High-level awareness session and open court in Dera Ismail Khan highlight expanding legal protection mechanisms for women across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
A major awareness initiative combined with a high-profile open court session in Dera Ismail Khan has drawn renewed attention to women’s rights enforcement and the pace of justice delivery in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where officials say thousands of cases are being processed under a fast-track system.
The event, held at the Deputy Commissioner’s Office in Dera Ismail Khan, brought together senior administrative officials, law enforcement representatives, education department authorities, and a large number of female students and citizens. The gathering focused on strengthening awareness of legal protections available to women and improving access to complaint redressal mechanisms.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ombudsman for Women Rabab Mehdi provided a detailed briefing on the legal framework protecting women’s rights, explaining institutional powers, complaint procedures, and enforcement mechanisms. She said similar outreach sessions are being conducted across all districts to ensure broader awareness and easier access to justice for women.
According to Mehdi, more than 11,200 hearings have been conducted within the last ten months following her oath-taking, with 80 to 90 cases being heard daily. She emphasized that this high-frequency hearing model is designed to reduce case backlogs while ensuring timely justice for new complaints.
She further noted that special outreach commissions are dispatched every Friday to remote areas, enabling complainants from far-flung regions to access the system without facing logistical barriers. The ombudsman’s office, she added, handles a wide range of cases including inheritance disputes, workplace harassment, human rights violations, gender-based violence, family court-related matters, police complaints, and cybercrime issues.
Officials also highlighted multiple channels for lodging complaints, including an official online portal and designated focal persons at district levels, making the system more accessible for women across urban and rural areas.
Regional Police Officer Ghulam Mubashir Maken, speaking at the event, announced the upcoming launch of a dedicated women’s desk from next Monday, where female representatives will be present to address complaints directly. He assured participants that all relevant departments would ensure full implementation of facilitation measures for women.
The session concluded with a question-and-answer segment where attendees raised individual concerns, many of which were addressed on the spot with immediate directives issued by officials, signaling a more responsive approach to grievance handling.
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