Day: November 29, 2012

LAHORE – PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz Sharif has said that the 52 per cent women population can play a vital role in the progress and development of the country.

Inaugurating the Women Youth Website at the central secretariat of the party on Wednesday, Maryam said women possess even more potential than men in certain important sectors of national development.

“Their unity on a single platform can take the country to new heights of progress,” she added. Maryam invited them to share her efforts for making Pakistan a developed, forward looking and thriving country.

Counting achievements of the Punjab government, she said the Punjab government was specially focusing on the development of the youth in the course of which it launched a number of historic projects for them.

She said besides endowment funds, distribution of laptops among the talented youth purely on merit and the establishment of Daasnish Schools to enable the talented kids of the lowest stratum of society to acquire top class education in the best of environment.

The Nation

Legislation against domestic violence and violence perpetuated by state machinery must be passed to make these acts punishable crime, this was demanded by the speakers during the rally entitled ‘Protect Women against Violence’ staged by Peace and Human Development (PHD Foundation) and Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation (AWAM) in collaboration with Aitbar Foundation, CARE Foundation, ASDP, ARADA Network, RASTA Network and LEHR Network to observe the international day for the elimination of violence against women.

The rally was led by MNA Ms Khalida Mansoor. Speaking on this occasion, the director of the AWAM, Nazia Sardar said, “The government has set up crises centres to protect women victims of violence, but it is pity that the funds are not being released to crises centres to stay functional.” “Women face economic exploitation and violence.

The government must legally recognise the unrecognised women workers engaged in informal sectors, including home-based workers, peasant workers and domestic workers, as part of the labour force, and must ratify the ILO conventions protecting rights of home-based workers and domestic workers,” she demanded.

The co-ordinator of the AWAM, Shazia George said, “The forced sterilisation of the women with disabilities is horrible act, which cause their reproductive inability. The violence in the domestic sphere is also objectionable; therefore, government must approve legislation protecting women against domestic violence”. The executive secretary of the AWAM, Naseem Anthony said, “The greater acceptance of violence is the root cause behind all forms of violence against women patriarchal society, which promote violence and discrimination in society. Violence is a serious violation of human rights, but majority of the people do not recognise many forms of gender-based violence as crime in Pakistan, and consider it a part of our culture and fate of the women”.

The director of the PHD Foundation, Suneel Malik said, “It is sad that the elements responsible for protecting citizens are also found involved in the gender-based violence in jails and shelter homes, therefore the government must pass a legislation banning violence perpetrated or condoned by the state machinery.” The leader of the Aitbar Foundation, Nasreen Bukhari said, “The passage of pro-women legislation is not only stepped to protect women, but the main action towards safeguarding human rights of women is the strict enforcement of all such legislation.”

Business Recorder

UMERKOT: A woman who had been declared dead and buried by her family appeared in court on Wednesday, 21 days after she was said to have gone missing.

Zulekha Khoso, a resident of Khosa Mohalla, had been declared dead 15 days after she went missing and her family had performed burial rituals on another woman’s body.

However, a murder case had been lodged against three men by her brother-in-law, Shadi Khan Khoso, a former police officer, nine days after she went missing.

Meanwhile, on Nov 16, the family came to know about an unidentified woman who had been found dead in the Quaidabad area of Karachi. Zulekha’s husband, Khalid Khoso, came to Karachi and after identifying that the body was his wife’s took it to Umerkot for burial.

But Zulekha’s daughter, Mehtab, and a few neighbours had expressed doubts that Mr Khoso had brought in the wrong body.

The identity of the woman who was buried is still unclear.

According to Umerkot SHO Sufi Aurangzeb, the missing woman was presented before the judicial magistrate on Wednesday and was identified by her daughter Mehtab. He said that the FIR registered for Zulekha’s murder by her brother-in-law was disposed of under Section 164 of the criminal procedure code.

Testifying in court, Zulekha said that she had gone to her parents’ house in Badin because her husband had fixed Mehtab’s engagement without her consent. She said that she contacted her family when she heard that they had buried the wrong body.

Zulekha said that she had agreed to return home after her husband assured her that he would review his decision about Mehtab’s engagement.

Dawn

HYDERABAD: Sindh Minister for Women Development Tauqir Fatima Bhutto has said that women who are imprisoned in jails are being provided legal assistance under directives of the president and they will not be left in the lurch.

Speaking to reporters after visiting the Hyderabad central jail on Wednesday, she said women inmates were also provided other facilities and a report was sought from prisons on a daily basis so that efforts were made for timely disposal of their cases.

She directed officials of her ministry to collect details of imprisoned women and provide them with the state appointed lawyers. She said cleanliness, food and medical facilities were being provided to women prisoners and their minors who were living with them. Construction of more barracks is under way in jails.

Women Prison Superintendent Syeda Munawara Sultana informed the minister that currently 29 prisoners, including murder convicts, were in jail. Some were facing trial. Five children were staying with women in jail, she said.

Dawn

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Information Mian Ifikhar Hussain has called for granting women due status and economic opportunities to ensure development of the country.

Speaking at a seminar on ‘violence against women’ organised by White Ribbon Campaign Pakistan at Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday, the minister said women were integral part of the society, having greater contribution in economic development of the country.

He stressed the need for women empowerment and provision of equal opportunities to them. He admitted that women had not been given due status in Pakistani society, where ratio of violence against them was also increasing with every passing day.

Mr Iftikhar said women were facing embarrassing situation in the developing world, and their basic rights were being violated in the name of traditions and cultural norms.

“It is our religious obligation to give due status to women in the society and provide them with equal opportunities to enable them to play effective role in development of the country,” he said.

Earlier, addressing a health card distribution ceremony among journalists, the provincial minister expressed his displeasure over non-provision of health facility to journalists by certain media organisations. He said the government would take up the issue with media owners.

Mr Iftikhar claimed that the incumbent coalition government had upheld high democratic norms and followed a policy of consensus, which helped it complete its five year constitutional period. The minister also mentioned that after suffering defeat the terrorists were now planning to send their representatives to parliament in order to impose their ideology on people.

He said more was needed to be done to wipe out militancy before the upcoming general elections.

Dawn