KARACHI, March 5: A number of seminars, literary evenings, musical shows and other programmes to mark the International Women’s Day will be held at various places in the city on Friday and Saturday.

These programmes will be organized by the provincial government and various non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including women NGOs separately at different venues.

The Karachi Women’s Peace Committee is celebrating the Women’s Day on Mar 9, on the premises of the Arts Council of Pakistan. It will be a day-long programme with stalls/displays by women and presentation by various embassies and cultural centres, said a KWPC press release.

It said this year programmes would focus on Sindh and the women from Nagarparkar, Larkana, Jacobabad, Hyderabad, Khairpur, Hala, Mirpursakro, Gadap, would be the participants in the seminar, presenting their views about the problems they face and would also offer proposals to rectify them.

They would also market their handicrafts and participate in musical programme. They day is dedicated to them and will be celebrated as the Sindh Women’s Day. At least 25 NGOs from Sindh and Karachi are expected to attend the functions.

The Pakistan National Council of the Arts would present a cultural show in which music and folk dances of Sindh would be presented. The award-wining Iranian move ‘Sara’ would also be shown through the courtesy of Iranian cultural centre, said the KWPC press release.

A seminar on the women’s day will be organized on Mar 8, at 3pm at the FTC Auditorium by the Directorate of Social Welfare and Women Development in collaboration with the Legal and Human Rights Lawyers Association.

Wife of Sindh Governor, Ms Khadija Soomro will be the chief guest and various provincial ministers, provincial secretaries, and eminent dignitaries from all over the province are expected to attend the seminar and highlight the importance of womenfolk in the society, said an official handout.

Several NGOs — Aurat Foundation, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Panah Trust, Shirkatgah, Women’s Action Forum, Working Women Association, and Interflow Public Service Division — will jointly organize a Mushaira and Literary Evening followed by musical programme on Mar 8, at Hindu Gymkhana at 4:30pm.

Ada Jaffery, Fahmida Riaz, Zahida Hina, Mehar Taj, Zehra Nigah, Atiya Dawood and others are likely to attend the literary evening. Mehnaz Begum will be the singer and Tehrik-i-Niswan will make a video presentation.

Another seminar on “Women Empowerment & Their Right to Self-Determination” will be organized by Human Rights International Alliance Pakistan on Mar 9, at Mehran Hotel where provincial education minister Anita Ghulam Ali will be the chief guest and the chief of HRLA, Noor Naz Agha, will preside over the seminar.

Tehrik-i-Niswan has organized screening of its new productions “Aik Larki Sae” and “Profiles of Courage” on Mar 7, at Alliance Francaise at 7pm. Aik Larki Sae is a short six-minute music-video in which Tina Sani sings the poetry of Fehmida Riaz. The Profiles of Courage is three short documentaries of 30-minute duration from a series of ten documentaries highlighting the lives and struggle of low-income self-employed women.