The provincial cabinet gave a unanimous approval to Punjab Commission on the Status of Women Ordinance 2013 on Tuesday.
The cabinet passed the ordinance after a few amendments under which a Punjab Commission, having at least 50 percent women representation, will be formulated and at least one women member will be taken from minorities.
The SC had given directions during a hearing that provinces should also form commission on the status of women. Similarly, leader of the house or his representative and leader of the opposition or his representative would be the members of the representative commission while two women parliamentarians would also be its members.
A senior official on the condition of anonymity said the commission will be similar to human rights and other similar commissions and would work as a watchdog against violations of women rights. A few female government officials on key posts will be made its ex-officio members while the rest will be chosen from the civil society.
The cabinet met under the chairmanship of Punjab Chief Minister Najam Sethi at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat. The meeting was attended by provincial ministers, advisor for Taxation & Revenue, Punjab chief secretary, Punjab advocate general, secretaries of law, finance, higher education, women development, information and other officers of concerned departments.
The cabinet meeting also reviewed draft ordinance of Noor International University. Addressing the cabinet meeting, Najam Sethi said that establishment of Punjab Commission was a laudable step towards empowerment and welfare of women. He said commission would help solve problems being faced by women, besides taking immediate action over violence against women, and inhuman treatment meted out to them.
The chief minister said more than 50 percent of the country’s population comprised of women, and national prosperity could not be achieved without bringing women into the mainstream of progress and prosperity. He said Pakistani women were highly capable and were playing an effective role in the progress and prosperity of the nation. He said women have played a significant role in national development, particularly in the fields of medicine, engineering, information technology, education, administration and other sectors. He said that the society could be put on the road towards progress and prosperity by empowering women, who have to play a proactive role in all fields of national development, and Punjab government was taking all necessary steps for this purpose.
The chief minister formulated a 5-member committee under the chairmanship of provincial law minister, which would review draft ordinance of Noor International University and submit its recommendations. Sethi said that nation could only achieve progress through education as development was not possible without imparting modern knowledge to the youth. He said Punjab government was providing all possible resources for the promotion of education so that the country could achieve progress and prosperity.
The cabinet meeting also reviewed various suggestions regarding reduction in entertainment tax while final recommendations in this regard would be submitted to the cabinet in its next meeting. Secretary Higher Education gave a detailed briefing on draft ordinance of Noor International University, while Secretary Women Development briefed the cabinet about Punjab Commission on the Status of Women Ordinance, 2013.