Federal Minister for Women Development Sumaira Malik has highlighted the progress made by the present government for legal, political, economic and social empowerment of women in Pakistan. Official spokesman Friday told Business Recorder that she expressed these views in a meeting with Condoleeza Rice, Secretary of State of the United States of America.
While attending a meeting of the Women's Empowerment Network Steering Group being held in Vienna. The Minister in another high-level meeting of the Women's Empowerment Network Steering Group said that Pakistani women have achieved economic, social and political empowerment under the leadership of President Pervez Musharraf as the women, for the first time in Pakistan's history, were politically empowered by giving 33 percent representation in the political institutions like local Government, national Assembly and Senate.
She highlighted Pakistani government's achievements in empowering women. Pakistan has a population of 160 million people and approximately 50 percent are women, the Minister said. The Minister stated that in today's world it has become essential that discrimination against women be ended giving equal rights to them in society. She said that the government is committed to empower women socially, economically and politically and Women Protection Act is a milestone in achieving of these goals.
She also attended a meeting convened by Dr Ursula Plassnik, the Austrian Federal Minister for European and International Affairs during Women's Empowerment Network Steering Group's, meeting in Vienna. The Minister discussed strategies for the empowerment of women in the area of conflict resolution for achieving peace. The role of women in preventing conflict and promoting peace and their equitable participation in all matters was stressed upon by all the participants.