Lecture on the Status of Women in Pakistan by Ms. Khuwar Mumtaz, Chairperson National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW)

Ms. Khuwar Mumtaz, Chairperson National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) said that mindset for the status of women in the society is changing day by day in Pakistan but still the violence against women is the big issue in the country, this she said while delivering a lecture to the students in the graduate seminar on the “Status of Women in Pakistan” in the Lecture Theater of U.S.- Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water (USPCAS-W) at Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET) Jamshoro on Monday (today).

She said the NCSW is trying its best to work and lobby with lawmakers, parliamentarians and other decision makers for the promotion of laws and regulations aimed at empowering women in the social, economic and political spheres. “Safeguarding and promoting the interest of women are being prioritized by the Commission”, she said.  Ms. Khawar said that the Commission is engaged in the evidence based research related to the women issues in Pakistan. In this connection, she said, the NCSW is working in the light of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly and ratified by Pakistan in 1996 during the government of Shaheed Mohtrama Benazir Bhutto.

She said that the provincial chapters of NCSW yet to be established in Sindh and Baluchistan, whereas, the laws have already been passed by the assemblies of the provinces. “Legislation in Sindh is progressive but weak in the implementation”, She added.  She said that only less than 3% cases related women issues are being disposed of by the courts as a matter of routine, rest of the cases are in pending due to one or other reasons. Ms. Khawar appreciated the women law makers for their active role in the process of legislation regarding the women issues in the both houses as well as provincial assemblies. She further said that a pilot project regarding the network based quick response to the cases of women is being initiated in Sindh soon.

Before addressing in the graduate seminar, she also chaired the meeting about developing the strategies for the activation of Women Resource Center (WRC), recently established in MUET. In the meeting, Dr. Bakhshal Lashari, Project Director Water Center at MUET, said that this Center was the was the driving force behind the establishment WRC at MUET and with the support of the University of Utah, USA, MUET formed and implemented the Gender Equity Policy (GEP) as a first public university in Pakistan.

Prof. Dr. Khadija Qureshi, President Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Sindh Chapter, Prof.Dr. Arabella Bhutto, Director MUISTD, Prof. Dr. Misbah Bibi Qureshi, Member NCSW and Chairperson Gender Studies Department at University of Sindh, Ms. Uzma Imran, USPCAS-W GEP Committee Focal Person, Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Umrani, Manager at MUET Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (IEC), Prof. Dr. Abdul Latif Qureshi, Member GEP Committee, Prof. Dr. Shaheen Aziz, Prof.Dr. Khalida Jamali, In-charge at Day Care Center at the University of Sindh Jamshoro participated in the meeting. The participants vowed that they will play their respective due role in the effective functioning of Women Resource Center at MUET.