Azad Kashmir offers conducive environment for women development, says Masood

AJK president pledges to protect women's rights of inheritance succession, education, health and employment

MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan has stressed the effective participation of women in national development while pledging to protect women's rights of inheritance succession, education, health and employment.

"On the whole, very conducive environment is available in the liberated territory for the women's development and the use of their skills for the nation's progress," he said in a meeting with a delegation of Women's Commission Azad Kashmir led by its chairperson Tehmina Sadiq on Friday.

President Masood expressed satisfaction that the women are at par with their male counterparts in the education sector and even ahead of men in some educational disciplines.

"Thousands of our girls are getting education of cutting edge technologies at the University of Women in Azad Kashmir and other institutions, and are showing outstanding progress."

The women, he said, have equal opportunities in education sector in the liberated territory but "regrettably, they have no adequate representation in the civil service and other institutions".

“The efforts should be continued on the government and social levels to remove this discrepancy,” the president said, adding that until and unless "we impart education to our women, the dream of socio-economic and national development cannot materialise".

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Stressing on the Women's Commission to present its recommendations to the government in order to ensure effective participation of women in the national development process, he also emphasised on viable steps to empower women folk.

Describing Tehmina Sadiq as the face of women in Azad Kashmir, President Masood said that at present, there is a need to create awareness in the society about the equal opportunities for women in education, health as well as employment – not only in the public sector but also in every sphere of life.

Besides, he maintained that side-by-side with formal education, the women should be imparted skills training so that instead of looking towards the government for jobs, they should come forward and play their role in the socio-economic development of the country.