l Sherry says nearly 23pc women participate in mainstream workforce
l Aurat March representatives ask govt to declare national emergency against gender-based violence

ISLAMABAD: The national leaders, including President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, have expressed their commitment to protecting women’s rights and ensuring their full participation in public life.

These commitments were made by them in their separate messages on International Women’s Day, to be celebrated on March 8 (today).

In his message, President Zardari said Pakistan’s history reflected the strength and resolve of its women.

“We remember Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, who led the nation with courage and showed that women can serve at the highest levels of public life,” he said.

From cockpits to tractor steering wheels, from intensive care units to classrooms, from sports fields to the floor of Parliament, Pakistani women have stepped forward wherever the nation has needed their talent and determination, he said.

“Pakistan is also committed to its obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, which requires action against discrimination in public and private spheres. We are working to expand access to education and healthcare, strengthen economic opportunity and improve protection against violence,” he said.

PM’s message

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in his message said the government was firmly committed to ensuring an environment where women could realise their full potential without any discrimination or fear.

“This year, International Womens Day is being celebrated under the theme Rights, Justice, and Action: For All Women and Girls. This theme expresses our commitment to protecting women’s rights,” he noted.

“Protecting women’s rights is a guarantee of sustainable development and national prosperity,” he said, adding, “The overall development and prosperity of the nation is ensured only by equal opportunities and meaningful participation for women.”

“From education to sports, from homes to government, the perseverance and achievements of Pakistani women are playing a revolutionary role in building a strong and prosperous country,” he said.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari paid glowing tribute to the courage, resilience and invaluable contributions of women across Pakistan, saying the progress of any society is measured by the dignity, freedom and opportunities it provides to its women.

The PPP chairman said in his message that the struggle for women’s rights was inseparable from the broader struggle for democracy, equality and social justice.

Bilawal said the PPP had never limited its commitment to words alone; it has translated its vision of gender equality into concrete action. From giving the Muslim world its first woman prime minister to enabling women to serve as speaker, deputy speaker and foreign minister, the PPP had ensured that women stood at the forefront of leadership and decision-making.

He pointed out that the PPP governments had continued this mission by allocating land to landless women farmers, granting home-ownership rights to women from families affected by the 2022 floods, and launching community-based poverty alleviation programmes at the union council level in Sindh, benefiting nearly a million women and their families. He reaffirmed the PPP’s unwavering resolve to build a Pakistan where every woman can live with dignity, security and equal opportunity.

Sherry Rehman

PPP Senator Sherry Rehman in her statement said the international women’s day was an important day of reckoning and stock taking for women and men all over the world.

“We not only pay tribute to all the women of the world but also to those women living in conflict and catastrophe zones, their suffering goes unmarked year after year. Their numbers grow in silence mostly. According to UN women, as of late 2025, a record 676 million women and girls live within 50 kilometers of deadly conflict, representing nearly 17% of the global female population and the highest number since the 1990s. Conflict-related sexual violence has increased by 87% over the past two years, while the number of women killed in armed conflicts has doubled, with over 123 million people forcibly displaced.”

She said that despite women forming nearly half of the country’s population, their contributions remained largely unrecognized in economic and social policy frameworks. She noted that women constituted approximately 49.2% of Pakistan’s population, yet only 22.7% participate in the mainstream workforce.

While economies worldwide score an average of 67 out of 100 for gender-equal laws on the books, Pakistan’s legal frameworks score stands at just 46.68. The global average drops from 67 to 53 when enforcement is assessed; Pakistan’s enforcement perceptions score is a troubling 27.35, barely half the global benchmark. Even its supportive frameworks score of 50.68, slightly above the global average of 47, reflects limited institutional backing rather than meaningful transformation.

Aurat March

Speaking at a news conference at the National Press Club, representatives of the Aurat March condemned the current situation in the region, alleging that attempts were being made to impose war on Iran in the name of women in pursuit of imperial ambitions and economic interests.

The press conference was addressed by Farzana Bari, Zainab Jamil, Jia Jaggi, Halima, Hoorab and others.

“Attacks on Iran under the pretext of state repression against women are unacceptable,” they declared, adding that the US previously used the Taliban in Afghanistan against Russia and later imposed them on Afghanistan, where they made women’s lives miserable.

They further said the theme of Aurat March Islamabad this year was a “Feminist Constitution.”

According to them, the constitutional contract between the state of Pakistan and women contained biases that reduced women and religious minorities to second-class citizens.

They demanded the immediate repeal of laws such as the Hudood Ordinance, the Law of Evidence, the Qisas and Diyat laws, and the citizenship law that deprives non-Pakistani husbands of Pakistani women of Pakistani citizenship. They also called for the repeal of laws that restrict citizens’ democratic freedoms, including the Peca and the 26th and 27th constitutional amendments.

They demanded that Parliament immediately amend Section 375 of the Pakistan Penal Code to criminalise marital rape and forced sexual relations within marriage. They also called for the implementation of equal pay legislation, noting that women earn approximately 30pc less than men.

They urged a gender review of the language used in the Constitution so that, in addition to men, all women and other gender identities were included.

They further demanded that the government immediately declare a national emergency against gender-based violence, formulate an effective action plan, and implement it on a priority basis.

Women Bazaar

A special event was held at the Women’s Ramazan Sahulat Bazaar established in Sector G-11 Islamabad to mark International Women’s Day.

The event was jointly organised by the Capital Development Authority (CDA), Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) and the Islamabad Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IWCCI).

According to a handout, a large number of women customers, in addition to women traders and business women, participated in this special event in which the women displayed their products at various stalls. The bazaar will continue till the Eidul Fitr.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2026