The National Assembly standing committee on women development on Tuesday demanded of the government to ensure that 'exemplary punishments' should be awarded to accused involved in the molestation of women. The committee, which held a special meeting here in connection with the International Women's Day with MNA Mehnaz Rafi in the chair, asked the government to leave no stone unturned to bring to justice such accused.
The committee stressed upon the need to enhance the status of women to promote their rights and ensure their active participation in the national development on the basis of gender equality.
The members of the committee said that different forms of discrimination still persisted in the country and the women always had to face devastating human rights violations.
The meeting observed that the society could not prosper until and unless all sorts of discrimination against women were eliminated.
Talking about violence and harassment against women at work places, the members called upon the government to enact laws, which created deterrence against such attitudes.
Meanwhile, MNA Makhdoom Syed Ahmed Alam Anwar was elected as the chairman, Standing Committee on Food, Agriculture and Livestock. MNA Sardar Saleem Jan Mazari proposed the name of the chairman, which was seconded by MNA Rao Muhammad Ajmal Khan.
Usually the chairmen of these committees are elected within a few days after the Parliament takes oath, but the present government, for the reasons best known to it, could not announce formation of many of these committees even two years after it took charge in November 2002.