Mazari hopes to review KP’s ban on male guests at girls’ schools

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari hoped that the decision of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s government (KP) ban on male chief guests at the girls school would be reviewed. Speaking on the floors of the National Assembly, the minister said that the decision of ban on male chief guests at government girls school by the KP government was not correct. She hoped that hoped that the decision would be reviewed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. The minister also spoke on the proposed watta-satta marriage of two female doctors in Rojhan and how it had been stopped. Last month, the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa imposed a ban on male chief guests along with media and social media coverage of functions/programmes held at government girls’ schools in the province. According to the minister, two people and not a panchayat had passed the order. Responding to a question about protection of women, the human rights minister said that the government is committed to ensure protection and promotion of women rights as envisaged under the constitution as well as international commitments by adopting all possible measures. She said that the National Commission for Human Rights has been established to take suo moto actions on women-related issues. She said the National Commission on Status of Women is working as a statutory body to exclusively work on women issues, and Helpline 1099 has also been set up for legal advice on human rights violations. She said an awareness campaign to educate masses about inheritance rights of women under Islamic jurisprudence and the constitution has also been initiated. She said Radio Pakistan and PTV ran that campaign. The minister said the process of establishment of groups of pro Bono lawyers in every district for legal aid to women vis-a-vis inheritance issues is also in progress. On the other hand, the smart phones and the electric devices have also been banned in all the Mardan schools.