ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi has asked the chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) to play his role in ensuring the protection and promotion of women's rights, particularly their right to inheritance.

The president said that the CII could play a significant role, through Ulema and prayer leaders, to address the cultural hindrances faced by women in Pakistan with regard to their social and economic rights.

He stated this, while talking to the Chairman CII, Dr Qibla Ayaz, who called on him, at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Tuesday.

He said that our religion Islam had granted social and economic rights to women but unfortunately, the cultural hindrances kept them deprived of their rights. He said that the government had enacted a law to protect women's property rights and ensure that such rights are not violated.

He underscored the need for sensitizing the people about the rights of women particularly their rights to inheritance, and urged the CII to play its role in creating awareness in this regard by using the services of Ulema and Pesh-Imams.

The president said that no society could progress without the economic inclusion of women, and he emphasized that women needed to be empowered by granting them their full rights, so that they could play their role in socio-economic development of the country.

He said that he had asked the concerned quarters to make arrangements for the tele-health program for women to guide them about health problems.

The president congratulated Dr Qibla Ayaz on his appointment as the chairman CII, and advised him to prepare a vision and roadmap and set time-lines for achieving the objectives.

He said that acceded to the request of the chairman CII to hold a virtual conference with Ulema to chalk out a strategy for creating awareness among people about the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dr Qibla Ayaz assured the president of Ulema's cooperation to support his efforts about the empowerment of women and awareness on health-related issues.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021