ISLAMABAD – Every woman is subjected to exploitation at the hands of men at any stage of her life, either at home or in society, even if she is economically independent, as she is weak physically and emotionally and all the powers lie with men in patriarchal societies.
Farzana Khan, Director Interpretation in BPS-19 and Secretary of Senate Standing Committees on Housing and Works, Education and Training, National Heritage and Integration and Inter-Provincial Coordination, despite being an employee of the Upper House of the Parliament and working with influential politicians has not been able to get the possession of houses allotted to her at different times and has been struggling for the last five years to get ground floor accommodation that she needs badly due to fragile health condition of her sister.
Although the Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works has given directions to allot the house to Farzana Khan and former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had also directed the concerned officials that the house be allotted to the lady, yet all the orders and directions so far are confined to papers and remain unimplemented.
“I was allotted flat No. 3-A, 72-Family Suites, Gulshan-e-Jinnah, Islamabad, by the Minister of State for Housing and Works, Malik Noman Ahmad Langrial, and Secretary Kamran Lashari on December 11 in lieu of my present flat on unanimous recommendation of Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works during its last meeting held on December 6 as a genuine hardship case due to the health condition of my mentally challenged sister. But the very next day of my allotment an SP of Prime Minister Colony, Suleman, who already owns a government accommodation in PM Colony forcibly occupied the said flat in writing,” she informed.
According to her, the Minister of State for Housing had cancelled the said officials allotment for the same flat as he already holds an accommodation in PM Colony and allotted the house to her still the said official has been threatening the dwellers of abducting his children if he would hand over the possession of his flat to Farzana.
Earlier, she fought to get the possession of a house 105-G, G-6/3, for which she went to court also as the house was forcibly occupied by an non-entitled occupant, Zia Mehboob, when his service contract at Federal Law Ombudsperson Office was expired and he was serving at a private power company, Lakhra. She gave up the fight after a year as Zia Mehboob was son-in-law of a Supreme Court judge and she had lost all hopes that she would get any justice from the courts.
Farzana who has no male member in her family has been supporting her ailing sister and mother. “The current fourth floor apartment with 60 stairs is extremely dangerous for my mentally challenged sister as she has barely survived with multiple fractures after jumping from the fourth floor and her backbone has six big nails with a rod pushing out of her skin. If she falls again she would not survive. I even cannot take her to the doctor because of her condition.”
On one had she has been deprived of the possession of the allotted house while on the other, she has been served the notices to vacate the house where she has been living as it has been allotted to another official. “Where would I go with my sister and mother if I have been forced to vacate the house. My demands are not unjust. I have been just asking for a ground floor house according to my grade.”
Secretary Housing and Works could not be reached out for comments.