Devolution: ‘Make Punjab run women’s shelters'

All eyes on Benazir Women’s Crisis Centres to be made operational.

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court on Thursday issued notice to the Punjab government to respond to a petition asking that the Benazir Women’s Crisis Centres be made operational.

The centres had been run by the Ministry of Women’s Development but were transferred to the provinces under the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. Petitioner Gul Zaman said that the federal government had released funds to the provinces to keep the centres running, but the Punjab government had made no effort to use the money or make the centres functional.

Zaman asked the court of Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed to direct the Punjab government to use these funds to run these centres for women.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 8^th, 2011.