Millions of Girls Deprived of Education as Rulers Enjoy Luxuries: Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman

LAHORE, Nov 14: Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has said the country's existing system has failed to provide people with their fundamental rights, including education, healthcare, livelihood, peace and security.

He was addressing participants during a visit to the Khadija-tul-Kubra Exhibition, organised by the Pakistan International Business Forum (PIBF) under the theme "Our Skills, Our Identity".

JI Women Wing Secretary General Dr Humaira Tariq, other party leaders Samina Saeed and Uzma Imran, PIBF Senior Vice President Aneela Mahmood, Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry Senior Vice President Mrs Shaheen, PIBF Lahore President Abdul Wadud Alvi and Secretary General Tanveer Ejaz also addressed the gathering.

Rehman criticised Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for travelling to London aboard an aircraft worth Rs11 billion to attend her daughter's graduation ceremony while millions of girls in the province remain deprived of education.

Around eight million girls in Punjab were out of school, he said, questioning the priorities of the provincial government at a time when millions of families were struggling to access basic facilities.

"People have every right to question such decisions, and it is our collective responsibility to struggle for a change in this outdated system," Rehman said, urging women to join JI’s campaign for systemic change.

The JI Emir said ensuring the safety and protection of working women was a fundamental responsibility of the government and an important national requirement. He maintained that a society shaped according to the true principles of Islam would ensure that women enjoyed their rights and access to essential facilities, whether they worked outside their homes or focused on family responsibilities.

He said JI was not merely campaigning for a change in the country's system but was also making practical efforts within its capacity. He cited the party's Bano Qabil programme as an example, saying registrations of 1.6 million boys and girls had been completed through the initiative, which now had 400 campuses across the country.

The programme was particularly helping young women acquire skills and launch small businesses, he said, adding that girls accounted for 32 per cent of registrations while their success rate stood at 47 per cent, reflecting their commitment and capabilities.

The JI leader observed that prevailing economic conditions had forced even middle-class women to seek employment and contribute to household incomes. Had the state fulfilled its responsibilities, he said, many women would not have been compelled to work for financial survival and could have devoted more time to raising children and contributing to nation-building.

However, he added, working, establishing small businesses and pursuing economic opportunities had become essential for many women. Islam did not prohibit women from earning a livelihood with dignity, he said, regretting that unnecessary debates were often initiated to create divisions in society.

Such divisions, he argued, only strengthened powerful interest groups. Instead of engaging in divisive debates, all sections of society should join the struggle for a system that ensured women's protection and provided basic necessities to every citizen.

Congratulating the Pakistan International Business Forum on its efforts to train women and help them establish respectable sources of livelihood, Rehman stressed the need to extend entrepreneurship opportunities beyond urban centres to women in rural areas.

He said millions of women across the country worked as labourers and domestic workers and deserved all rights and protections guaranteed to them under the law.

"We should take pride in our religion, which grants women their rights. Seeking education is obligatory for every Muslim man and woman," he said.

During his visit, Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman also toured various stalls at the exhibition and appreciated the skills, creativity and entrepreneurial efforts of participating women.