Mirpur (Ajk)
Azad Jammu & Kashmir President, Sardar Masood Khan on Friday said women’s rights of inheritance succession, education, health and employment would be protected and their effective participation in the process of national development would be ensured.
“On the whole, very conducive environment is available in the liberated territory for the women’s uplift and the use of their skills for the national development,” he underlined.
Talking to a delegation of Women’s Commission Azad Kashmir led by its chairperson Tehmina Sadiq in AJK’s metropolis, Masood expressed satisfaction that the women were at par with their male counterparts in the education sector, and even ahead of men in some educational disciplines.
“Thousands of our girls are getting the education of cutting edge technologies at the university of women in Azad Kashmir and other institutions, and they are showing outstanding progress,” he added.
The AJK president said that the women have equal opportunities in education sector in the liberated territory, but regrettably, they have no adequate representation in the civil service and other institution, and the efforts should be continued on the government and the social levels to remove this discrepancy.
He said that until and unless we impart education to our women, the dream of socio-economic and national development cannot materialize.
Sardar Masood Khan stressed the Women’s Commission to present its recommendations to the government to ensure effective participation of women in the national development process and to take viable steps to empower the women folk.
Describing Tehmina Sadiq as the face of the women of Azad Kashmir, the state president said that at present, there is a need to create awareness in society about the equal opportunities for women in education, health as well as employment not only in public sector but every sphere of life.
Besides, he maintained that side by side with formal education, the women should be imparted skills training so that instead of looking towards the government for jobs, they come forward, and play their role in the socio-economic development of the country.
On this occasion, the Chairperson Women’s Commission said that the commission besides enhancing women’s representation in the AJK Legislative Assembly, and creating job opportunities for women in the government and the semi-government organizations, will emerge as an effective voice for women’s participation in policymaking.
She asserted that the liberated territory has 52 percent ratio of women’s total population and such huge segment of the society cannot be ignored in the process of social, economic and cultural development
Raja Mazhar Waheed Advocate and Director General Information Technology, Dr. Khalid Rafiq were also present during the meeting.—APP
