World Women’s Day: ‘PPP takes pride a great woman led it’

ISLAMABAD: Former president of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari has felicitated women all over the world in general and Pakistani women in particular on the World Women’s Day on 8th March. Asif Ali Zardari, who is also President Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians, in a message said that the PPP takes pride in the fact that a great woman led this party. “Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto is regarded as a brave woman all over the world,” he said. He said that Pakistan needs an environment where women do not feel threatened and frightened. “The purpose of initiating the Benazir Income Support Programme was to empower women and instill confidence in them,” he said.

Zardari said that the PPP in power always assured participation of women in every field of life.

He said the PPP’s achievements for women include appointment of women judges in higher courts, establishment of women bank and women police stations. He said the PPP also introduced legislation against harassment of women at workplace.

Chairman Pakistan People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that gender equality and empowerment of women is his party’s manifesto and a dream of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, for which the party leadership and every Jiyala (party worker) are struggling to make them a reality.

In his message, the PPP chairman said that political, economic and social changes are taking place all over the world and it is clear that this century will be the century of women’s advancement. “A nation that does not give women equality will not be able to compete with other nations”, he maintained.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that his party, whether in government or on the ground of struggle, has taken concrete steps to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment, which are unprecedented in Pakistan.

He pointed out that a mega model project for poverty alleviation like the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) — which has been recognized by many global institutions like the World Bank for its transparency and positive results — was launched beside another program introduced on the Union Council level to provide interest-free loans to women for micro-businesses, which benefited more than 600,000 women and their families in Sindh. “As well as the First Women Bank, Women Police Stations and Lady Health Workers Program, which was started by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto herself, and the project of giving ownership of agricultural land to landless women farmers free of cost, are having far-reaching results in Pakistan,” he said.

He further said that the establishment of the National Commission on the Status of Women, Anti-Women Practices Act, Anti-Acid Crimes Law, Protection of Women at Workplace Law at the federal level and many such other laws are also the hallmarks of PPP.

The chairman PPP said that the Sindh Assembly led by his party also adopted the Sindh Child Marriages Restraint Act 2013, Domestic Violence (Protection & Prevention) Act 2015 and Commission on the Status of Women 2015 from the Sindh Assembly.

Bilawal said that he is well aware of the fact that there is a long way to go to achieve Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto’s dream of equality for women in all walks of life, but it is satisfactory for him that the Pakistan People’s Party is firmly committed in this regard.