Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Speaker National Assembly, Tuesday said women’s participation is pivotal for sustainable development.
He said no society can grow unless it encourages its women to play their role in its development as active partners.
In his message on the National Women Day being observed throughout Pakistan on Wednesday, Ayaz Sadiq said we are committed to emancipate women and protect them from all kinds of exploitation and discrimination. In this struggle, we are inspired by the teachings of our religion, the dictates of our Constitution and the vision of our founding father Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
He said that Pakistani women are among the most resilient among the womenfolk in the world as they have faced the rigours of wars, unprecedented floods and other natural calamities. “Our rural women are a major contributor to the national economy and playing their appreciable role in elevating the status of their households through hard work. They continue to be powerful metaphor of courage and hope in the face of heavy odds and challenges” he added.
He said that provision of basic health facilities and education to women is the top priority of the government. The Speaker admired that the female MNAs showed keen interest in the legislative business with their male colleagues during sessions of the National Assembly. He said Women Parliamentary Caucus in the National Assembly proposed several amendments based on gender equality and contributed with their active participation in different Bills and Acts like “The National Commission on the Status of Women Bill, 2012” and “The Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, 2010”.
The Speaker said that it is our national duty to protect the interests of women and provide them equal opportunities. Acknowledging the active participation of women in Pakistan, he said that, today women in Pakistan are active in the fields of education, economy, health, social welfare, business and law including police, army, air force and other traditional and non-traditional fields.
