Despite a lot of difficulties, women are playing an important role in the socio economic development of our beloved country. They have come a long way and have made a niche for themselves in the society. These women are role model for us.

It may be recalled here that every year we mark the women's day, numerous events are held on this day all over the country, walks, rallies, seminars and basic human rights are talked about. Countless non-governmental organizations talk of women's rights, but when the day passes, we forget about what women's rights are. And then the newspapers, social media are full of news of violence, oppression and injustice against women on daily basis.  As a matter of fact, no other religion in the world has given the position Islam has given to women in the society, the Quran and numerous hadiths are proof of this. But as long as we do not respect women as individuals, women cannot be respected no matter how many laws we make. Women have an important role in the development and prosperity of Pakistan, Pakistani women have distinguished themselves at home and abroad due to their ability, perseverance and determination. Women are doing excellent service alongside men in important departments like politics, bureaucracy, judiciary, security agencies and education.

It is important to pay tribute to these great women who have dedicated their lives for Pakistan.  In this regard, Ms. Fatima Jinnah, Begum Shahnawaz, Salma Tasadeq Hussain, Begum Rana Liaquat Ali Khan, Begum Waqar Nisa Noon, Mahmuda Razzaq, Begum Abdullah. Haroon and Ms. Benazir Bhutto proved to be a role model for women. Benazir Bhutto became a trail-blazer by becoming the first women Prime Minister of Pakistan and she made a record to be the first  Muslim women Prime Minister. Benazir was equally popular in every part of the country as a chain of the four provinces, who was the bearer of high moral values in the field of politics, declaring the people as the source of strength, who bravely faced all kinds of difficulties.  She never thought of harming the interests of my beloved country, which firmly believed in the parliamentary struggle to provide bread, cloth and housing to the people. She was serious about solving the problems faced by the people. So we should do something good with positive thinking, we should erase the distance between people and defeat the negative forces with positive thinking.  She worked a lot for women's empowerment as she established the First Women's Bank and Women's Police Station, establishment of Women's Study Centers in five higher educational institutions of Karachi, Quetta, Lahore, Peshawar and Islamabad, five percent quota for women in government jobs, Lady Health Workers Program, Federal Women's Development Initiatives such as the establishment of the Ministry, the establishment of Lady Computer Centers and the issuance of loans for women are proof of her leadership skills.

Thanks to her domineering style and great leadership skills, she believed in reconciliation by covering the clash of civilizations.  Recently, the speech of the female Prime Minister of New Zealand went viral on social media in which she paid tribute to Ms. Benazir.  The axis of Her Majesty's parliamentary politics was based on the golden policies of tolerance, peace and tolerance, obstacles were put in the way of her government, she was subjected to coercive justice, she bravely faced all kinds of unfavorable situations. Ms. Benazir Bhutto gave a new determination and courage to the nation in her last speech in front of the sea of applause in Liaquat Bagh Rawalpindi. Unfortnately, she was subjected to a cowardly attack, every Pakistani shed tears and expressed sorrow and grief on her sudden death. It is very important to develop tolerance, tolerance and understanding in the country's politics to make it a cradle of peace.  Now Maryam Nawaz Sharif became the first woman Chief Minister of any province in the history of the country. There are number other Pakistani women who have made us proud. For instance, Samina Baig became the first Pakistani woman to climb Mount Everest, Larib Atta was awarded the Oscar and BAFTA in 2022 for her best performance in the James Bond film "No Time to Die".  Similarly, Sabahat Rizvi became the first woman secretary of the Lahore High Court Bar Association.  In April 2022, Urooj Aftab became the first woman of Pakistani origin to win the Grammy Award, Nida Dar of Pakistan became the first woman bowler to score a century of wickets in T20 cricket, ASP Shahrbanu recently saved the life of an innocent female citizen in Lahore.  She has set an example of bravery by rendering professional services.  Yasmin Lari, the famous female architect of Pakistan, was awarded the Royal Gold Medal by the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2023. Hailing from Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Maryam Mujtaba is the first female pilot who joined Pakistan International Airlines in 2018. Suraya Bibi won the honor of becoming a female member elected to the general seat from Chitral for the first time in history.

Earlier women in Pakistan Army were only associated with the medical field, today they are showing the essence of their performance by becoming GD Pilots in various fields of Navy and Pakistan Air Force.  Lt. Gen. Nigar Johar is a living example of this who is the first woman in the Islamic world to become a Surgeon General.  Major Salma Mumtaz was awarded the Florence Nightingale for gallantry during the 1971 war.  Flight Lieutenant Ayesha Farooq was the first Pakistani woman fighter pilot, Flying Officer Maryam Mukhtar Shaheed was awarded the Tamgha-e-Basalt for gallantry.  Presently, Pakistani women are part of the peace mission under the umbrella of the United Nations, women also play an important role in social and economic development.  Worldwide, women earn money with domestic family responsibilities and contribute to the development of the economy.  In Pakistan, more than 60% of farmers' wives participate with men in livestock development by raising crops and livestock.  It is very important to determine the objectives of celebrating the International Women's Day, which was celebrated on March 8.  Every day, incidents of violence and oppression against women are also a matter of concern. There are also many women prisoners, but their rights are completely ignored. If we want to protect the rights of women in the society, then we have to start it from our home.  During the last three years, more than 63 thousand cases of violence against women have occurred, including cases of domestic violence, sexual assault and murder. In total, more than 11,000 cases of rape and gang rape of women were registered.  During this period, there were about 4,000 cases of murder of women and more than 1,000 cases of honor killing. According to the index released by the World Economic Forum, the situation of gender discrimination in Pakistan is very disturbing.  It is necessary for the government to take effective measures to overcome this bad situation so that women can play their role in the development of the country.

Published in The Daily National Courier, March, 18 2024

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