UN designated March 8 as International Women’s Day in 1977 to celebrate their achievements
RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Monday lauded the contribution of women in different professions, observing they had contributed “immensely” for the “honour of our nation.”
“Women in uniform have proved their mettle by contributing copiously in diverse fields serving the nation & humanity. They deserve our immense respect & gratitude,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) quoted Gen Bajwa as saying.
“They are also [at the] forefront against COVID[-19].”
The tweet was sent to mark International Women’s Day being celebrated worldwide to acknowledge the contributions of women in different fields.
The theme of this year’s Women’s Day is “Women in Leadership: Achieving an Equal Future in a Covid-19 World,” and various events and marches are planned to raise awareness about gender parity and the significance of the roles played by women in society, Radio Pakistan reported.
The United Nations designated March 8 as International Women’s Day in 1977. It annually calls for greater rights for women and celebrates their achievements.
QURESHI LAUDS FRONTLINE MEDICS:
In his message, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that during the testing times of the Covid-19, Pakistani women demonstrated remarkable resilience and leadership, effectively contributing to the nation’s response to the disease and recovery from it.
Qureshi said that women stood at the front lines, as healthcare workers, primary caregivers, innovators, human rights defenders, and community organisers.
Under the guidance of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the country’s landmark Ehsaas financial assistance initiative, introduced for vulnerable families due to the spread of coronavirus, is being supervised by its female chairperson.
He said that the nation cannot forget the plight of women in occupied Kashmir who, over the last seven decades, have endured gross human rights abuses and oppression at the hands of Indian forces.
AURAT MARCH KICKS OFF:
Women, men, and transgender people across Pakistan are marching against patriarchy in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Hyderabad, Quetta, and Multan.
Aurat March originated in the port city in 2018 and has since expanded to other cities across the country. People from all walks of life have arrived at different venues to mark the much-awaited event of this year.
In Karachi, the march was held at Frere Hall, while in Lahore, the protestors gathered at the Lahore Press Club and marched towards the front of the PIA building in the city. In the federal capital, the march began at the National Press Club from where the set towards the city’s D Chowk.
Each chapter of the Aurat March has its own manifesto with the Karachi chapter focusing on patriarchal violence; Lahore on addressing healthcare workers and women’s health; and the Islamabad march is dedicated to the crisis of care.
“The Covid-19 pandemic laid bare the stark inequalities in our society,” said the Feminist Manifesto on Health released by Lahore Aurat March. “Globally, we found the heart of society to be diseased. Diseased with injustice and inequality, with patriarchy and violence on gendered bodies, with vast inequalities and capitalism, and with the dehumanisation of races and ethnicities. Our collective body was in pain.”
The Karachi chapter’s demands include an “end to gender-based violence by patriarchal forces as well as state-backed violence targeting activists, religious groups and communities and effective and transparent investigation of gender-based crimes and fair and expeditious trials”.
Other issues raised during the march include criminalisation of virginity tests for rape victims, the establishment of gender-based violence reporting cells in police stations across Sindh and Pakistan, and an end to sexual harassment.
