President dismayed over CDA’s discrimination against washerwoman

Alvi underscores country won’t progress if its female equal members of society are discriminated against in such a manner

ISLAMABAD    -    President Dr Arif Alvi has expressed displeasure over the Capital Development Authority (CDA)’s discrimi­natory and misogynist act of non-allotment of a resi­dential quarter to a woman employee on the plea that quarters could only be allot­ted to adult-male-working dhobis (washer men) as per past practice.

He said that CDA had dis­criminated against the female employee, and upheld Wafaqi Mohtasib’s orders directing CDA to allot the residential quarter to the female employee.

While rejecting CDA’s rep­resentation against the orders of the Wafaqi Mohtasib, the president said that the most unfortunate part of the CDA’s defence was that allotment could only be made to a male and could not be made to a fe­male for the same services.

“This is highly discrimi­natory, CDA is directed to improve its rules that are ensuring such misogynist practices and send the re­port to Wafaqi Mohtasib of the same in 60 days,” president said.

The president further underscored that Pakistan could not progress if its fe­male equal members of the society were discriminated against in such a manner.

He said that it was against the spirit of the found­ers of Pakistan, against the fair practices of Islam, and against the Constitution.

He further directed CDA to comply with Wafaqi Mohta­sib’s orders and redress the grievance of the complainant and, if so required, approval of the competent author­ity/forum should be sought without further loss of time.

As per details, Shahnaz Begum (the complainant) had submitted that her late husband was an ex-Washer Man attached with CDA, and he had applied for allotment of a Dhobi quarter.

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