ISLAMABAD, MAR 11 (DNA) – British High Commissioner Dr Christian Turner CMG has celebrated and paid tribute to the women parliamentarians of Pakistan as part of a series of events held to mark International Women’s Day.

The British High Commission arranged a forum bringing together eight women parliamentarians – from a range of parties and regions – to discuss and share their stories as political leaders.

The discussion focused around three thematic areas: Gender Inclusivity, Women Leadership and Enabling Environment; and was attended by Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq, Senator Sitara Ayaz, MNA Mehnaz Aziz, MNA Andleeb Abbas, MNA Maleeka Bokhari, MNA Shunila Ruth, MNA Nafisa Shah and MNA Naz Baloch.

The British High Commissioner, Dr Christian Turner, CMG, said: “There is no prosperous future in Pakistan without giving women a voice and choice. I have met many brilliant Pakistani women and I’m impressed by their stories of resilience, hard work and creativity.

As the British High Commissioner, I plan to use my time here to promote the UK’s commitment to advance gender equality.

I will work to ensure that more women in Pakistan are heard and have voice in decision-making; I will work to get more girls into schools – and support financial inclusion of women, because an equal world is an enabled world.”=DNA

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