Women's Due Empowerment To Peacefully Counter Conflicts Stressed

MIRPUR (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Dec, 2022 ) : Dec 20 (APP) ::Women's participation at both micro and macro levels empowers them to develop the ability and the competence to counter conflicts peacefully.

"Without a vocal approach and constructive intervention, it is difficult for aspirational women to act as leaders and change-makers," said National Defence University (NDU)'s Professor Dr Shaheen Akhtar here on Tuesday.

She was leading a day-long capacity-building training workshop, hosted by AJK-based world fame Kashmiri think tank, NGO, and Center for Peace, Development, and Reforms (CPDR).

The grand event was attended by 25 Azad Jammu and Kashmiri ladies. Dr. Akhtar emphasized the necessity of structural reforms and policies in advancing women's participation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir's socioeconomic life.

Dr. Shaheen was of the view that the impact of the Kashmir conflict circumscribed women's majority in drafting and execution of the strategic plans embodying the policy-making and hampers their functioning in numerous other core spaces.

"It is vital to recognize the contribution and efforts of women in the peace-making process for meaningful results as they constitute 49% of the Azad Jammu Kashmir Population", she emphasized.

Dr. Akhtar also specified that the very existence of empowered women demands the termination of conventional patriarchal practices for befitting governance. Their representation requires acceptability and substantial validity for participation and ratified output.

Addressing the ceremony, the President of CPDR, Zulfiqar Abbasi, stated that CPDR seeks to advance gender-sensitive and inclusive policies to assist social and economic reform in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

According to Abbasi, no nation has ever advanced economically or socially without empowering its women; putting women behind will keep the nation behind.

Ershad Mahmud, Executive Director of CPDR, while addressing the event, said "women's involvement and participation may be ensured through educating and empowering them at various levels. He claimed that although the empowerment of women is currently receiving some attention from the authorities in AJK, more thorough research is still required to fully comprehend the reality of women's access to healthcare, jobs, and education".

While discussing the creation of institutional framework, Asma Ali Shan challenged the traditional dynamics of the society that generally overlooked the perspective of gender. Asma Ali observed, "Such a worldview increases the sorrow and desperation among the abandoned people."Irtaza Muhmmad, a Programme Officer at CPDR, while speaking on this occasion, underlined that Kashmiri women were gradually advancing in every aspect of life. 31 women ran for office in the most recent local government elections, and some of them won against fierce competition, shocking political watchers worldwide.