LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that respect to women and protection of their rights was an important part of Islamic injunctions adding that rights and societal respect enjoyed by the women in Islam were unprecedented.
In his message on International Women’s Day, the chief minister said the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) had taken historic steps to ensure the protection of women along with giving them due respect and honour in the society. “The Punjab government adopted an effective strategy to bring women in the national mainstream. Along with it, an effective implementation of the devised policy was ensured to protect the rights of the women,” said Shehbaz.
He also said that several important steps were taken to empower women through different measures along with the protection of their rights at the grassroots level so that they could fully play their role in the society.
“The government has made an effective legislation to eradicate violence against women and a state-of-the-art centre has also been established in the historic city of Multan to provide prompt legal assistance to women in need. These centres will also be established in other districts of the province,” he added.
The chief minister said that women were given 33 per cent representation in the boards of directors and other committees of the public sector bodies, and the women quota was also increased from 5 per cent to 15 per cent in government jobs. Additionally, the presence of a female member was made compulsory in the recruitment committees of public sector departments. He also said that interest-free loans were being given to hundreds of thousands of needy women for their economic empowerment as the provision of resources for women empowerment was a beneficial investment for the establishment of an enlightened society.
The chief minister said that no society could achieve the pinnacles of success and glory without giving rights to the women first. Similarly, the practical role of women could not be ignored in socio-economic development and the dream of prosperity could be materialised through women empowerment only.
He said Pakistani women were highly intelligent and hardworking and had earned a niche in every field.
“Women’s proactive role in different departments and spheres of life is commendable. This day encourages the women to move further with confidence for playing a proactive role in national development and today, we should reiterate this commitment that all possible steps would be taken to protect the rights of women in the society,” concluded the CM Shehbaz.