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KARACHI: A girl from Karachi has claimed she was denied a licence for riding a motorbike for being a woman.
Shireen Ferozepurwalla received bike riding classes last month. According to her, she was relieved to be able to ride a bike as it was difficult to cope up with the surging rates of the transport services. “It was getting a little difficult for me to stay within my budget,” she said.
Following her bike riding classes, when she went driving licence, she was denied by the department of Driving Licence Sindh (DLS).
“Aap nikal jaye yahan see, bike ka license nahi dete hum larkiyo ko (Leave from here, we do not permit license to women),” she was quoted saying in one of her tweets.
Shireen continued to quote one of the officers saying that she is supposed to receive a car license for being a woman. When she asked him the reason for the ‘absurd rule’, he gave no response and kept on telling her to leave.
She said she left the licence office in Clifton dejected. Upon confirming from another employee in DLC Nazimabad Office, she was informed that motorbike licences are not being issued to women.
Shireen questioned why is this bound to only women. “Exactly what kind of law is this? Have these people decided themselves as to who should and who should not be allowed to ride a bike?”
She also urged for guidance to lodge a complaint against the incident that happened with her. She was relieved to learn riding a bike to ease this problem, however, now she said she has come to the exact same point where she started.
Got bike riding classes last month. Was literally so relieved to be able to ride a bike. You see, I can’t really afford a car right now and with the surging rates of other transport services, it was getting a little difficult for me to stay within my budget.
— Shireen Ferozepurwalla (@SFerozepurwalla) September 14, 2020
