ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday asserted that it was everyone’s responsibility to ensure a safe and exploitation-free society for the women, adding that it required mass awareness as well as behavioral change.
He made these remarks while addressing a seminar on “Protection against Harassment and Women Property Rights” organized by Federal Ombudsman Secretariat for Protection Against Harassment”.
The President pointed out that every civilized society always protected the rights of vulnerable groups. “Islam had guided the followers on women rights including inheritance rights contrary to the west where everything belonging to women was considered men’s property until first decade of 20th century,” he added.
President Alvi further said the additional mandate to the Ombudsman to hear cases of women property rights would open up new avenues for rights’ protection.
He said the tendency of depriving women of their inheritance rights was in vague across the world however Islam highly valued justice for women among its teachings. “As the intellectual labour had replaced physical labour to a great extent, it had created immense opportunities for women to prove their capabilities in the society,” he highlighted.
However, he said, the women had to face the social biases which necessitated the behavioral change as the society was bound to discourage any injustice to women. “If the society continued to tolerating the usurpers of women rights, the state would be compelled to involve police”, he added.
The president also emphasized the media role to aware women of their rights as well as the institutions established by the government for their protection. “Moreover, the role of mosques was also essential to preach and portray women rights guaranteed by Islam,” he added.
He lauded a recent decision of Balochistan High Court ruling that a woman could not gift her inherited property to anyone without once being transferred to her.
He said it was justice, not resources to lead any society to progress and hoped that Pakistan would also emerge as a just society based on the struggle of all segments.
