ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday announced the appointment of Ms. Mussarrat Hilali, a woman from Malakand, as the first woman ombudsperson to provide a legal forum for redressal of grievances of working women.

The Prime Minister also declared December 22 as the national day for Pakistani Working Women and reiterated the government's commitment to firmly implement the law on protection of women against sexual harassment with zero tolerance.

He was addressing the “Aasha” Working Women Assembly here at the PM Secretariat. Besides a large number of working women, the event was also attended by Speaker of the National Assembly Dr. Fehmida Mirza, Minister for Women Development Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan, Special Assistant to PM Begum Shehnaz Wazir Ali and others.

The Prime Minister said that the present government attached utmost importance and priority to the cause of women, especially the working women.

“It is in this spirit that the government has vigorously followed the PPP agenda of bringing the women to the mainstream by appointing them to the key decision-making positions in an unprecedented way”, he added.

The Prime Minister said that the enactment of important legislation like the women protection bill also proved the government's commitment towards the cause of women issues.

“I would also like to reiterate my government's commitment to firmly implement the law on protection against sexual harassment with zero tolerance”, he added.

The Prime Minister said, “I am therefore pleased to appoint Ms. Mussarrat Hilali as the first woman ombudsperson in order to provide a legal forum where the working women take their grievances for just resolution”.

Declaring December 22 as the national day of working women, he hoped that these actions “will pave the way for making Pakistan a gender-balanced, gender-friendly and gender-supportive democratic polity, where all women have equal rights and opportunities as enshrined in the Constitution for their development”.