LAHORE - As half of the Pakistan’s population consists of women, CM Shehbaz Sharif said, the country cannot progress without empowering them and without providing them with equal opportunities for success.

During a ceremony of issuance of Punjab Gender Parity Report 2017, the CM said that the Punjab government has done tremendous job and set an example in empowering women. “We have taken lead in South Asia by issuing its first gender parity report. The Punjab Government has excelled in empowering women by the formation of Women’s Ombudsperson, making woman empowered to get equal rights in property inheritance, increased the employment quota to 15 per cent in government jobs and building the foundation of landmark laws regarding women’s empowerment,” he added.

Punjab Governor Malik Muhammad Rafique Rijwana, Begum Zakia Shahnawaz, Ayesha Gosh Pasha, Hamida Wahidud Din, Raja Ashfaq Sarwar, Chairperson of Punjab Commission for women’s status Fauzia Waqar, members of Parliament, and NGO representatives also attended the ceremony.