Protection of women’s rights urged

HYDERABAD: Leaders of civil society have called for protection of women’s rights under the UN Security Resolution 1325 on women and urged the government to protect rights of minorities.

They were speaking at a seminar organised by a NGO on “role of women as leader in crisis” at the press club on Saturday.

Comrade Jam Saqi said that women played a dominant role in agriculture sector in Sindh but they were gradually deprived of their rights over land through a conspiracy. Women should be made part of decision making and there would be no peace till it happened, he said.

He said that Mai Jindo whose sons were killed in Tando Bahawal in 1992 during an operation cleanup by army was a symbol of women’s courage. She did not rest at peace even after losing her two daughters who committed self immolation in protest till the army major was hanged, he said.

He said that Shaheed Mai Bakhtawar also sacrificed her life but did not let anyone snatch her rights.

Mai Jindo recalled how she fought for justice all alone and finally saw the murderer of her sons being hanged. Her daughters broke down during the long wait for justice and committed self-immolation, leaving behind orphans, she said.

A civil society activist Zulfikar Halepoto said that women suffered during tribal clashes. It was government’s primary duty to protect women’s rights and take practical steps to secure them, he said. He said that men needed to change their thinking about women’s leadership.

Punhal Sario, another activist, said that Hindu women were being converted forcibly. Rinkle Kumari did not get justice, he said.

Dawn