Conference calls for empowerment of women in professional life

Speakers at the First Women Law Conference on Thursday called for empowerment of women in the professional life, encouraging them to pursue law and higher education, as well as called for provision of a secure environment at their workplaces.

Addressing the programme held at the Arts Council, the Sindh High Court’s (SHC) Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi said Islam has given honour, respect and several rights, including that of mandatory inheritance, to women, which no other religion or society has given to them yet.

Justice Abbasi said women play a very important role in society, and urged women, especially girls, to educate themselves and work for the betterment of society.

He, however, asked the organisers of the conference to ensure that there is a specific topic for the programme in future editions so the attendees of the event can read out their papers for better participation.

The SHC’s Justice Ashraf Jehan said women have proved their abilities in every walk of life, including the legal profession, and stressed the need to change the mindset prevalent in society.

She said women do not get their due status in society despite all claims. She urged women to change their attitude and understand the role that Allah Almighty has assigned them. Women are using their intellectual potential rather than physical appearance to prove themselves in different fields as well as empowering themselves through their education and their brilliance, he added.

She said the strength of female judges is more than male judges in several developed countries, including Turkey, where women are performing their duties as judicial officers and judges of superior courts as well as successfully proving their abilities in society.

She expressed hope that the younger generation will choose law as their career, as there is a bright future in this field and many opportunities await them. She advised them against compromising on their credibility and principles, and asked them to focus on character-building.

The SHC’s Justice Kausar Sultana Hussain said the bar and bench play an important role in the dispensation of justice in society. She said that several female lawyers and jurists, including Justice (retd) Khalida Rashid, Justice (retd) Salma Subhan and Justice (retd) Majida Rizvi, provided remarkable services not only to the legal profession but to the country.

Law & Justice Commission of Pakistan Secretary Dr Raheem Awan said it has been decided in the commission’s meeting, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, that cases of female under-trial prisoners will be disposed of expeditiously by constituting special benches in high courts and trial courts in district courts. He said it has also been decided that dedicated areas of family courts will be established in each district of the province to decide disputes relating to family and women’s rights.

Justice (retd) Majida Rizvi, who presided over the conference, said women cannot achieve any goal without the support of the male members of her family because she was supported by her father and brothers to achieve such a position in society. She appreciated the induction of female judicial officers in the district judiciary, but said women should be provided with opportunities in the superior courts. She said that several laws have been formulated to protect the rights of women, and that they should be enforced and implemented in letter and spirit.

Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto University of Law (SZABUL) Vice-Chancellor Kazi Khalid, Karachi Bar Association (KBA) President Haider Imam Rizvi, Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) Secretary Rehan Malik, Sindh Commission on the Status of Women Chairperson Nuzhat Shireen, former SHCBA president Shahab Sarki and others also spoke on the occasion. They said women are facing discrimination in several professional fields, but they urged women, especially the younger generation, to educate themselves, especially in the field of law.

Justice Helpline President Nadeem Sheikh thanked all the participants of the programme and announced that the Justice Helpline will organise a women law conference every year. The event was organised by the Justice Helpline in collaboration with the Arts Council of Pakistan, the Sindh Women Development Department, the Standing Committee on Minority Affairs of the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the SHCBA, the SZABUL, the KBA, the Dadabhoy Institute of Higher Education, the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology and the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Dewan University.