Karachi Women parliamentarians and leaders stressed upon the need for women's empowerment to lead the country on the path to development.

These views were expressed at the Sixth Women's Leadership Conference titled 'Women's Empowerment' organised by Triple-E and the Sindh Ministry of Women's Development at a local hotel.

Speaking on the occasion, the keynote speaker, MNA Sherry Rehman, strongly condemned a superior judge for questioning the placement and basis on which women parliamentarians are selected. "I strongly express my condemnation over the judge's questioning. Women from not only our party but from all other parties became legislators on merit." She mentioned the name of Shahnaz Wazir Ali, Adviser to the Prime Minister, saying that she was purely selected on merit.

She stated that the elite must drive women towards empowerment and take responsibility of the issues. Terming an educated woman the most important asset of a society, she said that women's issues should be held synonymous with human rights.

She said that while women in the rural areas were organising themselves, paving the way to empowerment, the urban luxury-seekers were not doing so. She said that the only way governments worked across the globe was through public pressure and urged the people to step up and raise a voice for women's rights.

"The civil society and the masses should work towards the issue of women's empowerment. The media is positively playing its part in highlighting women's issues. It is now time for the people, especially the elite to organise themselves and work for women's issues."

The chief guest, Governor Gilgit-Baltistan Dr Shama Khalid, emphasised on the importance of education for empowering women, saying that Islam called for education among both men and women. Being the first female doctor of her area, she said that the government had decided to establish a women's university and a women's medical college in the remote area of Gilgit-Baltistan.

She said women were being subjected to violence even though Article 25 in the Constitution stipulated that all citizens were equal beings and that Pakistan had ratified a UN Convention against all forms of discrimination. She raised the issue of honour killings and domestic violence.

Sindh Minister for Women's Development Tauqeer Fatima Bhutto said that women were now setting examples in skills and talents. "Today's woman is making a mark in all fields. We have women in the assemblies, in the media and now as governors." She said that there was a great struggle for women's empowerment. She paid tributes to Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, calling her a beacon of women's empowerment.

Sharmila Farooqi, while lauding the bill against sexual harassment of women at workplace, called for the reintroduction of the Domestic Violence Bill in parliament.

Mentioning the government's projects for women, she said that this year, around 600,000 women will be benefiting from the Shaheed Benazir Women Income Support Programme under which they will each be given Rs1,000 every month. Meanwhile, Rs20 million have been allocated to provide free legal aid to women and juveniles.

She called for all programmes to be directed towards the empowerment of women so that they could be economically stable. She said that a programme would be initiated for the establishment of shelter home for women.

Elizabeth O. Colton, Chief Public Affairs Officer, US Consulate-General, Karachi, highlighted four points required for women's empowerment. According to her, people should have pride in universal womanhood, a woman should be educated, young woman should be encouraged not to take opportunities which they have for granted and finally, beliefs should be transmitted and passed in the struggle for empowerment.

Ghazala Gola, Balochistan Minister for Women's Development, highlighted the issues of women in her province. She said that since Balochistan was a strictly male-dominated society, women were discriminated against and not accorded their rights. "Low literacy, deficient healthcare, and poor infrastructure are the main problems. However, now women are rising up and changing the situation."

Anchorperson Naseem Zehra and Shafqat Sultana, President of First Women's Bank, also spoke on the occasion.

Meanwhile, at the Sixth Women Leadership Conference, Governor of Gilgit-Baltistan, Shama Khalid and MNA Sherry Rehman presented awards to women excelling in their respective fields. The recipients were Anne Patterson, US Ambassador to Pakistan; the key advocate of the bill against women's harassment at the workplace, Shahnaz Wazir Ali; veteran film actress Zeba Ali; noted anchorperson Naseem Zehra; eminent journalist Khursheed Hyder; and the woman squash player, Maria Toor Pakay.