Pakistan will thrive as more women participate in economy: Dr Sania Nishtar

• Dr Sania Nishtar, at the US-Pakistan Women in the Economy Symposium.
• Dr Nishtar joined the meeting, which took place in College Station, Texas, via video-link.
• Other speakers at the event included Michael Young.

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar, at the US-Pakistan Women in the Economy Symposium, Friday said Pakistan will thrive as more women participate in the economy.

At the event hosted by the George H W Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University in coordination with the US-Pakistan Women’s Council, the roundtable was focused on ambitious ideas to propel women in the economy, a press release said.

Dr Nishtar joined the meeting, which took place in College Station, Texas, via video-link. During her speech she highlighted the multiple policies under the Ehsaas programme which are driving women’s fuller participation in both the economy and society. She said “Women’s empowerment is beneficial to Pakistan’s society and our economy and Ehsaas is dedicated to furthering their full participation in all parts of life”.

Dr Sania further said, “A country cannot thrive when half of its population are not educated and enabled to fulfill their potentials, which is why we are promoting a wide range of policies from scholarships to mobile phones to tackle the systemic gender inequality.”

According to the latest figures from the United Nations Development Programme’s Gender Equality Index, only a quarter of women are active in the labor market in Pakistan. Other speakers at the event included Michael Young, President of Texas A&M University and Alice Wells, Acting Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs at the US Department of State.