A women parliamentary delegation from Pakistan led by Dr Nafisa Shah MNA participated in the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Trilateral Programme in Westminster, London from May 14-18, 2012. The programme hosted by the UK branch of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), also involved Afghan and British women parliamentarians, said a message received here.
Besides Dr Nafisa Shah, Pakistani delegation comprised Dr Donya Aziz MNA, Aasiya Nasir MNA, Sabeen Rizvi MNA and Senator Rubina Khalid. The aim of this programme was to empower the women parliamentarians within the political and developmental processes in all the three countries.
The delegation held purposeful meetings with British women ministers, parliamentarians and senior officials. The discussions focused on women empowerment and their equal representation in all spheres of life. During the meetings, there was a general consensus that these issues should not be categorised as women issues only but they should be seen in the broader context of social and economic development.
There was complete agreement amongst the parliamentarians that they had greater responsibility and role to play in forwarding the cause of women emancipation particularly in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The issues of domestic violence and treatment of women in prisons were also discussed.
It was recognised that domestic violence did not represent any religion or culture but it was due to the societal discrepancies which need to be addressed. The positive role played by women caucus in the Parliament of Pakistan for the empowerment of women was appreciated. The parliamentarians vowed to strive for the equal participation of women in local, national and international governance structures.
Pakistan High Commission, London arranged a reception for the visiting delegation where the UK based Pakistani media was briefed about the objectives and achievements of the visit. Besides media representatives, all the officers of the High Commission attended the briefing.
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