ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Planning and Central leader of ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Kanwal Shauzab has urged the media house owners to create a positive and conducive working environment for the women journalists in their organizations.
Kanwal Shauzab was addressing a function organized by the Women Journalists Association of Pakistan at the National Press Club (NPC) in Islamabad.
Talking to eminent women journalists, she said that all the demands of women journalists including their reservations on Pakistan Media Development Authority (PDMA) and issuance of health cards to journalists are the priorities of PTI.
Kanwal Shauzab said that the establishment of PMDA is also an effort to address journalists’ concerns, which is being consulted. She said that media owners should ensure implementation of the policy regarding maternity leave and setting up of daycare centers in their organizations.
On the occasion, the Convener Women Journalists Association of Pakistan (WJAP) Fauzia Kulsoom Rana demanded that health cards should be issued to women journalists without any discrimination. She said that women journalists should also be allotted plots in the Housing Foundation under the 50 percent quota.
On the occasion, renowned news reader Ishrat Fatima said that keeping in view the constructive role of women in society, the government should provide them with opportunity to participate in decision-making process.
The founder member of WJAP Maira Imran demanded that gender audits must be conducted in media houses. She also demanded that the issuance of licenses to media houses should be made conditional with the gender audit.
The event was specially organized to felicitate the newly elected chairperson of the walkout committee of the Parliamentary Reporters Association Nayyar Ali and executive members Ayesha Naz and Saba Bajir.
On the occasion, eminent working journalists also apprised Kanwal Shozab about the problems faced by them in media.
Prominent women journalists, including Ishrat Fatima, Maira Imran, Nayyar Ali, Ayesha Naz, Saba Bajir, Shazia Nayyar, Imrana Komal, Afshan Qureshi, Anila Mahmood, Nabila Hafeez, Asma Shaikh, Hana Durrani, Asma Shaukat, Qaratul Ain Haider, Mahesh Fakhr, Sadaf Afzal, Anila Bashir, Sedrah Khan, Farah Naz, Sabahat Khan, Sobia Musharraf, and other journalists attended the event.
