SARGODHA/FAISALABAD/TOBA TEK SINGH/HAFIZABAD/BAHAWALPUR/SHEIKHUPURA/SIALKOT - Various walks, seminars and meetings were held by governmental and non-governmental organizations across the Punjab provinces to mark the International Women’s Day on Friday.
A special walk in this connection was held by the University of Sargodha. The walk was led by UoS Vice Chancellor Akram Chaudhary, his wife Rehana, Registrar Brig (r) Rao Jamil Asghar and Asifa Naz, career development officer.
Around 10,000 female students, teachers and heads of all departments participated in the walk. The participants of walk were holding placards inscribed with slogans in favour of women. Later, Rehana Akram inaugurated a “Breast Cancer Camp” at University of Sargodha where female students were educated regarding breast cancer and given literature in this regard.
Dr Akram talking to the media said that women are an important and remarkable part of the society. Without them the dream of success cannot be materialised, he added. He mentioned the rights and status which Islam has given to women. No other religion has done so, he said. He also stressed the need for spreading awareness about breast cancer.
In Faisalabad, an awareness walk was held jointly by the City District Government and the Women Development Department Faisalabad to mark the International Women’s Day.
The walk was led by MPA Anjum Safdar and DO Cord Akram Bhatti while EDO CD Asif Tarar, EDO Health Dr Abdul Rauf, Assistant Director Colleges Shazia Samdani, DO Social Welfare Muhammad Saleem, Gender Specialists Muhammad Ehsan and other officers, female students and women belonging to NGOs and other walks of life participated in the walk. It started from Halal-e-Ahmar Chowk and culminated at the same place after passing through the outside Rail Bazar Gumti Chowk.
The participants of the walks were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans regarding women rights. Speaking on the occasion, MPA Anjum Safdar said that no society could make progress without empowerment of the women. She said that the present Punjab government under the leadership of Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif had effectively implemented the Women Empowerment Act for the protection of the rights of the women. She added that opportunities had been given to women to play their role in the national development.
She also highlighted the other measures taken by the Punjab government for betterment and welfare of women. She underlined the need for exercising collective efforts for the development of women and providing them with honourable status in the society. She said that various steps were being taken to protect the rights of working women.
In Toba Tek Singh, scores of working women including home-based workers, peasant workers and social workers attended a public forum organised by Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation in collaboration with the Pakistan Kisan Trust and Dehat Dost Foundation.
On the occasion, they demanded that the government should introduce a mechanism and a surveillance system to implement the pro-women legislation for ensuring their rights’ protection.
AWAM office-bearers from Faisalabad Nazia Sardar and Naseem Anthony said that gender based violence was a serious violation of human rights, but majority of the people did not recognise many of its forms as crime in Pakistan, and consider it a part of our culture and fate of the women. Pakistan Kisan Trust leader Shahbaz Sarwar said that the participation of women in different walks of life was good omen for positive change.
The speakers also included Asif Nadeem, Misbah, Ijaz Imran, Shumyla Javed, Kamay Clement, Fehmida Anwar and Tahir Zeeshan.
The home based women workers also held a meeting which was addressed by Punjab National Students Federation president Irfan Chaudhry, Awami Workers Party district president M Zubar and Tariq Mahmood, Darul Aman and others.
In HAFIZABAD, International Women Day was celebrated to create awareness among the public to endeavour to give due respect and dignity to the women and strive for their empowerment.
In this connection a walk was organised by the Women Development Department which was led by DCO Farah Masood, Aalia Usman Tarar, EDO Education Dr Muhammad Iqbal Naeem, Gender Specialist Muhammad Arshad, DO Social Welfare Sarfraz Ahmad, In-charge Sanat Zaar Nawaz Gohar and large number of male and female social workers and teachers. The walk started from Jinnah Hall and terminated at Vanike Chowk where the DCO while addressing the gathering said that women empowerment was key phenomena for bringing about substantiate socio-economic progress of every nation. No country could progress without woman education and empowerment and stressed for support and encouragement to the educated women and develop self confidence in them. “To educate a woman was to educate the whole society she said and added that it was imperative for all of us to take care of women’s education so that society could be made prosperous”. She said that society could be made civilised only when the women was given freedom and protection to enable them to perform their professional duties peacefully.
In BAHAWALPUR, the Islamia University, Bahawalpur held a function to mark the Universal Women’s Day in recognition of the women contribution and services for the establishment of healthy society.
The function was arranged in the collaboration of the Higher Education Commission and the Cholistan Development Council.
On the occasion, IUB Vice-Chancellor Dr Muhammad Mukhtar in his address said that the entire nation was proud of the women as their remarkable efforts and contribution in every sector had been playing appreciable role in national progress.
He said that the services of the women in education, health, politics and defence had proved that they were not behind anyone and could perform equally good if given chances as they too proved in the progress and improvement of IUB’s ranking in the HEC ranking.
He presented flowers to the participants of the function to mark the day and acknowledge the services of the women for national progress.
Similarly BINO hospital organised a seminar to highlight the causes and preventive measures for the chronic disease of Breast Cancer.
The DHQ Hospital and The BINO jointly conducted the seminar to develop awareness about the importance of health and sanitation conditions.
On the occasion, the speakers informed that the HEC had signed a special contract to develop awareness among females about the disease.
CDC Director Razia Malik in her address highlighted the miseries and lifestyle of the women in Cholistan and underlined the need for special measures to improve their living standard.
In SHEIKHUPURA, the International Woman’s Day was celebrated with the aim to highlight the women role in the progress and development of the country and raised voice for their rights.
In this connection a walk was taken out which was organised different organisations from district government complex. The walk culminated at the same pointed after marching through different road of the city.
In SIALKOT, scores of people from all walks of life on Friday participated in a walk taken out by the district administration to mark importance of International Women Day.
The walk started from District Court Chowk and culminated at Allama Iqbal Chowk after passing through all main intra-city roads. Sialkot DCO Zahid Saleem Gondal led the walk. The participants were carrying banners and placards in scribing the importance of the women in the society and national developmental scenario.