Mrs. Razia Naveed, central Secretary General of Minhaj-ul-Quran Women League, has said that women have been subjected to discriminatory treatment compared to men. She said that the women were now becoming aware of their rights and working very hard to make a mark in various professions and fields. She said that journey was not over yet as the women, who had traditionally been a prey to exploitation, backwardness and excesses had a long drawn-out battle before them. She said that liberalism could not be defined as freedom and a fundamental right. She said that presence of evil customs such as Vani, Karokari and marriage with the Quran continued in our society despite passage of 65 years since establishment of Pakistan because we had turned our back on our values and traditions. She said that a particular mindset, which was inimical to women development, had kept them robbed of their rights.

Mrs. Razia Naveed expressed these views while addressing a seminar held to mark the International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women at the central secretariat today.

The MWL Secretary General said that Islam has given respect and honour to every relation of women, be it that of a wife, sister, daughter and a mother so that they could contribute to development of society as positive, equal and productive members. She said that women should come forward and work side by side with men for the accomplishment of task of national reconstruction and development within the constraints enforced by our great faith. She said that steps were needed to empower the women aimed at enabling them to play their role in the society.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Shazia Mazhar, Secretary Training of MWL, said that veil was not a hurdle in the upward mobility of women, adding that it was a source of her confidence and honour. She said that women continued to face several problems which needed public policy intervention.

In her remarks on the occasion, Ms. Ayesha Shabbir castigated the campaign of making women a showcase and an advertisement component as it undermined her powerful role and portrayed a negative picture. She said that Islam endowed equal rights on the women while they were considered inferior to men in society, which was unjust and unacceptable. She said that given rights prescribed by Islam, a woman could carve out a respectable niche in life, adding that it depended on her how she behaved and took up the challenge.