Altaf Hamid Rao.
Observe World Women’s Day with renewed pledge to ensure due gender equality, women empowerment,
MIRPUR (AJK) , (Parliament Times) : Like rest of the world, World Women Day was also observed in Azad Jammu & Kashmir on Tuesday with the renewed the pledge to provide and safeguard equal rights and dignified status besides to maintain high respect, honor, dignity of the women folk in all segments of society.
Special ceremonies including streets marches, seminars and symposiums were the hallmark of the day observed in different moderate and comparatively developed parts of Azad Jammu Kashmir besides rest of the world.
International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated on the 8th of March every year, the day is dedicated to honoring the achievements and contribution of women in various field the world over, and also reflect upon what more needs to be done to accelerate efforts for the gender equality and women’s rights.
This year, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Pakistan has joined hands with the Women Development Department (WDD), the Government of AJK and brought together a diverse group of Pakistani women to celebrate their remarkable achievements in social, economic, cultural and various fields of life.
The day was marked with special ceremonies held under the auspices of various Women Organizations in various AJK districts including the State’s capital town and divisional HQ of Mirpur with the resolve to maintain the equal rights and status of the females who have reached to over 51 per cent of the total population of the country irrespective of any discrimination of gender besides maintaining their vibrant role through due empowerment in all sections of the society, their respect, honour and dignity besides to ensure the maximum utilization of their talent and abilities for the betterment and uplift of the country and the nation.
In Mirpur, some simple but impressive ceremonies hosted in four-walled compounds under the auspices of some women organizations were the hallmark of the world Women’s Day Tuesday morning as the day of solidarity with suppressed women of the turbulent Indian Illegally occupied Jammu Kashmir besides to support the due rights of the women folk in Pakistan and Azad Jammu Kashmir.
Representatives of various sections of the women folk including working class and the house wives attended
Addressing an identical simple but impressive ceremony hosted by a section of young working women with the seasoned banker Ms. Madiha Syed in the chair, speakers vowed to continue individual and collective efforts to secure and safeguard the due rights of women equal to the opposite gender in the country including AJK.
The ceremony was attended by large number of women representing various segments of the Society.
Participants of the ceremony strongly condemned human rights abuses and state terrorism, unleashed by Indian occupational forces against the freedom loving people including women in the Indian Illegally occupied Jammu Kashmir.
Ms. Madiha Syed, earlier, cut World Women Day cake to celebrate the international day of the ladies – currently holding number of over half of the total population of Pakistan and AJK.
Addressing another identical ceremony held at Akbar Road to mark that today’s world women ceremonies in Mirpur and rest of AJK, speakers said that like previous year, the world women day was devoted and named after the suffering women of Indian Illegally occupied Jammu Kashmir to express sympathies with them in these hours of trial.
Speakers called upon the international community including globmal human rights organizations to immediately move for ensuring the safety of lives, respect and honour of women in the troubled Indian occupied Jammu Kashmir, which has been turned into world’s largest prison for over past 31 months since the imposition of the Indian hardliner ruler Modi’s August 05, 2019 sinister act of abrogation of special status of the disputed Jammu Kashmir state.
Highlighting the significance of the role of women in all sections of the society speakers said “no healthy society could emerge without the performance of the indigenous and powerful role of the women”.
They added that role of women in the progress and prosperity and uplift of any nation and the country was primarily imperative side by side the male members of the society.
The celebration of the world women’s day reminds to promote and raise awareness about the equal importance and status of women folk, at par with male members, at all time in the society – since the importance of the role of lady members in any of the society could not be set aside and the equal rights, dignified status, respect and honor of women was imperative in all respect, speakers observed.
All three radio stations of Azad Kashmir Radio Mirpur, Muzaffarabad and Tarakheil aired special programs to mark the world women day. Besides several of the newspapers brought out special editions on the World Women’s Day highlighting the importance of the role and rights of women in the society side by side the opposite gender.
