'Respect for women in Islam exemplary'

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has said that respect for the weaker segments of society, including women, has been underscored and all kinds of discriminations have been prohibited in Khutba Hajjatul Wida.

Addressing the Provincial Seeratun Nabi Conference, she said no one has given as much rights and respect to women as Islam. "The rights which Allah has given to a woman are not found anywhere else."

The chief minister said, "It is a pity that if a daughter returns home when her marriage does not work out, she is taunted and considered a burden. On the contrary, if a girl returns home after divorce, her rights increase."

She underscored, "While training our daughters, we forget how she will face any difficulty tomorrow."

She lamented, "Our girls do not get the same opportunities as those available to boys."

The chief minister wondered, "Why are minorities not considered safe in our country, why guns are drawn and people are murdered?"

She added, " The life of a scholar should be such that people start loving Islam. Hearts can be subjugated by love, not by fighting and killing."

She said, ,"If children are to be attracted to religion, they should be brought towards the religion not by beating but by love."