Govt making all-out efforts for women empowerment, says commissioner

The provincial government has been making all-out efforts for the empowerment and development of women in Sindh. Karachi Commissioner Navid Ahmed Shaikh said this on Friday as he inaugurated Fourth National Women's Day organised by the Sindh Commission on the Status of Women (SCSW) at the Frere Hall.

He remarked that the government wanted to make women empowered economically and socially, and ensure equal opportunities for them so that they could utilise their skills, knowledge, abilities and talents for the development of society.

The commissioner said the provincial government was striving hard for bringing about change in women’s lives. He added that the government wanted the women to serve their families with dignity and setting up of the commission on the status of women was also part of the objective to support women and empower them.

He assured his full support for the SCSW, saying that the city administration would play its role for the rights and development of women and mitigating gender-based violence. Later, the commissioner distributed awards among deserving women selected by the commission for the recognition of their services for the rights and development of women.

The consul general of Japan in Karachi, Special Secretary of Law Rubina Asif and various women activists attended the event. SCSW Chairperson Nuzhat Shirin also spoke at the occasion.

Istehkam-e-Pakistan Earlier, the commissioner decided to hold Istehkam-e-Pakistan celebrations in the city that would culminate on Pakistan Day, March 23.

Shaikh held a meeting in this regard on Wednesday in which the Deputy commissioners of all the six districts of the city and representatives of the culture and education departments, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, District Municipal Corporations (DMCs), Rangers and traffic police participated.

According to a press statement from the Commissioner Office, all of aforementioned departments would participate in programmes for the Istehkam-e-Pakistan celebrations. It was decided that all the departments would finalise their programmes in a week and submit their plans to the commissioner by Tuesday.

The celebrations would start from the current month and would continue until March 23. It was also decided that all the deputy commissioners would organise spring festivals in coordination with the provincial culture department and National Academy of Performing Arts.

A puppet show would also be held in the city along with a quiz competition, Qirat and Naat competitions, national song competitions and sports competition. The commissioner asked the departments to highlight the spirit of patriotism in their programmes.