DHAKA: At 7.15am (local time) 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.

Sitting on one of the minibus’ 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.

‘I have a long journey to work and when I get there it’s often only me left on board. Sometimes the driver will take advantage to give me his phone number and ask for mine,’ she said during the 20-odd kilometre ride to her destination in the capital Islamabad.

Others on board described being touched by drivers, conductors and male passengers.

To add to this harassment, the tiny minibuses that ply the roads of the Pakistani capital and its twin city Rawalpindi often have only a few seats, sometimes with only one out of a dozen reserved for women.

‘I used to work in a hospital. Often there would be no space on the bus and I would get told off for being late,’ said Sana, reports gulfnews.com.

BDST: 2126 HRS, MAR 08, 2014