KARACHI, Oct 10: The working of the National Commission on the Status of Women has been affected as a majority of its members have retired. The National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) was established in 2000 by the President Gen Pervez Musharraf, under the Ordinance No. XXVI 2000 on 17th July 2000.
The main objective of the NCSW was elimination of discrimination towards women. The commission reviewed the Hudood ordinances and submitted recommendations with the government, but no steps were taken to enforce them.
The main functions of the Commission included examination of the policy, programmes and other measures taken by the government for women development and review policies, laws, rules and regulations affecting the status and rights of women and gender equality in accordance with the Constitution.
Dr Shaheen Sardar Ali was the first chairperson of the commission, but after working for sometime as the NCSW chief and facing limitations she soon left the post and went abroad. Faqir Hussain was made the acting chairperson and he held the post till Justice (retd) Majida Rizvi was appointed the chairperson in 2002.
Justice (retd) Rizvi concluded her three-year tenure and retired in March 2005 and since then the commission it is working on paper while it has a full time secretariat also, source said.
The members have a three year tenure and many of them retired in 2003, some others in April 2004 and the rest in June 2004.
The government has not yet reappointed members and the chairperson of the commission as the previous body made various suggestions, including revision of laws considered to be discriminatory towards women.
Only the chairperson is a full time employee while the members work on voluntary basis and get only a meagre amount on daily basis for attending meetings, besides air ticket.
The sources said that the Article 25 of the Constitution in its Chapter on Fundamental Rights of the Citizens reads as: “all citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection of law and there shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex alone. Nothing in this article shall prevent the state from making any special provisions for the protection of women and children.”
The sources said that in practice, however, the premise of equality has not been fully observed and women continue to suffer in the face of oppressive patriarchal structures and stifling socio-cultural traditions, and this depressing situation stresses that the members and the chairperson of the commission be reappointed so that the commission becomes fully operational.
