Govt committed to empowerment of women: Sehba
By Bushra Rafique

ISLAMABAD—First Lady Begum Sehba Musharraf on Sunday reiterating government’s commitment towards the empowerment of women called for adopting a three-pronged agenda aimed at creating awareness, removal of socio-economic barriers and provision of equal opportunities.
Inaugurating a roundtable conference of Muslim women on the sidelines of the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF), Begum Sehba Musharraf said the government has embarked upon a series of measures to bring them into the mainstream.
“No society can flourish unless the women are accorded their true status,” she told leading women personalities from various walks of lives and those attending the forum.
The First Lady said the government was fully committed to unleashing the full potential of the women and briefed the participants about the measures taken by the present government.
She said the women were being given 33 per cent representation in the local governments, while their percentage in the National Assembly was up by 20 per cent, besides a 10 per cent quota in the civil services for the educated women.
Begum Sehba Musharraf pointed at the large number of Muslim women and said there was a need to fully utilise this “significant number” to assist the Ummah’s progress.
The First Lady in her three-pronged strategy called for creating awareness about the role of the women to bring them into the mainstream, removal of socio-economic barriers and provision of equal opportunities and a level playing field for the women.
She also pointed at the ending of prejudices about the Muslim women in the West like the issue of veils, violence against them, increasing literacy level to realise their full potential and removal of gender disparity in areas of health and education.
The government, she said was also committed to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and said the women need to be extended micro-credit to help them realise their full potential as economic partners.
She said efforts were underway to develop women’s skills and to address the pressing issues confronting the women.
The forum titled “Unleashing the potential of Muslim Women” is aimed at promoting partnership and cooperation among the Muslim women, particularly in business and management.
The event will provide opportunities from sharing of best practices, ideas and knowledge and promote women leadership in Muslim countries, communities and companies.
The panellists included Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Governor Central Bank of Malaysia, Dr Shamshad Akhtar, Governor State Bank of Pakistan, Dato Dr Norraesah Mohammad Chairperson World Islamic Businesswomen Network of WIEF.