KARACHI: Govt focusing on women empowerment, says Sehba: More projects in offing
KARACHI, Feb 9: The First Lady of Pakistan, Mrs Sehba Musharraf, said that the present government's focus was to ensure political, social and economic uplift of women.
Speaking at a national seminar on “Gender mainstreaming” organised by the Sindh Women Development Department at a local hotel here on Friday, she said that the government was on the right course to achieve the goal of women empowerment.
“The Islamic injunctions as well as the Constitution of the country guarantee equal rights and opportunities to all citizens irrespective of class, creed and gender,” she said.
Mrs Musharraf said that the present government had taken a number of initiatives for gender equality. These were enactment of honour killing bill, reservation of quota for women in government jobs including civil superior services, induction of women in the armed forces, enactment of women protection act-2006, women protection bill (legal and social empowerment of women), 17 per cent reserve quota for women in the Parliament and 33 per cent in local bodies.
She stressed the need for a two-pronged approach to intensify efforts towards gender equality. The first goal of this approach should be to give women economic and political empowerment besides protecting their rights and fundamental freedom, she added.
The first lady said that the other complementary approach was to mainstream the gender perspective in all segments of development and to integrate gender concerns in the public policy agenda.
She underlined the need for collective efforts to eliminate gender inequality from the society in order to ensure equal socioeconomic status for women.
Mrs Musharraf hoped that social evils like 'Wani', domestic violence, etc., would be addressed through legislation and assured her continued support for the cause of women.
Speaking on the occasion, Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim said that the Sindh government had been making efforts to ensure participation of women in all the sectors including industry, agriculture and services.
The government has also passed various bills to provide security to the women and to safeguard their rights recognised by the
Holy Quran, he said.
The chief minister appreciated the pro-active role being played by the provincial women department for the promotion of women development.
Earlier, Sindh Minister for Women Development Dr Saeeda Malik highlighted the steps being taken by the government in connection with the economic empowerment of women.
She said to facilitate working women a modern Day Care centre had been established at the Women Development Department and four Women Complaint Cells in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Larkana were also in the offing.
Dr Malik informed a revolving fund of Rs20 million had been established in the Women Development Department in line with the directives of the Supreme Court to support needy female prisoners unable to pay fines not exceeding Rs50,000 per head. So far twelve deserving women inmates have been released after payment of fines, she added.
She said the project of Implementation of Gender Reforms Action Plan had been formulated with the full support of the department.
Other projects which are in the pipeline include establishment of a women training institute at Nawabshah, a media cell and report on women trafficking in Sindh.
Federal and provincial ministers, advisers, secretaries and other dignitaries were also present.—APP
