FAISALABAD City News

Women asked to play active role in socio-economy uplift

From Our Correspondent

FAISALABAD: Speakers at a seminar have urged upon the women to play their active role in socio-economic development of the country.

They said this while addressing a seminar on ‘Women Empowerment’ at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, on the International Women Day here on Monday. The seminar was jointly arranged by the Social Welfare Department, Rural Sociology Department, UAF, and the USAID funded Center for Advanced Studies in Agriculture and Food Security. Chairing the session, Commissioner Naseem Nawaz said that the Islam gives maximum rights to women, including rights of inheritance. He said that the Punjab Assembly had passed the Protection of Women against Violence Act, which strengthens women. He said that it was a matter of concern that women were not being given their due rights that needs to be addressed especially in the rural areas. UAF Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that women were excelling in every field of life. He said that education works as an engine of growth to address social and economic issues. He said that empowerment of women was vital to achieve the dream of development. We could not progress without involving women in social and economic life and bringing them into mainstream, he added. He said that the university was making all-out efforts to provide modern facilities to women. He said that two new girls hostels with a capacity of 2,000 students and Women Sports Complex were being constructed for girls. Government College Women University, Faisalabad, Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Noreen Aziz Qureshi said that women were the great asset for the society. They were playing an intensive role model not only as a housekeeper but also as the working force in all aspects of life, she added. She said that the GCUFW was the Faisalabad’s first women university, which was taking all possible steps to educate women. MNA Khalida Mansoor said that women as mothers, sisters and daughters, were playing a pivotal role for the development of the country. She said that the government was committed to provide them their due rights and empower them so that challenges of the modern era could be met. MPA Madiha Rana said that the government was taking revolutionary steps for women to help them in enhancing their role in the socio-economics activities. Prof Dr Bashir Ahmad said that we were running the gender marinating programme in which 50 per cent quota was reserved for women in the recruitment and scholarships. University of California, US, Prof Dr Nancy said that in the developed countries, women were standing shoulder to shoulder with men. She stressed the need to increase literacy rate so that different issues could be addressed.