LAHORE - Being the 6th most populous country with more than 50% of the population comprised of women, there is a need to empower women to ensure accelerated progress in Pakistan, says Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) Chairman and Adviser to Punjab Chief Minister Dr Umar Saif.

At the convention to mark the first anniversary of PITB’s Herself project in collaboration with Facebook, Dr Umar Saif said that women were excelling and contributing to national economy, defence, education, law and order, science, financial institutions, industry and entrepreneurship by adopting smart technology in various spheres of life. Women of Pakistan are performing in lead positions with dedication at universities, banks, hospitals, stock exchanges, various industrial businesses, social services, armed forces, police, science and technology and leading multinational and national companies, he added.

The keynote speaker was Dr Shehla Javed, president of the WCCI Lahore. The event was held to support and celebrate the women of Pakistan and acknowledge their struggle and achievements.

Following the theme of “Steps towards a progressive nation”, the day was packed with several thought-provoking sessions, exciting workshops along with other activities aimed at educating and motivating women to be an active participant in improving the quality of education as well as choosing from diverse career paths for women in Pakistan.

Some of the notable panelists were Nadia Naviwala, author of ‘Pakistan’s Education Crisis: The Real Story’; Fariha Ummar, manager of Women’s Economic Empowerment and Women Leadership at UN Women Pakistan; Sadaf Zarrar, owner of SiddySays; Selina Rashid, CEO of LotusPR and Zainab Abbas.