Social Issues – Page 49 – Pakistan Gender News

March 8, 2019

Women’s safety to reflect Pakistan’s true sense: president

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan could not become Islamic Republic of Pakistan in true sense unless women feel safe in public and private domains, said President Dr Arif Alvi while addressing an event organised to commemorate International Women Day.

Organised by the Federal Ombudsman Secretariat for Protection against Harassment (FOSPAH) on Thursday, the event titled ‘Inclusion not Seclusion’ was attended by a large number of people, including parliamentarians, diplomats, government officials, civil society representatives, academia and media.

Dr Arif Alvi urged all segments of the society to play their role in ensuring women rights and instead of merely providing lip service, take practical steps for financial independence of women. “We agree to protection and provision of women rights, but the same concept is not implemented in the society.”

He said that it is important to make law on protection of women but more important is effective implementation of these laws. He stressed for changing culture of police stations. “Police stations are first step on access to justice, but women are not ready to approach police stations because of the environment.

The president said that women would remain vulnerable for physical and mental violence unless they are made financially independent. “It is not enough to blame culture and tradition for violation of women rights. There is a need to change traditions that harm women socially and economically,” he said adding that this mind set change is possible only when women are educated.

Talking about the issue of stunting, he said 40 per cent children suffer mental weakness only because their mothers are not provided enough nutrition during pregnancy. “Women silently take the burden of health, sanitation, care, upbringing of children etc. They contribute both in household as well as at workplace, but their contributions remain largely unrewarded. It is our responsibility to provide them their due rights of health, education, protection and respect.”

The Federal Ombudsperson on Harassment against Women, Kashmala Tariq, said that International Women’s Day is an occasion to celebrate the achievements and contributions of women. She said that women are performing extraordinary in all sectors. She shared that in recent years, almost 40 per cent of those who qualified as CSP officers are women. “In our parliament, 21 per cent members are women that are way ahead many other countries.”

Kashmala said that it is important to sensitise and engage men to ensure women rights. She emphasised on capitalising maximum potential of women that make more than half of the total population. She also explained the function of Harassment Ombudsperson and said that men can also file complaint in the ombudsperson in case they face any kind of harassment at workplace.

State Minister for Climate Change Zartaj Gul talked about the responsibilities of women who have been privileged enough to reach a decision making position. “It is our responsibility to become voice of underprivileged women,” she said adding that women are not equal to men because they are better than men. She urged men to support their women and stand beside them in achieving their dreams.

Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs and Shipping Ali Zaidi said that men could not excel without the support of women. Looking at the progress of women, he warned Modi that this time, it was Hassan Siddique, who brought down Indian warplanes, but next time they might find Haseena Siddique protecting the country’s airspace the same way. The event also included colourful singing performance by girls from Lok Virsa and screening of an ISPR song dedicated to women of Pakistan.

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March 2, 2019

No govt hostel for women in Sindh, PA told

KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly was informed on Friday that there were no official hostel arrangements for working women in the province.

Furnishing a statement and replying to written and verbal queries of lawmakers during Question Hour in the provincial assembly, Women Development Minister Syeda Shehla Raza said that there was an Annual Development Programme scheme by the name of ‘Working Women Hostel at Shaheed Benazirabad’.

However, she said, the project could not be launched as the designated building for the working women hostel was under the possession of police department.

The minister said only five rooms of the building were handed over to women development department. She said that ADP scheme was closed on reduced cost last year as the given accommodation was not sufficient for the purpose of hostel.

“Due to above reason, there is no working women hostel arrangement in the province [operated] by the women development department,” she added.

She said that working women hostel would be started in Shaheed Benazirabad, Sukkur and Sanghar after the completion of Women Development Complex in Karachi.

Responding to a question raised by opposition member Arif Mustafa Jatoi, she said that the women development department was not running any ladies club across the province.

Replying to another question asked by Mr Jatoi, the minister said that there were no “shelter houses”

under the administrative control of the women development department. However, the department referred cases to different shelter homes working under the administrative control of the social welfare department.

