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Peshawar: Khyber Pakhtoonkhaw Minister for Information and Inter Provincial Coordination Mian Iftikhar Hussain has said that the present provincial government did not believe on gender discrimination and it was the first provincial government that had taken practical steps for empowerment of women and given full freedom of expression for their rights.
This he stated while addressing a one day provincial consultative meeting on “women centres and shelters” in a local hotel at Peshawar on Wednesday. The meeting was organized by the Social Welfare Department Khyber Pakhtoonkhaw in collaboration with NGOs Rozan, Dastak, Shirkat Gah and NCSW.
The meeting beside others was also addressed by the Social Welfare Minister Sitara Ayaz, Chairperson NCSW Anees Haroon, Saba Sheikh of Dastak, Fozia Waqar, Zubaida Khatoon, Saleh Ramay, Maria Rasheed and Sofia Noreen and spoke on the topic openly. A question and answer session was also held on this occasion.
Mian Iftikhar said that it was due to the present government that today the women were gathered for their rights which they could not even think four years ago. He added that voice for rights was the fundamental right of every one including women and demand for rights was not against the Shariah.
He continued that the government has established Darul Amaan with good intentions but unfortunately its reputation was not up to the mark. Therefore, not only its name should be changed but its whole system should be revived in the supreme interest of the women, he said.
Information Minister to a question said that Jirga system was the strong element of Pakhtuns culture as some time enmities remained despite judicial decisions adding that the Jirga system had the quality of decisions as well as ending of enmity. He however, said that if there were some bottlenecks in the Jirga system, it should be removed. He maintained that if women become part of Jirgas relating to the women affairs, there should be a good result and the reservations of the women should also be removed.
The Minister said that “SWARA” was a menace and they were fully against it and want its elimination from the Pakhtuns society. To another question he said that education is the right of all and not only the victim women but the whole women of society should be educated furthering that it would eradicate social evils from the society.
For more information, contact:
Government of Khyber Pakhtoonkhaw
Tel: 091 921 1789
Email: info@khyberpakhtunkhwa.gov.pk