ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari Sunday said Pakistan could not progress at its full potential until there was a strong implementation of legislation for women protection.
In a statement in connection with International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women being observed on Monday all over the world, the PPP chairman said honor killings, domestic violence, harassment at workplaces and other crimes against women were a real daub on the countries continuously failing in protection of their womenfolk.
Bilawal pointed out that Sindh was leading other provinces in carrying out legislation for providing legal protection to the women. “I am told that Sindh is the only province where violence against women has been declared a criminal offence and courts are bound to decide such cases within 90 days,” he added while pinpointing the reports that conviction ratio in cases of violence against women was merely 2.5 percent in the country.
He further said PPP was the pioneer of the struggle for women rights and it even elected a woman – Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto as Prime Minister of Pakistan, the first-ever directly elected woman prime minister in the Muslim world as well.
She inducted women in judiciary, established First Women Bank and separate police stations for women besides exclusive welfare and health programmes for women.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said he had been informed that key legislation tools for ensuring protection to women were in the process in Sindh province which included Dowry Act, marriage related issues, acid throwing and harassment at work places. Sixty cases have been registered in Sindh province under the early-age child marriages.
The PPP chairman stressed that federal as well as other provincial governments needed to give priority to practical steps to stop violence against women so that our country was no more among the list of most dangerous countries in the world for women besides creating an environment of security and safeguards for them to work shoulder to shoulder with men in the nation building.
