News Desk |
“Financial freedom is crucial to uplift women in Pakistan,” asserted President Arif Alvi in a meeting with the delegation of Islamabad Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Friday.
What President Alvi said
President Alvi discussed the prerequisites for the empowerment of women and cited economic independence as key towards the development of women. “Economic independence prevents women to succumb to any injustices inflicted upon them. An empowered woman holds a greater potential to contribute to national development,” said President Alvi.
President Alvi remarked that the current government has taken several appreciable steps towards the empowerment of women.
The President urged women entrepreneurs to play their role in empowering rural women and increasing their outreach through social media.
“We can make women economically independent and that will be a vital step towards their empowerment which will help transform the society,” he mentioned. Alvi commended on the central role women play as homemakers as well as millions more whose contributions go unrecognized.
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President Alvi opined that a great responsibility rests upon the shoulders of the female legislatures to vehemently campaign for women’s rights in Pakistan, from the floor of the National Assembly. Females constitute almost half of the total population of Pakistan; denying them basic rights including education, equal representation at the workforce can lead to loom in poverty and underdevelopment in Pakistan.
Uplifting women, the other half of the population, will lead to a reduction in poverty and improvement in the overall standards of living. Pakistan, a signatory to the Sustainable Development Goals is bind to provide equal opportunities for women, has under 25% of women in its workforce, which makes it one of the lowest ratio in the region.
With greater participation of women in the workforce, the government can expand its Gross Domestic Product by 10%, asserted Saeeda Bano, Vice President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry. President Alvi remarked that the current government has taken several appreciable steps towards the empowerment of women.
Ivanka Trump’s interest in the development of Women
One of the most notable developments came when Ivanka Trump, daughter of the President of the United States Donald Trump, announced to initiate projects in Pakistan for the development of women. Ivanka Trump, also an adviser to President Trump, expressed her keen interest in setting up women development projects in the country.
The President urged women entrepreneurs to play their role in empowering rural women and increasing their outreach through social media.
Ms. Trump expressed this desire in a recent meeting with Minister of State for Overseas Pakistanis, Syed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari, in Washington. Ms. Trump believes that the economic empowerment of women “is a smart step” for nations that want development assistance and “critically important” for a country’s national security.
“If you look at the countries that have high levels of gender discrimination, 80 per cent of them have experienced armed conflict in the last 20 years,” she said.
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Minister Bukhari and Ms. Trump discussed various programs for the development of women, which includes the provision of jobs, vocational training and entrepreneurial opportunities to young Pakistanis, and economic developments were discussed during the meeting.
She Loves Tech
Recently, female participants amazed judges at the ‘She Love Tech’ competition where several girls presented their ideas for tech-based start-up businesses. The judges, including Shamshad Akhtar and K-Electric Chairman Ikram Sehgal, asserted “Women empowerment will make the country sustainable. I am delighted to see the talent of women here, participating startups not only giving a solution to the economic and social problems of the country but also providing employment and promoting entrepreneurship in the country.”
President Alvi remarked that the current government has taken several appreciable steps towards the empowerment of women.
Former Governor of the State Bank, Shamshad Akhtar, expressed optimism in the improvement of Pakistan’s economy through an equal share to women in the workforce.
Akhtar said, “Women constitute half of the population, phenomenal changes are taking place in women workforce but the rate of women participation is pathetically low.” She further added, “Having women participate more actively in the business sector will no doubt spur economic growth because I know that the productivity of women far exceeds that of men.”