Pakistan: Historic Candidacy in Tribal Region

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/02/world/asia/pakistan-historic-candidacy-in-tribal-region.html

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A 40-year-old Pakistani has made history by becoming the first woman to run for Parliament from the country’s conservative northwest tribal region. The woman, Badam Zari, said Monday that she would participate in the May 11 elections to give women in the region a greater voice and focus more attention on their problems. Ms. Zari is from Bajaur, part of Pakistan’s semiautonomous tribal region bordering Afghanistan. The area is a haven for Islamist militants and is mostly populated by Pashtun tribesmen who have very conservative social views. Most women in the tribal region are uneducated and rarely work outside the home. Ms. Zari, who finished high school, said she had filed the paperwork necessary to run for office on Sunday in Khar, the main town in Bajaur.