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ISLAMABAD, Jan 20 (APP):The Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) of the National Assembly on Tuesday launched its Annual Report 2024–25 at the Parliament House, under the convenorship of Syeda Shahida Rehmani and with the support of UN Women, bringing together lawmakers, senators, development partners and civil society to outline how the caucus has advanced women’s rights, gender-responsive legislation and political inclusion across Pakistan over the past year.
The launch ceremony was moderated by Special Secretary National Assembly Syed Shamoon Hashmi and attended by Members of the National Assembly, honourable senators, representatives of development partners, civil society organisations and key stakeholders, reaffirming a collective commitment to promoting women’s rights, gender-responsive budgeting and the strengthening of provincial and legislative chapters of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus.
The Annual Report 2024–25 documents major achievements, initiatives and challenges addressed by the caucus during the year.
In her keynote address, Ms Syeda Shahida Rehmani acknowledged the contributions of WPC members in advancing gender-responsive legislation, strengthening parliamentary oversight on gender issues and expanding the outreach of the caucus across party lines.
She reaffirmed the caucus’s commitment to ensuring that gender-sensitive legislation remains a central component of the parliamentary agenda.
Among the notable achievements highlighted was the convening of Pakistan’s first Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Workshop on gender-sensitive legislation after a gap of four years, with participation from international parliamentarians, marking a significant step in aligning Pakistan’s legislative practices with global standards.
The report presentation also highlighted several landmark initiatives, including the establishment and strengthening of provincial and legislative chapters of the WPC in all four provincial and legislative assemblies, achieved for the first time in Pakistan’s history.
Other key initiatives included the National Women’s Convention 2025 under the theme “A Unified Vision for Empowerment”, roundtable conferences on gender-responsive budgeting and a conference titled “Poverty Has a Woman’s Face: Gender-Sensitive Legislation to Advance Gender Equality and End Poverty” held during the 18th Speakers’ Conference.
The caucus further advanced gender justice through the observance of the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence and high-level consultations on political inclusion titled “Raising Her Voice in Political Parties”, aimed at amplifying women’s participation in mainstream politics.
During the open-floor session, Ms Shaista Pervaiz Malik emphasised enhanced legislative scrutiny of harassment laws and called for swift justice for victims of sexual violence.
Senator Rubina Qaimkhani proposed the formation of parliamentary committees to comprehensively review harassment legislation and address existing gaps.
Ms Tahira Aurangzeb underscored the importance of a non-partisan approach to gender equality and highlighted the role of parents in fostering respect and equality from an early age, while Ms Munaza Hassan stressed improved coordination among national, provincial and legislative assemblies.
Ms Samar Haroon Bilour highlighted the impact of terrorism and security challenges on women, particularly those who have lost male family members, and emphasized the inclusion of women lawmakers in economic and security-related decision-making, also calling for increasing women’s job quotas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other provinces.
Senator Rubina Khalid advocated internship opportunities for deserving law and social science students within parliamentary and legislative bodies and emphasized adopting international best practices to curb cybercrime, along with increased Senate representation in the WPC Working Council.
Ms Farrukh Khan highlighted the importance of gender balance and mutual support between men and women for sustainable empowerment, while Senator Khalida Ateeb stressed strict implementation of laws related to the protection, welfare and rehabilitation of women.
Ms Asma Arbab Alamgir called for allocating adequate funds to women parliamentarians and for establishing dedicated government bodies to protect vulnerable women and children, particularly in light of rising human trafficking.
Ms Naeema Kishwer Khan urged stronger legislation for women’s protection and welfare and noted that international gender parity reports often overlook provincial data, affecting Pakistan’s rankings.
Ms Shumaila Rana stressed legislation for the protection and rehabilitation of juvenile and women prisoners and called for structured engagement with the caucus to support their reintegration, while Dr Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro highlighted the need to address legislative gaps and ensure adequate representation of women at all legislative levels.
Ms Huma Chughtai advocated an integrated regional approach to women’s issues, including the establishment of a South Asian regional secretariat and collective action to ensure women’s access to due process of law.