A high number of women and children in Pakistan have been adversely affected by the ongoing conflicts but their sacrifices have largely been unacknowledged.
This was stated by Shagufta Malik, former MPA of the Awami National Party from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, while speaking at a panel discussion on the ‘Role of Women in Peace Process’ at the three-day Sustainable Development Conference on Wednesday.
The politician said a number of women have lost their male family members in the ongoing fight against terrorism and are now left at God’s mercy.
“On the one hand they have lost their sons, husbands, fathers, brothers and to make matters worse, they are forced to shift to the internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp where they have to face a number of challenges,” she said.
Though their woes are still unheard, these women are still determined to make more sacrifices for peace and prosperity of the country, shared the lawmaker.
South Asia Partnership Pakistan Director Irfan Mufti, while addressing participants, said there was a need to give women, who have directly or indirectly been a victim of terrorism, a platform where they can highlight their issues.
He said it is the need of the hour to use UN Security Council Resolution 1325 as a base to formulate a plan to address issues being faced by Pakistani women.
“If we look into the past, we find many examples where women have stood up against enemies of our country; Malala Yousufzai being one of the best examples,” he said.
Sociologist Dr Eisha Tareen said the most crucial aspect when considering peace-building in conflict areas are gender dynamics at play in local contexts. This involves analysis of root causes of inequality.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 11th, 2014.
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