HARIPUR, March 8: Speakers at a seminar held here on Tuesday urged that all international protocols and conventions pertaining to rights of women should be implemented and maximum representation of women at all tiers of government should be ensured.

The seminar was organised to observe the International Women Day by the Haripur NGOs forum here on Tuesday. It was attended by women councillors, women activists and representatives of certain government departments.

Rashida Perven of Sungi said that women who had ventured to get out of four wall of their house and took part in politics or were earning livelihood to support their families were somehow exposed to certain kinds of hardships and hurdles.

She said these hardships and hurdles were detrimental to their progress and development. She said although policies and implementing institutions were there in Pakistan, national and international protocols on women rights were not fully implemented.

She said their non implementation had impeded real progress of the fair sex. She said elected people and human rights activists should keep in touch with policy implementing institutions.

Tehsil Councilor Tasneem Bibi opposed the idea of reducing women's seats in local bodies and demanded maximum representation of women at all the tiers of government. Executive Director Rural Development Project (RDP) Mohammad Ahsan highlighted the objectives of women day and discussed at length national and international protocols for the rights of women.

He said that policies and protocols were of no use if they were not implemented in real spirit. He said they could only be implemented when representatives of women and deprived communities made efforts in this direction.

"Only those who were ever exposed to abject poverty, house violence and discrimination could understand ordeals of other suffering women. They should work honestly for getting rid of these social evils", he added.

Mr Ahsan told the participants that the Frontier government was contemplating to introduce certain stringent women-related laws in the province. He said the women folk had to be united to initiate concerted efforts in this regard.

District Khatib Maulana Wahid Qamar said that Islam had a great reverence for women and Sura-e-Nisa of Holy Quran was a testimony to this effect. He also eulogized the efforts of NGOs which were striving for the rights of women. Shehnaz Karim, Zaheera Bibi Riasat Sultana, Tabbasum Bibi and Kosar Bibi also spoke on the occasion.