LAHORE, Mar 15 (APP):First Lady Samina Alvi on Tuesday stressed the need for extending support and facilities to underprivileged women for bringing them into mainstream as it was imperative for the progress and growth of a healthy society.

Speaking as a chief guest at First Women Theater Festival titled ‘Breaking the Bias’ held at the Lahore Arts Council, she said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was working in right direction to empower women in every sphere of life.

She said that multiple initiatives had been taken by the government to provide every sort of support to women so that they could participate in the development of country, adding that Ehsaas Programme was one of the initiatives, which was making the poor and needy women financially strong and empowered.

Samina Alvi said that providing a safe and conducive environment to women at workplace was also of vital importance, for which, the need of taking more steps was required.

She also urged the working women to work with dignity so that no one could exploit them.

Appreciating women participation in every field, she said that women were equally contributing to the progress of their organizations and development of the country and added that women were very hardworking in their field and performing duties with professionalism.

She said that it was sanguine that more and more women were now getting education and they were more aware about their rights and struggling in a better way to get them.

She added that founder of the nation, Qauid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah also advocated maximum participation of women in practical life and he himself took along women in the Pakistan Movement.

Earlier, the first lady witnessed a stage play which showed struggle and hardships faced by women in practical life.