Asma calls for change in mindset towards women
M. Waqar Bhatti
Karachi: A change in the mindset of Pakistani nation is required towards women as they too need equal rights to make Pakistan a developed and progressing country in the world.
“Pakistani women are not being given equal credit and rights as of men since the creation of the country. They are still being exploited and treated as second class citizens,” Asma Jahangir, President Supreme Court Bar Association, said in her keynote address at Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) on Monday.
In her address on “The role of Pakistani women in nation building”, Asma Jahangir said that the women in Pakistan have been struggling since long time for equal credit and rights.
“Women are exploited, treated as second class citizens, but have continued to struggle and work for their rights,” she said and cited the example of Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah who stood against dictator Ayub Khan.
She said that although Pakistan had the first woman prime minister in the Muslim world, the women have still been struggling and striving for their rights despite discrimination and marginalization at the hands of dominant gender.
According to her, nation building was only possible when there was a change in the mindset of the population and women being seen as equal citizens.
“Peace is also very important in this effort, and if there is intolerance a society cannot develop,” she said, adding that the main hindrances to nation building were poverty, injustice, and lack of education.
“If we can spend our resources in alleviating poverty and improving education, Pakistan will prosper,” she maintained.
In his inaugural speech, Director SIUT Prof. Adibul Hasan Rizvi said that in the perception of many a woman was only considered as a housewife, but this seminar would help highlight the ethical, social and economical aspects that cast impact on the lives of women.
“It is now time for us to work together in Pakistan for equal rights of woman,” he added.
In her welcome address, Chairperson CBEC (Centre of Biomedical Ethics and Culture) Prof. Farhat Moazam discussed the evolution of CBEC, saying that since 2006 this centre has produced 41 post graduates in biomedical ethics who have now been teaching ethics in different institutions of the country.
The four-day seminar on “Muslim Women: Through the Lens of History, Religion, Law and Society,” organized by the Centre of Biomedical Ethics and Culture, SIUT, will continue till Thursday that will be addressed by the scholars of national and international repute.
Source: The News
Date:3/15/2011
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