Lahore: Saudi Arabia has allowed women to ride motorbikes and bicycles but only in restricted, recreational areas. Pakistan took a lead in female bikers decisions and for the first time in the history of Pakistan, a motor driving school started classes for females to teach them motorcycle riding on December 17, 2012. Girls and women started to learn two-wheeler riding in a country that is fighting against radicalism. This initiative was taken by School of Motoring Lahore (SMILE), and the first batch of girls started training as to how to ride motorbike on December 17, 2012. This project was supported by Honda Atlas Pakistan that has provided motorbikes for training while the City Traffic Police of Lahore is bridging the project by collaborating with SMILE and Honda Atlas.
Project Director of this program Naheed Niazi said to Dispatch News Desk (DND) that news of this project was a catalyst for Saudi Arabia and other Muslims countries that Muslim women can play a pivotal role in society instead of sitting home because they cannot drive motorbikes.
Naheed Niazi was of the view that Pakistani females are a deprived class due to gender inequality and there was no institution in Pakistan for providing motorbike training to girls and women although they represent around 48% of the total population of Pakistan. When asked when this first batch of girls will be on the road, he stated that the first training course is 15 days long, beginning January 1, 2013; after that around 20 girls will start driving motorbikes on the roads of Lahore.
She believes that “Smile” initiative is encouraging other Muslim countries to allow their women to ride bike.
