DHAKA: Turkey’s parliament has lifted a ban on women lawmakers wearing trousers in the assembly, in a further liberalisation of dress rules following a landmark decision to allow female deputies to wear the Islamic headscarf.

A deputy from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Safak Pavey, drew attention to the trouser ban during a parliamentary debate on the emotive headscarf issue, which has long polarised opinion in largely Muslim but secular Turkey.

Pavey, elected to office in June 2011, has a prosthetic leg but parliament had rejected her previous request to be allowed to wear trousers because of regulations which specified that women should wear suits with skirts.

Turkey prime minister Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling center-right AK Party, which has Islamist roots, proposed the relaxation of the trouser ban and the opposition parties, the secularist CHP, the pro-Kurdish BDP and Turkish nationalist MHP, backed the plan.

Parliament approved the measure late on Wednesday, The Jerusalem Post publishes this report on Thursday.

BDST: 1650 HRS, NOV 14, 2013
RoR/BSK