'Efforts on to protect women's rights'

Federal Social Welfare and Special Education Minister Zubaida Jalal has said the government is making all out efforts to protect the rights of womenfolk through legislation in the country.
A community development project would be established soon in the area where under the one roof vocational training and education facilities would be provided to the womenfolk, she disclosed. Addressing the women convention, held in connection with International Women Day here on Sunday, she added that nobody would be allowed to deprive women of their rights because the Parliament had already passed the women protection bill, which had become a law.
Zubaida Jalal further stated that it was the present government, which had not only protected the women's rights, but also ensured their participation in political activities, as a result of which a large number of women had been elected members of provincial and national assemblies, senate and district councils.
She called upon the womenfolk to strengthen the hands of the present government, because the government had initiated numerous women welfare projects as well as protected the basic rights of women. Special attention had been accorded to female education, ensuring equal opportunities of higher studies to the females in the country, she added.
Zubaida Jalal said that collective efforts were direly needed at this juncture for the eradication of social evils from the society, adding that women could play an instrumental role in developing healthy and social evils-free society.
Speaking on the occasion, Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Cabinet Division Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said the government had focused its special attention on resolving the problems being confronted by women in the country, adding that PML government was serving the people. Earlier, the Federal minister distributed cheques, amounting to Rs 0.25 million, and sewing machines among the deserving women. On this occasion, the participants of women convention unanimously condemned the brutal murder of Provincial Minister Zille Huma.