At 7.15 am on a dusty street corner in Rawalpindi, among the dozen rickety minibuses jostling for passengers, a brand-new, bright pink vehicle stands out.
Emblazoned with the words “Ladies Transport”, this is Pakistan's first commuter bus solely for women, aimed at those sick of wandering hands and unwanted attention on regular services.
Some see it as a welcome respite, but detractors warn it is reinforcing gender segregation in a highly patriarchal and often misogynistic country.
Sat on one of the minibus's four banquette seats, Azra Kamal, who works at an electronics shop, welcomes the new project, named “Tabeer” - ”fulfilment of a dream” in Urdu.
Her face half-hidden behind a black veil, she tells of obscene comments and other inappropriate gestures she suffered on mixed transport. Full story...
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