FILE PHOTO
ISLAMABAD:
The upper house of parliament on Tuesday adopted a resolution that appreciated working women’s contributions while acknowledging that men and women are equal and should have same job opportunities.
Citing constitutional provisions related to rights of citizens, the resolution was moved on the eve of Working Women’s Day by ANP Senator Sitara Ayaz on behalf of her over a dozen colleagues.
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The Senate acknowledges that women and men are equal partners and should have the same rights and responsibilities and the same working opportunities, reads the resolution.
“[It] appreciates endeavours of working womenfolk of the country which are contributing in the betterment of socio-economic life of Pakistan and shows solidarity with them.”
The resolution, however, deplores in ‘the strongest possible terms’ the fact that in some sectors women do not receive the same salary in cases where they hold the same jobs as men or jobs of equal value. It also condemns both horizontal and vertical segregation.
The resolution urges the government to take initiatives to provide a safe, secure, healthy and harassment-free environment to the working women.
In other proceedings, lawmakers from Balochistan urged the government to make sure that gas was supplied to all parts of the province during the winter season.
Senator Usman Kakar from the PkMAP raised the issue, saying that in the freezing winter when temperatures in some parts of the province plunged to below -18 degrees Celsius, the province was witnessing gas load-shedding. “In Balochistan, there is a gas shortage of 50 mmcfd while it is producing 318,188 mmcfd,” he added.
PML-Q Senator Rubina Irfan cautioned the government against continuation of this shortage and said one day it might lead them to oppose supply of gas from the province to the rest of the country.
“Do not push the people of Balochistan against the wall,” warned PPP’s Senator Farhatullah Babar, who also mentioned the chronic issue of missing persons.
The lawmakers, particularly those from Balochistan, were expecting a commitment from the government but Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said things might improve by next year.
The minister admitted that the people of Balochistan were facing shortages but at the same time he reminded that gas bill recovery in Quetta was merely 10%. “We did not disconnect their supply despite having such dismal recovery rate.”
Abbasi said gas was not being supplied to power plants or CNG stations and the situation had worsened due to less production from Zarghon field. “The government is cognizant of the issue, and I can assure that complaints would be addressed to some extent by next year,” he said, while referring to some ongoing projects in the province.
Responding to another motion of PPP’s Taj Haider regarding government’s announcement that Sui Sothern Gas Company’s Rs37 billion dues against the Pakistan Steel Mills would be settled by transferring its land, Abbasi said it was merely a proposal.
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Haider had alleged that the PSM was being made dysfunctional according to some plan but the minister replied the entity was earlier making profit and it was during PPP’s government that it incurred Rs104 billion losses.
“The federal government has offered the Sindh government to acquire PSM’s ownership but the provincial government has not responded,” he said while adding that the offer was still valid.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 23rd, 2015.
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