ISLAMABAD, March 7: President General Pervez Musharraf on Sunday said Islam held women in high esteem and their rights had been enshrined in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah.

In his message on the International Women's Day being observed on Monday, the president said the constitution provided for gender equality. Musharraf said he was happy to state that the role of women in national development and political life had been strengthened and consolidated by not only restoring but also increasing their seats at all tiers of the legislature including the Senate, the National Assembly and the provincial assemblies.

He said special emphasis had been given to ensure due representation of women at the local government in the form of more than 40,000 councillors at district, Tehsil and union council level.

The president noted that his government had given the decision-making power to the women who must now use their political acumen to resolve all issues ranging from national to those at the grassroots level and emerge as equal partners in national development.

In her message, First Lady Sehba Musharraf stressed equal status for women in all spheres of life for attainment of millennium development goals. "Women should be treated as equal partners in the nation building and sustainable development," she said.

She said the Millennium Development Goals-2015, set by the United Nations, emphasised reduction of poverty and hunger to half, achievement of universal primary education, women empowerment and promotion of gender equality.

She also emphasized reducing under-five child and maternal mortality, reversing the spread of diseases, specially HIV, Aids and malaria, ensuring environment stability and creating a global partnership for development.

Political empowerment of women by giving them ample space at the local level, in the national and provincial assemblies and the Senate would also go a long way towards achieving the objectives of women empowerment, she said.

Begum Musharraf exhorted the women to use their political power for addressing and resolving the problems of their community especially in the areas of education, health and economic.

She hoped that the ministry of women development would take the initiative to combat HIV and Aids and chalk out comprehensive programmes in collaboration with the relevant government agencies and communities to achieve the desired objectives.