behind and deserve the opportunity to contest elections directly. He also said he would discuss with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman the possibility of providing free education to girls up to graduation, recalling former prime minister Khaleda Zia's contribution to women's education.

He urged former students to support the institution and help financially disadvantaged students continue their studies. The programme was attended by lawmaker Mujibur Rahman Sarwar and chaired by Barishal City Corporation Administrator Bilkis Akter Jahan Shirin.

-AH