HYDERABAD, Nov 1: Federal minister for women development, social welfare and special education, Dr Attiya Inayatullah said on Thursday that time had come that fifty percent women population of the country should play its due role for rapid development and progress of the country.

She was speaking at a ceremony arranged in connection with a Meena Bazaar jointly organised by the Institute of Women Development Studies and Institute of Sindhology of University of Sindh Jamshoro in collaboration with elected women representatives at the Sindhology auditorium.

Dr Attiya said that the present government while realising the women’s contribution towards the progress and prosperity of the country, had taken several steps for women development.

She said that the government had provided an opportunity of direct participation of women in the country’s politics under new local government system so that they could be able to strive for women development.

She informed that 40,000 women had become the members of the local bodies. These elected representatives would also receive grants for the development of their respective areas, she said.

She said that the main objective of sizable representation of women in the new local government system was to let the women play their due role in national politics after getting proper training from the said nurseries.

The election of 40,000 women representatives in the local bodies did not mean that the struggle of women has been stopped, she said and added the struggle to provide due rights to millions of women of the country had just started.

The minister said that formation of a commission for women rights, provision of loans to women through Khushali Bank and financial assistance to poor and deserving women were also parts of the government efforts for women development.

She said that the government while taking notice of women’s lesser wages than men’s in industrial sector, had signed on ILO Convention-100 and now the women would get equal wages in this sector.

She regretted that feudal dominated politics had usurped the rights of 50 million women population of the country and women were robbed of their rights even in the name of Islam.

She said that murder of women on allegation of Karo-kari, marriage of women with Holy Quran to deprive them from assets, torture on women and hesitation in lodging complaints of women in the police stations were routine matters in the country.

Highlighting the differences being carried out between men and women, she said Islam has provided due respect to women but the men-dominated society had been engaged to deprive women of their due rights.

She said that over 30,000 women died every year in the country during pregnancy but no efforts had been made to control such a huge ratio of women’s deaths.

She informed that the present government was making efforts to formulate laws to curb such menaces including Karo-kari killings and provide cheap and early justice to the women of the country.

Commenting on the present situation being faced by the country, the minister said that some vested interests were making efforts to achieve their nefarious designs against the interests of the country.—APP