Altaf Hameed Rao;
MIRPUR (AJK): Like rest of the world, Universal Women Day was observed in Azad Jammu & Kashmir on Thursday, with the renewal of 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 seminars and symposiums were the hallmark of the day observed throughout Azad Jammu Kashmir as well side by side the rest of the world. The World Women Day is observed this day of March 8 every year since the year of 1900 across the globe in the light of the charter under the manifesto of the United Nations to highlight the importance of the women’s role in the society.
The day was marked with special ceremonies held under the auspices of various Women Organizations in all ten districts of AJK with the resolve to maintain the equal rights and status of the females who have reached to about 51 per cent of the total population of the country irrespective of any discrimination of gender besides maintaining their respect, honour and dignity to ensure the maximum utilization of the talent and abilities of the women folk for the betterment and uplift of the country and the nation.
In Mirpur, a grand walk of women, hosted by the State Social Welfare Department was the hall mark of the day. Chief Guest Commissioner Mirpur Division Muhammad Tayyeb Ch and Deputy Commissioner Ansar Yaqoob Khan and the Social Welfare Officer led the walk which passed through major city streets and culminated at the District Courts Premises.
Several other ceremonies were held to celebrate the Universal Women’s Day was held under the auspices of various local NGOs of Women.
The ceremony followed by a special program highlighted the role model of eminent women social workers engaged in serving the ailing humanity besides for the uplift of the women in different sectors of life on self help basis. The ceremony was attended by a large number of women representing various segments of the Society mostly belonging to the academic sector.
Addressing a special ceremony to mark the day speakers including President Markazi Anjuman e Tajraan [Ittehad group] Chouhdry Mahmood Ahmed and others highlighted the importance of the role of women in all sections of the society. “No healthy society could emerge without the role of the women”, they observed adding that the role of women in the progress and prosperity and uplift of any nation and the country could 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.