March 09, 2007	Friday	Safar 19, 1428

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LAHORE, March 8: The Punjab Assembly on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution in connection with the International Women’s Day.

The resolution stated that “the house lauds the efforts of those women who struggled and those who are struggling for the rights of women.”

The house demanded that the government should keep up its efforts to make the process of securing rights of women effective. It said the women were an integral part of society and could not be ignored.

The resolution was jointly drafted by Law Minister Raja Basharat, deputy opposition leader Rana Sanaullah, MMA’s Arshad Bagu and others following strong criticism by opposition benches on the original resolution moved by treasury member Misbah Kaukab.

The resolution moved by Ms Kaukab had praised the government led by Gen Musharraf for taking steps for the welfare and empowerment of women. She said women were ignored before 2002 and even the Benazir Bhutto administration had failed to take steps for their welfare.

She said President Musharraf had helped women reach legislative assemblies.

Responding to the resolution, opposition’s Uzma Zahid Bukhari said women were committing suicides, undergoing torture and living in very difficult circumstances all over the country and the treasury members were praising the government without considering the ground realities.

She said some 600 women committed suicide during the last couple of years owing to different reasons, including poverty, while 6,607 cases were registered for torture on women.

Ms Bukhari said around 10 million women work in non-formal sector in the country and have no protection under any laws.

She said women who served as maids earned only Rs50 to Rs100 per day, while the prices of daily use items, including flour, sugar and ghee, were continuously rising.

She said the International Women Day demanded that the house should talk about those deprived women who were struggling to live on.

Rana Sanaullah said the resolution should have the names of those women who stood up against violence committed against them. He referred the cases of Dr Shazia and Mukhtaran Mai.

He asked the treasury benches whether the election of a few hundred women could change the fate of millions undergoing social and economic injustice. He also questioned whether few functions, including Basant and marathons participated in by women, could change the fate of womenfolk.

He said this resolution was a slap on deprived women in society.

Ehsanullah Waqas said the resolution was just a commendation statement in favour of the government and had nothing solid for their welfare. Hameed Dasti and others also spoke on the occasion.