She said that efforts were being made to bring the shelter homes under the administrative control of the women development department.

Responding to a question raised by opposition member Rabistan Khan, the minister said that the women development department conducted several sessions on Child Marriage Restraint Act in all districts of the province.

She said that as many as 57 cases of child marriages were reported and action was taken against the violators.

The minister underlined the need of taking nikah-khawans and area councillors on board to deal with the menace of child marriages.

She said that the incidence of child marriage was on an upward trend in rural parts of the province where child mortality rate was high due to such marriages.

Responding to a question, she added that there was no officer working in her department on deputation. “No officer of the women development department is working on deputation in any other department either,” she said.

Dawn

March 1, 2019

Cop sets wife on fire in Gujranwala

GUJRANWALA: A police official was booked for allegedly setting ablaze his wife in Tatlay Aali, Kamoke tehsil, Express News has learnt.

Saddar police official said that Maqsood Ahmed, a resident of Pak Town, married Sakina Bibi five years ago. He mentioned that Maqsood was serving as an assistant sub-inspector in Farooqabad area.

He stated that the accused had an affair with another woman and had wanted to marry her. He highlighted that Maqsood sought permission for the second marriage from Sakina Bibi but she refused. Despite repeated attempts, the woman did not give him permission, he said.

The official maintained the couple used to have arguments over the matter. He revealed that on the day of the incident, the suspect again had a heated argument with his wife over the issue. When the argument escalated, Maqsood doused Sakina Bibi in petrol and set her on fire. As a result, the victim suffered severe burn injuries and was shifted to Mayo Hospital in critical condition, the police official said.

Police have registered a case against the accused police official and have opened investigations.

Earlier in a similar incident, a woman died of burn injuries when her husband and in-laws allegedly set her ablaze in Jhang Bazaar police precincts in Faisalabad.

Reportedly, Irshad Ahmed, the father of the victim, told police that Kiran had married Shamim Akram, a resident of Jhang Bazaar, about six years ago. He said the couple had three children.

Irshad maintained that on the day of the incident, he received a call from her daughter, who was crying and asked him to save her from her husband and in-laws as they wanted to kill her.

The victim’s father said he and other family members immediately rushed to Kiran’s house. When they reached the house, people from the neighbourhood told them that the accused had allegedly set the woman on fire and had fled.

The Express Tribune

February 28, 2019

Underage girl accuses father, uncle of forcing her into marriage

ISLAMABAD: An underage girl and her brother have gone into hiding after the girl accused her father and uncle of forcing her into a marriage.

Police said the girl registered a case with the police against her father, her uncle and the man they tried to force her to marry for threatening her.

The case was registered with Koral police under PPC sections 506(ii) and 498(b).

The girl, 15, is a 10th grade student who was living with her family in Koral. She alleged that her father forced her to marry a 45-year-old man who was already married and has four children.

She told police the man drives a taxi and peddles drugs, and owns a number of properties.

Police quoted her as saying her parents were forcing her to marry the man, and called a maulvi to the house to arrange a nikkah on Jan 13.

She said she refused to sign the marriage certificate, after which her elder brother took her to his home in Sara-i-Kharbooza the same day.

The next day the man, his sibling and his mother came to her brother’s house and told him to hand over his ‘wife’.

When her brother refused, the man’s family threatened them.

The girl was then brought to the women’s police station by her brother, and the police took her to Darul Aman.

Her father visited her at the Darul Aman a few days later and assured her he would not force her to marry the man. She returned home with her father on Jan 23.

Police said four days later, her father tried to forcefully send her to the man, telling her that he married her to the man “as Wali”.

The girl again sought her brother’s help, and they went into hiding as their relatives and the man were searching for them.

Police quoted the girl as saying they had threatened the siblings and tried to kidnap her and take her out of the city.

When contacted, Koral Station House Officer Saifullah said the girl was safe and sound with her brother. He said she had alleged that her father sold her to the man for a significant sum of money.

The SHO said both the girl’s father and the man he forced her to marry were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said they had left their homes as, when the police approached them as part of the investigation, their houses were locked from the outside.

Dawn