Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Qamar Jawed Bajwa, on Friday, appreciated the contributions rendered by women on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
A tweet by the director general of the military’s media wing (ISPR), Major General Asif Ghafoor, quoted COAS Bajwa as saying, “Contributions of women on duty in uniform, at household and especially the ones of martyrs’ families are greatly valued.”
He lauded women from every walk of life; both female army personnel and house wives.
“The great Pakistani women have a role and responsibility towards progress of Pakistan,” he maintained.
A similar homage was also paid to women by several others, including Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader, Shehbaz Sharif, and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Prime Minister Imran Khan reaffirmed his commitment to ensure women a secure and enabling environment for their rightful role in the nation’s development in a fervent message on Twitter on this occassion.
While lauding the Mother of Nation, Fatima Jinnah, the prime minister posted her picture with her brother Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and wrote, “we pay tribute to Fatima Jinnah who stood steadfastly beside the Quaid in his struggle for Pakistan.”
Leader of the opposition in the National Assembly and PML-N President, Shehbaz Sharif, asserted that the women of Pakistan have come a long way towards success yet a lot still needs to be accomplished.
He called the occassion “a day to celebrate and honour the incredible work our women are doing to strengthen their families, communities and the country.”
The former Punjab chief minister was satisfied with the reforms introduced by the PML-N government for women empowerment.
“Our commitment to the women empowerment agenda is absolute and will continue to uphold it,” he added.
Meanwhile, Bilawal said on the occassion, “I pay tribute to Shaheed Benazir Bhutto.” He remembered the first female prime minister in the Muslim world and her battle against extremism, authoritarianism and patriarchy for 30 years of political life.
“We will build a progressive Pakistan, a feminist Pakistan and a Benazir Pakistan in her memory,” he furthered.
International Women’s Day (IWD) is observed with great fervour on March 8 every year worldwide, including Pakistan, to commemorate the achievements of women in various fields of life with a renewed global commitment to empower them. This year, the day was celebrated with the theme, “Think equal, build smart, and innovate for change”.
Published in Daily Times, March 9th 2019.
