ISLAMABAD, Nov 30: An event was held in F-9 Park to remember the over 50 million missing women of South Asia and to end violence against women.

A minute of silence was observed to pay homage to the women who have gone missing due to different reasons.

A candle vigil also marked the event. The ceremony was attended by members of civil society and students from colleges and universities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

As many as 500 pairs of women’s worn-out shoes were also placed at the site which will be distributed among the needy women through charity organisations.

Speaking on the occasion, Fauzia Kasuri of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) said it was the proper way to pay tribute to the missing women.

She, however, expressed the surprise that none of the women parliamentarians bothered to attend the event.

Hajera Pasha, the representative of an NGO, added: “Each pair of the shoes represents a woman who lost her life due to violence.

Now looking at this huge stack, we can imagine how many lives were not valued.”

She said violence against women could only be checked by changing the mindsets of people.

The concept of the “shoe memorial ceremony in remembrance of the 50 million missing women of South Asia” was taken from a research “More than 100 million women are missing” conducted by Noble laureate Amartya Sen of India.