Karachi:Former Naib Nazim City District Government Karachi (CDGK) Nasreen Jalil lamented the fact that only 25 per cent of Pakistani women are literate despite the fact that they made up 51 per cent of the country’s total population.

Jalil expressed her disappointment at the bleak educational scenario for women while speaking at a one-day seminar titled “Towards Self Reliance: The Role of Self-Employed Women of Pakistan”. The event was organised by Centre of Excellence for Women’s Studies (CEWS), University of Karachi (KU), in collaboration with HEC and Ministry of Women Development, Government of Sindh at the Arts auditorium on Monday.

She reminded the fact that women should try to change the general attitude of men towards women. “It should begin at home where husbands and sons are pampered while daughters and wives are neglected”, she stressed. Jalil pointed out that her party was the one to allow a woman (Khushbakht Shujaat) who contested and won a general seat. She reiterated her party’s commitment to allow the commoners of the society take the central stage while effectively removing the feudal lords from their pedestals.

Acting Vice Chancellor of the KU, Dr Shahana Urooj Kazmi said that the country would not progress until women realised their rights and make efforts to get their rights that belonged to them. “Equal rights, equal opportunities and progress/ empowerment for all should be our motto. These slogans should be made part of the political manifesto as well,” she concluded.

Sindh IT Minister Raza Haroon assured the university that his ministry will cooperate with providing free IT services and announced a personal donation of 50,000 thousand rupees to the CEWS.

Dean Faculty of Arts, Professor Saleem Memon advised the women rights activists to go to the rural areas if they wanted to help womenfolk. “Women have carved their place in the society in Karachi and other urban areas but it is in the rural areas where 4 to 10 year old girls are married to men as collateral to the faults of the fathers,” he said.The news