KARACHI, Jan 3: Ministry of Women Development will provide a platform to the women members of national assembly as well as those active in different walks of life to raise their collective voice for the attainment of women’s rights and upgrading of status of the woman in the country.

This was stated by Nilofer Bakhtiar, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Women Affairs, Social Development and Special Education, at a conference on advertising and public relations held at a local hotel on Friday.

She said that in Pakistan, there was a big scope for media development which was essential for prosperity of the country.

She observed that women’s role in media was restricted to a ‘show piece’. She called for a change in the trend and said that woman folk must enjoy a more respectable status and responsible position.

Ms Bakhtiar stressed on collective efforts for an upgraded status for women and recounted the measures taken by President Gen Musharraf in this regard. She especially mentioned that a large number of women had reached the elected houses due to the President’s initiatives.

Highlighting her ministry’s next move, she said that the women MNAs and people from different walks of life would be provided assistance in chalking out a collective strategy for the attainment of the women’s rights.

She deplored crime against women, including rape, gangrape and marriages to level scores and said that such social injustice could be dealt with sternly when women acted unitedly with the help and cooperation of society and the media.

“Though very serious issues, a country like Pakistan cannot afford to place them on top priority,” she remarked regretfully. However, she added, the government would take revolutionary measures for the overall development of women in the next few years.

Ms Bakhtiar criticized naming of one of her departments as ‘special education’ and said that she would try to get it changed to ‘rehabilitation of special persons’ because the responsibilities of the special education department had been limited to imparting education and training to children only.

She said her ministry also planned welfare of special persons in the country and making the existing facilities friendlier to them.

A large number of professionals belonging to advertising industry print media and public relations firms attended the conference.

Prominent among the guests were MNA Dr Amir Liaquat, Prof Abdul Wahab, and Hameed Maker.—PPI