On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives launched the National Gender Policy Framework intended at offering an organized mechanism with well-defined goals to improve the lives of women and provide them with equivalent opportunities to shine in a professional sphere.
Addressing the launch ceremony, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar stated that it was essential to launch such a framework that can provide equal opportunities to all segments of society, mainly women, to flourish and progress. “This framework converts that honest intent into an integrated actionable programme.”
The minister further said that Pakistan also confronted a challenge on the education front. “Enrollment of girls in schools is very low as compared to boys and the dropout rate is increasing with each passing day,” he added.
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Mr. Umar mentioned, “There are challenges like consensus building, helping people hone their skills and the ability for conflict resolution where women generally excel more.”
Emphasizing the necessity for the implementation of legislation that had been enacted to ensure gender equality, the minister said, “If a person doesn’t feel protected then he/she cannot work to the best of their potential.”
“People say [political] parties should be stronger and they should have no dependency on its leader. This is a great theory but it has no connection to the reality,” he maintained.
He said that the national gender policy talks about instituting governance mechanisms to ensure that all committed is rolled out effectively for empowering the women of our country.
Meanwhile, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz stated every woman was the essence of strength and courage.
“To every woman out there… You define the very fabric of society. You make the world beautiful. It is said that being a woman itself is a superpower. Make the most of it. You go girls.”
Besides, senior politician and PPP Senator Sherry Rehman commended women and said in a video message, “Don’t lose hope. We will ensure that our rights are accepted, no matter how much time it takes.”
