A prosperous Tharparkar cannot be envisioned without progress of women of the district, according to the speakers who expressed their views at a Women's Day event. Thar Foundation organised the event at village Gorrano to celebrate the Thari women's contribution in the socioeconomic betterment of the region.
The speakers stressed on the need that fruits of development brought about by Thar Coal projects should also benefit women of the area. They said development without active and equal participation of women would not last. They said by driving trucks at Block II OF the coal project, Thari women have proved to the world they are capable to stand by men in any field.
The women speakers urged that other companies willing to begin operations on Thar Coalfield should give employment to women and adopt the model introduced by Sindh Engro Coal-Mining Company (SECMC) for empowerment women. Many stalls were also set up where cultural handicrafts were on display as people from nearby village thronged the venue and purchased the items. Children performed tableau and sang folk songs.
Madam Mumtaz, an educationist from Thar, spoke as president of the event. She lamented the fact that many women were not yet free to work alongside men in most of the fields. "Even today, girls are married before reaching adulthood and work in the fields without much recognition," she said, adding that these are not babies who are malnourished but the mothers who have not much to eat, let alone eating healthy, nutritious food. She said it high time we must pay attention to this pitiful state of women in Tharparkar.
Lata, one of the dumping truck driving trainees, urged Thari girls to get education, first and foremost, to pave the way for playing greater role in their later days of life. She said education placed women in better positions to avail opportunities and to contribute more. Manager of the Foundation's education wing Sabeen Shah said women have different roles: she is a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a wife. "In all the roles she plays, woman does her best," she said.
Thar Foundation's Fayyaz Soomro said with the change in time, social conditions have also changed and "now women have started gaining more participation in different walks of life, hence the progress of our society is inevitable." Dr Ashok Bakhtani, Fareeda Akbar, Shahnaz Pinjaro, Rukhsana Kunbhar, Mohini Kumari also spoke.