Islamabad: Greeting women on the eve of International Women's day today, slain former Premier Benazir Bhutto's widower Asif Ali Zardari vowed to carry forward his wife's mission of emancipating Pakistan's women. "On this day I appeal to all the political parties to join hands beyond partisan politics to extricate women from the agony and shame of discriminatory laws," Zardari said.

The co-chairman of the Pakistan People's Party further said that his party will pursue promotion of women's rights "as a religious, moral and political obligation". Zardari said the trend set by his party when it was in power for emancipating women is now irreversible.

Listing the achievements of his party, he said a quota was reserved for women in public and private sectors while family courts and special women police stations were set up. The party had also lifted the ban on Pakistani women taking part in international sporting events and established a separate women sports board.

The first women's bank too was set up to extend credit facilities and loans exclusively to women when PPP was in power, Zardari added.

Source : PTI