WASHINGTON, Mar 09 (APP): Pakistani women are proud partners in Pakistan’s national development, Dr. Sania Nishtar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation, said at a special event held to commemorate International Women’s Day 2021 on Monday.
At a webinar ‘Pakistani-American Women Leaders – Change Makers and Innovators’, organized by the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, Dr Sania Nishtar, who was a keynote speaker, said the Pakistan government was committed to empower women at all levels of society, according to an embassy press release.
In this regard, she highlighted the various measures of the government for enhancing financial inclusion and political and civic representation of women, including the Ehsaas Programme, which was aimed at uplifting women across the country.
Dr Nishtar also appreciated the US support to the Pakistan government for women’s empowerment over the years.
In his remarks, Ambassador Asad Majeed Khan also praised women’s contribution in strengthening Pakistan-US relations and “their role as bridge builders”. Pakistan, he added, was committed to empowering its women.
Thanking the speakers and panelists at the event, Dr Khan lauded their individual as well as collective contributions to society.
Among the key take-aways from the deliberations of the event, Ambassador Khan concluded that “women are the change makers in society and they are force multipliers.”
“Fostering dialogue through events such as this one would enable us to discover and tap into untapped potential of women and to inspire others around us,” he said.
Representing the US Department of State, Erwin Massinga, Special Advisor to the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, stated,”Advancing gender equality was among the top priorities of the Biden-Harris administration.”
The United States, he added, had partnered with Pakistan to improve the lives of women across the country through a number of joint initiatives.
“While creating opportunities to empower women, we need to address issues such as gender violence,” Massinga added.
He acknowledged the contributions of Pakistani-American women, who were rendering great service to foster stronger ties between the two countries.
The other keynote speaker, Dr Azra Raza, Professor of Medicine at Columbia University, spoke in detail about her personal struggles that led her to pursue a successful career in medicine in the US and how she surmounted the difficulties in her academic and professional life.
She said women should be seen not just as equals but as champions of change and their sacrifices and contributions must be acknowledged.
The event was divided into three sessions: Plenary session (Dr. Sania Nishtar and Dr. Azra Raza were the key speakers in addition to Ambassador Khan and Special Advisor Massinga).
Mentoring session featuring individual talks was moderated by Counsellor Press Ms Maliha Shahid with participants Ms Shaista Mahmood (US Pakistan Women’s Council), Ms. Kalsoom Lakhani (entrepreneur/venture capitalist), and Dr. Hina Chaudhry (Associate Professor of Medicine). Networking session featuring a panel discussion was moderated by Consul General of Pakistan, New York, Ms. Ayesha Ali, with panelists Ms Shimmi Kidwai (philanthropist), Ms. Bushra Amiwala (youngest Pakistani-American female to hold public office), Ms. Iram Parveen Bilal (filmmaker/storyteller), Ms. Meher Sheikh Stevie (life career coach) and Ms. Nida Jamal (social activist/philanthropist).
In their remarks, the speakers highlighted various aspects of their lives and narrated their own stories/experiences which had shaped the course of their successful professional careers. They underscored the common challenges faced by women in their everyday lives, as mothers as well as working women.
A minute of silence was observed during the event to express solidarity with the women and children of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), who have endured the worst forms of human rights abuse and oppression at the hands of Indian occupation forces.
The event was widely attended by women leaders from among the Pakistani-American community, and aired live on Facebook.
The Embassy said it intended to host similar events in the coming days to showcase the high achieving women among the diaspora and to inspire other community members through their stories.