Pakistan has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world. The picture of our educational system and its outcome is grim and bleak. More than 40 percent of girls never get into school and the situation gets worse in our rural areas where due to social and cultural impediments girls are deprived of this basic right. If we compare the provincial status of women's education in Pakistan, women from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan are illiterate to a higher extent, mostly due to the conservative environment and lack of educational facilities.
In our northern tribal areas the education of girls is strictly prohibited on religious grounds. Those girls who do enrol in schools have an attendance rate lower than boys. Stopping girls from going to school on a religious basis, I believe, is a gross misinterpretation of Islamic teachings. The Constitution clearly emphasises the proper deliverance of women rights so that they can be streamlined. Unfortunately this has not been the case. On the contrary they are exposed to violence and unemployment. Women in Pakistan constitute 51 percent of the total population but still our country is not in a position to facilitate such a massive workforce with education or employment and provide them their basic rights.
The international community celebrates International Women's Day to emphasise the importance of women's rights worldwide. They formulate different policies and make them practical, so that the women of their society can be properly educated according to modern standards. I would like to highlight the grave discrimination women face in our society and it is very important that they be provided with their due rights that are given to them by our religion and the Constitution.
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