Pakistan currently stood at number 52 in the world ranking of countries according to the percentage of women in parliament figuring superior to that of other Muslim countries.
The annual report of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan titled, 'State of Human Rights in 2012' reported that in previous assembly women's representation remained minimal in Balochistan in particular and completely absent in the Fata region.
According to UN Women, the percentage of women at minister-level positions in the world increased from 14.2 percent in 2005 to 16.7 percent in 2012. Female representation is essential, among other things, for developing national policies specific to women's issues in these parts, the report said.
There are few women who have become parliamentarians by directly contesting elections. Currently, there were 60 seats reserved for women in the National Assembly, to which women are nominated on the basis of their party's electoral strength.
The seats are divided as follows: 35 seats reserved in parliament for Punjab, 14 for Sindh, eight for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and three for Balochistan. It said in previous assembly women parliamentarians were much more active and focused than their male counterparts in terms of legislative initiatives, as 20 out of the 53 private members' bills in the last government's tenure were moved by women.
A ground breaking achievement during the year was the grant of autonomous status to the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW). In January, the National Commission on the Status of Women Bill was unanimously adopted in the National Assembly. Comprising 40 amendments, recommendations from all political parties were accommodated into the bill.
In February, the bill was passed by the Senate. On March 8, International Women's Day, the president signed the bill into law. According to the Annual Development Programme, gender development and juvenile protection measures were to be implemented in Fata, but the tribal belt was neglected in the process of implementation.