• Announces the initiative to integrate women into the SME sector
• Business women to obtain low -cost loans
• Facilitation centers, training institutes that will be established
Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed on Saturday his commitment to gender equality, emphasizing that the empowerment of women could only be achieved through the same access to education, the development of skills and employment opportunities.
“It is our mission and an unwavering commitment to guarantee the emancipation of the country’s female population,” he said while heading to an event in Islamabad that marks the International Women’s Day, observed worldwide on March 8 to celebrate the achievements of women and advocate for their rights.
The prominent women of several fields, including the members of the Cabinet, legislators, businessmen and activists, attended the event at the home of the Prime Minister. It was organized by the Ministry of Human Rights and the National Women’s State Commission (NCSW) in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
During the event, Prime Minister Shehbaz launched the first Islamabad gender parity report, prepared by the NCSW and UNFPA. The report identifies challenges and solutions in key areas such as education, health, governance, political representation and justice.
The Prime Minister promised a collaboration with the provinces to improve the participation of women in economic programs and announced the establishment of a working women’s endowment to support women in overcoming contemporary labor challenges.
“Our 50 percent female population can become a productive workforce if a leveling playing field is provided,” he said.
To facilitate working women, he highlighted the establishment of nurseries in public and private departments throughout Islamabad, with plans to further expand these facilities.
The prime minister regretted that a large number of women highly qualified in the country stop professional careers in their struggle to balance work and families, which resulted in a great loss of qualified human resources.
Prime Minister Shehbaz paid tribute to Pakistani women who have played an important role in female empowerment, mentioning Fatima Jinnah and Begum Raana Liaquat Ali Khan, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, Bilquis Edhi, Dr. Ruth Pfau, Astma Jahangir and other trailblaszers.
The prime minister recalled the past efforts of his party for the emancipation of women, including the first anti-violence centers of Punjab for women, increased the quota of women in the joints of the government departments, the highest stipend for the girl’s students, the eradication of children’s labor in brick furnaces and enrolling 90,000 children in schools.
Classification review
The Minister of Law, Azam Nazeer, Tarar, said that, in line with the directive, ministries and departments of the Prime Minister, they were commissioned last year by ensuring that inclusive policies for women, which led to a greater representation of women in the departmental boards.
However, he acknowledged that Pakistan occupies 145 of 146 countries in the global gender gap index, only surpassed by Afghanistan. He asked for a classification review, arguing that he did not reflect terrestrial realities.
The UN resident coordinator, Mohamed Yahya, reaffirmed the support of the UN to Pakistan to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030, particularly those related to gender equality.
He stressed that gender equality should be recognized not as a specific problem for women but as a human problem.
The president of the Special Gender Committee, Dr. Nafisa Shah, stressed that the representation of women in government agencies remains below the reference point of 33pc target, emphasizing the need for greater inclusion in governance and policy formulation.
The president of the Pakistan Stock Exchange and Securities Commission (SECP), AKIF SAEED, highlighted the women’s empowerment package of the Prime Minister, by virtue of which private companies that implement family labor policies were recognized as models to follow.
The prime minister also presented family work awards at the 10 best private companies, including Core Alpha Beta solutions, the Arfa Karim and Aviation Mro technology incubator.
Integration of SMEs, low -cost loans
Prime Minister Shehbaz also presented an important initiative to integrate women into artisanal industries and small businesses in the small and medium -sized company sector (SME).
The announcement was held during a review meeting on current reforms under the development authority of the small and average company (Smeda), held in LaHore on Saturday.
Speaking at the meeting, the prime minister emphasized the need for economic empowerment of women and directed the authorities to provide capital and essential facilities in priority to business companies in the artisanal industry.
He also announced measures to offer low -cost loans to women under the scheme of youth loans, allowing them to expand their businesses.
The Prime Minister ordered the establishment of facilitation centers and training institutes to support women involved in small -scale companies and guarantee their easy access to these resources.
To strengthen this initiative, he announced the formation of a special committee responsible for developing a comprehensive plan to empower women through business opportunities.
The Committee will soon submit its recommendations to the Prime Minister.
Posted in Dawn, March 9, 2025
