NA Body Slams Govt Over Gender Parity Failures

News Desk

Islamabad: The National Assembly’s Special Committee on Gender Mainstreaming has called for the immediate formation of the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) at the federal and provincial levels, along with gender mainstreaming committees, to ensure the enforcement of constitutional rights for women.

During its 2nd and 3rd meetings held on February 10-11 at Parliament House, chaired by Dr Nafisa Shah, MNA, the committee raised serious concerns over gender disparities in Pakistan’s civil services.

Despite the 10 percent quota for women, they account for only 49,508 out of 1.2 million government employees, with most occupying lower-grade positions.

Lawmakers also questioned the credibility of the national census, pointing to a highly unusual sex ratio of 106 males for every 100 females, which contradicts global demographic trends and raises concerns about possible data inaccuracies.

Pakistan’s Gender Gap Crisis

Pakistan’s near-bottom ranking of 145 out of 146 countries in the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Report further underscored the urgency of gender-focused reforms. The committee demanded gender-disaggregated and synchronized data to ensure informed policy-making and credible reporting at national and international levels.

The committee urged both federal and provincial governments to establish institutional mechanisms addressing gender gaps in education, health, employment, and political participation.

Additionally, members criticized the discriminatory allocation of development funds, insisting that MNAs on reserved seats receive the same budgetary consideration as those on general seats.

Gender Reform Sub-Committee

To strengthen gender reforms within Parliament, the committee formed a Sub-Committee on Gender Mainstreaming, comprising:

• Ms. Shaista Pervaiz, MNA
• Ms. Munaza Hassan, MNA
• Senator Rubina Qaim Khani
• Mr. Aqeel Malik, MNA

Will the Government Act?

The meeting, attended by Syed Hussain Tariq, Shahida Begum, Senator Fawzia Arshad, and officials from relevant ministries, sent a clear message: Gender disparities in Pakistan demand immediate intervention.

Will the government rise to the challenge, or will gender inequality continue to be ignored?