Prime
Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has said that the government is focused
on political and economic empowerment of women for harnessing a viable
role for women in society. “The
empowerment of women will establish their social status and bring about
a change to facilitate the process of development in the country”. He
said while presiding over a meeting of the PPP women parliamentarians
from Punjab Assembly here Sunday.Gilani
said that the elected women representatives have an improtant role in
promoting and evaluating policies of the government as well as their
party.
Admiring the role of women
parliamentarians and PPP workers in promoting Benazir Income Support
Program (BISP), he said that BISP is primarily a women-focused project
aimed to help out the poor segement of society and they should work
whole-heartedly for the promotion and enhancement of the program.
The Premier said that the data collected through Poverty Survey under BISP is a very important document which would help to reveal the excat details regarding the economic status of the masses in various areas of the country, adding it would help the government to prepare policies and chalk out plans to reach out to the downtrodden and poor strata of society as well as work for their socio - economic uplift.
Regarding various government initiatives for women, he said that the Women’s parliamentary Caucus in the Natioanl Assembly of Pakistan and the Federal Commission on the Stauts of Women have played useful role in highlighting the issues concerning women in Pakistan, assuring the government would extend the fullest support to the commission for the betterment of women.
The prime Minister said that the government has already granted autonomy to the commission so that it could work independently for the betterment of women.
Regarding the women development and minorities, Gilani said that the ministries of minorities as well as women development have been devolved under the 18th amendment, reassuring that policy- making vis-a-vis women will remain the prerogative of the federal government while the Minitry of Human Rights will look after women rights and minorities issues.
Acknowledging the role of women, he said that women constitute 51 percent of the population in Pakistan and their active role is vital to stabilise democratic system.
About the democratic stability, the Premier said that the present democratic system and the parliament must complete its five year term in order to strengthen the roots of democracy in Pakistan.
Counting his government’s achievements, Gilani said that PPP has made sustantial contribution in strentheging democracy through restoration of 1973 constitution, distribution of resources through the NFC award and the grant of autonomy to the provinces, claiming that all these efforts have strengthened the foundation of federation in the country.Prime Minister Gilani said the government had fared well on the economic front despite tenacious global recession, devastating floods, energy crisis besides other challenges and achieved 18 billion dollars foreign exchange reserves, 11 billion dollars in the shape of foreign remittances and 26 billion dollars in exports.
Talking about PPP’s popularity, he said the PPP has gained popularity in all the four provinces, Gilgit Baltisatan (GB) and AJK adding that its rising popularity graph has been manifested through PPP success in the recent polls in AJK, GB and the by-elections across the country.
The Prime Minister stressed that party’s popularity had been made possible through the sustained and persistent policies of the government in various sectors.
Gilani said that all state institutions including media and the civil society should develop due respect for one another.
“We are passing through evolutionary period in the democratic history of Pakistan and it is fervently hoped that we would soon gain maturity to understand the responsibilities of all state institutions”, Gilani stressed.
Referring to his daughter Fiza Gillani who attended the meeting along side her brother MPA Abdul Qadir Gilani, the Prime Minister said that he has asked Fiza to attend the party meeting since she has keen interest in women rights and women affairs and concerned about the status of women in the country.
He said that Fiza Gilani would voluntarily work on various projects for the women development and interact with various international organisations and agencies to improve the plight of women in the country, adding that she would also develop various welfare schemes to allocate enough funds for women development.
About the CoD, he said that the government has implemented in earnest the 80 percent clauses of the Charter of Democracy in the light of the commitment of the PPP leader Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.
He said that a special Ramazan package for the poor masses would be announced shortly by the federal government which would be jointly monitored by the Ministry of Industries and Production as well as the utility stores corporation.
The Premier said that the data collected through Poverty Survey under BISP is a very important document which would help to reveal the excat details regarding the economic status of the masses in various areas of the country, adding it would help the government to prepare policies and chalk out plans to reach out to the downtrodden and poor strata of society as well as work for their socio - economic uplift.
Regarding various government initiatives for women, he said that the Women’s parliamentary Caucus in the Natioanl Assembly of Pakistan and the Federal Commission on the Stauts of Women have played useful role in highlighting the issues concerning women in Pakistan, assuring the government would extend the fullest support to the commission for the betterment of women.
The prime Minister said that the government has already granted autonomy to the commission so that it could work independently for the betterment of women.
Regarding the women development and minorities, Gilani said that the ministries of minorities as well as women development have been devolved under the 18th amendment, reassuring that policy- making vis-a-vis women will remain the prerogative of the federal government while the Minitry of Human Rights will look after women rights and minorities issues.
Acknowledging the role of women, he said that women constitute 51 percent of the population in Pakistan and their active role is vital to stabilise democratic system.
About the democratic stability, the Premier said that the present democratic system and the parliament must complete its five year term in order to strengthen the roots of democracy in Pakistan.
Counting his government’s achievements, Gilani said that PPP has made sustantial contribution in strentheging democracy through restoration of 1973 constitution, distribution of resources through the NFC award and the grant of autonomy to the provinces, claiming that all these efforts have strengthened the foundation of federation in the country.Prime Minister Gilani said the government had fared well on the economic front despite tenacious global recession, devastating floods, energy crisis besides other challenges and achieved 18 billion dollars foreign exchange reserves, 11 billion dollars in the shape of foreign remittances and 26 billion dollars in exports.
Talking about PPP’s popularity, he said the PPP has gained popularity in all the four provinces, Gilgit Baltisatan (GB) and AJK adding that its rising popularity graph has been manifested through PPP success in the recent polls in AJK, GB and the by-elections across the country.
The Prime Minister stressed that party’s popularity had been made possible through the sustained and persistent policies of the government in various sectors.
Gilani said that all state institutions including media and the civil society should develop due respect for one another.
“We are passing through evolutionary period in the democratic history of Pakistan and it is fervently hoped that we would soon gain maturity to understand the responsibilities of all state institutions”, Gilani stressed.
Referring to his daughter Fiza Gillani who attended the meeting along side her brother MPA Abdul Qadir Gilani, the Prime Minister said that he has asked Fiza to attend the party meeting since she has keen interest in women rights and women affairs and concerned about the status of women in the country.
He said that Fiza Gilani would voluntarily work on various projects for the women development and interact with various international organisations and agencies to improve the plight of women in the country, adding that she would also develop various welfare schemes to allocate enough funds for women development.
About the CoD, he said that the government has implemented in earnest the 80 percent clauses of the Charter of Democracy in the light of the commitment of the PPP leader Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.
He said that a special Ramazan package for the poor masses would be announced shortly by the federal government which would be jointly monitored by the Ministry of Industries and Production as well as the utility stores corporation.
The PPP women MPAs called upon the Premier to expedite the passage of Women Protection Bill against Domestic Violence in the NA so that the women could be protected against all sorts of violence.
The parliamentarians said that soft loans for women entrepreneurs should be started for providing more job opportunities to the women, adding that all accounts of women organisations should be maintained in the First Women Bank in order to enhance the role of women.
Some 20 PPP women parliamentarians from the Punjab Assembly including MPAs Robina Shaheen Wattoo,Azma Zahid Bokhari,Neelam Jabbar Ch, Najmi Saleem, Faiza Malik, Sajida Mir and Nargis Faiz Malik had called on the Prime Minister Gilani. APP
