Parliamentary convention vows to protect women rights

ISLAMABAD: A Women Parliamentary Convention held here Friday passed a resolution, expressing its commitment to eradicate all forms of social, economic and political discrimination against women.

The event, held at the Parliament House, was a part of diamond jubilee celebrations of the first Constituent Assembly of Pakistan. National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf inaugurated the convention. The convention was attended by women parliamentarians, former parliamentarians and prominent females from diverse walks of life.

The resolution adopted at the convention said the women parliamentarians were also committed to protecting and upholding women’s rights as enshrined in the Constitution and ensuring that their respective party manifestos provide a central focus to women in party policy so as to ensure social political and economic empowerment of women. “For it we, as legislators, pledge to utilise our legislative authority,” it said.

The participants acknowledged women’s illustrious contribution to the creation of Pakistan and its freedom struggle and recalled that the Constitution of Pakistan which recognises the Quran and Sunnah as the basic source of governance, provides women full rights, rejects all forms of discrimination, and promotes their full participation in public life under Articles 25, 34, 35 and 37 of the Constitution. The resolution also noted that national and international commitments of the government of Pakistan including the National Policy for the Development and Empowerment of Women (NPDEW) 2002, underscored attainment for women in the public and political spheres.

They also paid tributes to all women leaders of Pakistan particularly Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah, Begum Ra’na Liaqat Ali and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto whose courage and exemplary contributions to public and political life had greatly inspired, built a sense of confidence and empowered Pakistani women. The resolution also acknowledged that inclusiveness and representation of women and men in health, education, economy, and politics validates the foundations of democracy and renders legitimacy to it.