‘Islam has given women unprecedented rights’

Islamabad : Islam has provided unprecedented rights to women, said First Lady Begum Mehmooda Mamnoon Hussain here on Thursday.

"Islam does not differentiate between the rights of a man and a woman but suggests a certain balance between them to maintain an equilibrium in family and society," she told an event held by the Pakistan Red Crescent Women Forum here to mark the International Women’s Day.

The first lady said the objective of observing the International Women’s Day was to make the country’s women self-reliant and provide them with an effective status in the society. She said women in the country were enjoying the protection of their rights besides their representation in parliament, quota in government jobs and legislation on protection against harassment at workplace.

Begum Mehmooda said the women had certain responsibilities particularly ensuring the best upbringing of their children. She encouraged women to also contribute their services in different professional fields to match their women contemporaries in the world.

The first lady said women in the country had played a prominent role at many fronts from participation in Pakistan Movement to resistance against dictatorship and in the fields of education and sports.

She praised Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah, Begum Raana Liaquat Ali Khan and Begum Waqarun Nisa Noon and today’s shining examples of Malala Yousafzai, Arfa Karim, Samina Baig, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, Hadiqa Bashir, Anousha Rehman and Shazia Parveen for proving themselves to be a pride for the country.

The first lady lauded the activities of the Red Crescent Women Forum, which she said would help Pakistani women make achievements in different fields of life. Chairman of the Pakistan Red Crescent Society Dr Saeed Ilahi also spoke on the occasion.