Balochistan Women Activists Move BHC for Highway Washrooms

News Desk

Quetta: Three women social activists have filed a Constitutional Petition in the Balochistan High Court (BHC) demanding the establishment of safe and accessible public washrooms along major highways and in public spaces across the province.

The petition was jointly submitted by Kulsoom Baloch, Fouzia Shaheen (former Chairperson, Balochistan Commission on the Status of Women), and Dr Quratulain Bakhteari, a renowned social development practitioner.

The petition seeks the court’s intervention to ensure gender-sensitive, safe, and hygienic sanitation facilities along Balochistan’s extensive road networks — including Quetta, Gwadar, Turbat, Khuzdar, Sibi, Loralai, Zhob, and surrounding districts.
It also demands washrooms in public spaces and workplaces, where women reportedly struggle daily due to the absence of basic sanitation.

The petition was filed on Friday, November 28, and is expected to be taken up for hearing the following week.

Where are the issues being faced?

Women across Balochistan’s highways, district headquarters, markets, government offices, and public institutions face severe challenges in accessing safe washrooms.
Activists say the problem is worse in remote and tribal districts, where long travel distances and cultural limitations intensify the hardship.

Petitioner Kulsoom Baloch, who frequently travels for social work, said the issue transcends mere inconvenience and directly affects women’s health, mobility, and safety.

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She stated, “For years, women in Balochistan have faced challenges many may never even recognize. Something as basic as access to a washroom becomes a daily struggle.

Women avoid drinking water for hours on highways, leading to urinary infections and other health problems. This petition is not just a legal document — it represents countless untold stories of women suffering silently because there is nowhere safe to stop.”

The petitioners argue that denying women safe washrooms violates their constitutional rights to dignity, life, and health.

How was the petition filed and supported?

The case was filed by Advocate Saka Dashti, with legal support from Advocate Habib Kareem and Advocate Iambaran Khan.
The activists described the move as a collective effort to bring long-ignored women’s needs into the public and legal spotlight.

Civil society organizations and women’s rights groups have lauded the petition as a historic and overdue step, noting that Balochistan’s women — especially from marginalized districts — endure unique hardships due to the province’s long highways, scattered population, and shortage of public infrastructure.

The petitioners say they hope the High Court will issue directives compelling provincial authorities to begin constructing clean, safe, and accessible washrooms across highways and public spaces.