The Local Government System of Pakistan: Participation, Representation and Empowerment of Women

Politics is the field where women have been ignored since ancient times, due to the political notions determined by ideological beliefs and cultural norms. Among the United Nations’ measures remove gender inequalities, includes recommendation for reserving 30 per cent seats for women in legislatures. In Pakistan, this remarkable change was effected in 2000, as it reserved 33 percent seats for women at the local government and 17 per cent at the Provincial/National Assemblies and the Senate level, so about 40,000 women entered in local bodies throughout the country in 2000-01, and almost 55,000 women contested local government in 2005. Despite these developments, women are still facing challenges that deter the full realization of their roles as active interlocutors of policy-making. Keeping in view these aspects, this paper has analyzed the local government, focusing on women, exploring whether the increasing number of women in legislatures is merely a numerical strength, or is empowering them, too, Whether they are the ‘subjects of change’ or the ‘agents of change.’ It is calculated that administrative structures of local government is male-dominated, whereas women are trying to ensure their position, however, gendered barriers remain unbroken

Ethnopharmacological Studies of Jsminum Sambac L. Aition, Olea Europael. and Olea Ferruginea Royal

The present investigation was carried out to explore the ethnopharmacological potential of ethnobotanically important three plants, Olea europaea L., O. ferruginea Royle and J. sambac (L.) Aiton belonging to family Oleaceae. The stem and leaf powder of all these plants were macerated in polar and non-polar solvents, i.e. distilled water, ethanol, chloroform and n-hexane, respectively. Maximum percentage yield was obtained in the stem aqueous extract of Olea ferruginea (13.11%) while least in stem chloroform extracts of Jasminum sambac (2.1%). The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of alkaloids, anthraquinines, tannins, flavonoids, reducing sugars, cardiac glycosides, saponins and terpenoids in moderate quantity in Olea europaea and O. ferruginea while least amount in Jasminum sambac which was further confirmed by FTIR analysis. The antimicrobial activity of plant extracts was checked against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli and found maximum with stem ethanol extract of Olea europaea, i.e. 38.07±2.76 mm against P. aeruginosa while minimum by stem chloroform extract of Olea ferruginea, i.e. 5.23±1.08 mm against E. coli. The stem aqueous extract of Olea europaea, stem n- hexane extract of Olea ferruginea and stem ethanol extract of Jasminum sambac showed MIC at 1.25mg/mL. The antioxidant analysis concluded that ethanol leaf extract of Olea ferruginea demonstrated IC50 value 12 μg/mL (DPPH scavenging activity). Significant metal chelating activity was observed by stem chloroform extract of Olea europaea 98.06±1.61%. Ethanol stem extract of Olea europaea presented maximum % inhibition of peroxidation (91.72±1.60 %) as compared to other extracts of Olea ferruginea and Jasminum sambac. Maximum amount of total phenolic contents were found in the leaf ethanol extracts of (142.97±1.67 GAE μg/mL). Leaf ethanol extract of Olea ferruginea and Olea europaea presented maximum total antioxidant activity (1.551±0.657 AE μg/mL) and (1.493±0.762) respectively. Molecular identification of universal FMDV was accomplished using Reverse Transcriptase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). BHK-21 cells were used to check toxicity of different extracts of tested plants while their antiviral potency was also examined against FMDV. It was observed that alcohol leaf extracts of Olea europaea had potent antiviral activity at concentration range of 31.25μg/mL to 250μg/mL with CSP ranging from 51% to 63% followed by activity of chloroform extracts where cell survival percentage was observed 54% and xiii 57% at concentration 31.25μg/mL and 62.5μg/mL respectively. The n-hexane leaf extract of O. europaea exhibited antiviral activity at concentration of 15.62μg/mL to 125μg/mL. CSP in aqueous extracts was 50% at concentration range of 31.25μg/mL and 62.5μg/mL, respectively. All stem extracts of Jasminum sambac were found non-toxic to BHK-21 cells at different concentrations but had no antiviral potential against FMDV at the same concentration range. On the basis of the results obtained in the present studies, the traditional use of the three targeted plants of family Oleaceae as food, fodder, feed and medicine seems appropriate and thus is justified.