KARACHI - Aafia Movement Pakistan leader Dr Fowzia Siddiqui has urged the Pakistani women to forge unity and solidarity for realization of their due rights.
In a statement here Saturday on the occasion of the international day of the gender equality, she said in Pakistan women face a lot of problems. They brave discrimination in jobs, education, and healthcare and even in using freely their right of vote. She said to get these basic rights the Pakistani women have to display courage and unity, considering it their collective cause.
She said Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) in his Last Sermon also stressed on the gender equality. She said this sermon is the International Charter of equal human rights and gender equality and we all should seek guidance and aspiration from this great Sermon.
Dr Fowzia regretted that no government in Pakistan has ever taken serious steps to give equal rights to women and resolve their basic issues. She said Pakistani women not only face sexual harassment but also shameful discrimination in other fields like education, healthcare, jobs, economic freedom and social justice. She said urban and rural women toil like slaves in factories, workshops, farms, fields and brick kilns but they are not even given equal wages, adding often no wages are paid to the rural working women altogether. She said this discrimination is against our law and constitution and it must be ended at all costs.
She said even many parents discriminate their daughters in education and they spend available resources for the education of their sons only. She said in Islam getting education is the duty of both males and females, and to give opportunities for education to sons and depriving daughters from them is against the basic principles of Islam.
She said in many tribal and rural communities women are even not allowed to cast their vote, which is disrespect to democracy. She said many shameless people even sell their daughters for which we can only blame this gender-biased system and take serious efforts to reform and change.