RAWALPINDI: Women are active agents of change and without their participation it would be difficult to bring the country on to the path to development, MNA Tehmina Daultana said on Wednesday.

Ms Daultana was speaking at a dialogue on ‘Taking the women’s agenda forward between women activists and parliamentarians’, arranged by the Fatimah Jinnah Women University (FJWU) and the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW).

“No country can become prosperous without the active participation of women, and there is and need to economically empower them while improving their education,” she said.

The dialogue was held in connection with National Women’s Day at the FJWU campus, and attended by the university’s vice chancellor Prof Dr Samina Amin Qadir, faculty and a number of students from various departments.

Ms Daultana said this was a day to commemorate the achievements of women and celebrate their extraordinary potential. “It is a time to reflect on the barriers that still remain there, and how they can be overcome,” she added.

She said Pakistani women face many issues that can be ended by educating women and giving them the opportunity to participate in the country’s economy.

Dr Qadir said true liberation comes with socioeconomic emancipation. She said: “Today, on the occasion of National Women’s Day, let us reaffirm our commitment to women’s rights, the inherent dignity and equal rights of men and women.”

Other speakers at the event also highlighted the role of women in the progress of the country.

Published in Dawn February 16th, 2017