1. Increasing Women’s Representation in Law: a historical Partnership with the Federal Ministry of Law and Justice and the Women In Law Network.

• Under this project, a detailed baseline study was conducted to compile gender-disaggregated data to highlight and address the gender parity gap in the legal profession. This baseline report covered the judiciary, bar council leadership, advocates, and prosecutors.

• Please click on the link below to read the report.

• A one-stop dedicated digital portal and app titled, ‘LawyHER.pk’ was launched. The digital platform is a unique all-encompassing forum which includes amongst others, Information Desk, Networking Opportunities, Female Practitioner’s Directory, Discussion Forum, Historic Contributions of Women to Law, Interviews, and Updates, Useful Resources and other features to connect, celebrate and amplify the work and voices of women in law.

• Women in Law Awards & Symposium on Diversity & Inclusion

The Federal Ministry of Law and Justice launched the Women in Law Awards and held the first-ever symposium on Diversity and Inclusion in Islamabad today. The event marks a key milestone of the collaboration between the MoL&J, Group Development Pakistan, and the Women in Law Initiative Pakistan for increasing women’s representation in law, with support from the Australian High Commission and the British High Commission.
The symposium on diversity and inclusion featured a panel talk on fair representation. The speakers included Hon’able Justice (R) Nasira Iqbal, Barrister Taimur Malik, Barrister Aneesa Agha, and ASP Ayesha Gul.

Click on the following link to watch the panel discussion on fair representation:

The event also featured the launch of the first “Pakistan Journal of Diversity and Inclusion”.

• Please click on the link to read the PJDI: https://tinyurl.com/2p82ksj8

Lastly, the symposium was followed by a Women in Law Awards ceremony to acknowledge brilliant and talented women in the legal profession. The event welcome the following patrons:
Barrister Maleeka Bukhari
Honorable Justice (R) Sheikh Azmat Saeed
Honorable Federal Minister of Law & Justice Dr. M. Farogh Naseem

Twenty-six candidates emerged as winners out of seventy-one nominees in eighteen categories. The jury members for the WIL awards included:
Her excellency Baroness Helena Kennedy QC
Honorable Justice (R) Nasira Iqbal
Taimur Malik
Barrister Aneesa Agha
Advocate Navin Merchant

His excellency the Australian High Commissioner, Dr. Geoffrey Shaw, and the British High Commission Political Counsellor, Ms. Iona Thomas, graced the event.

Click on the following links to watch the patrons & guests of honour special addresses.

2. Increasing Women's Leadership in Pakistan:

How does ensuring that women’s access to leadership positions in all spheres of life can contribute to a more peaceful & equitable society? Several great Pakistani women leaders share their experiences and tell you all about it! #RepresentationMatters

3. Promoting Women’s Economic Empowerment:

On 16th February 2022, the Federal Ministry of Law and Justice and the Presidency launched a campaign at Awan-E-Sadr, to raise awareness on the Enforcement of Women’s Property Rights Laws in Pakistan. The event was organized in partnership with Group Development Pakistan with support from FCDO.

On this occasion, Barrister Maleeka Bokhari, MNA and Parliamentary Secretary MOL&J, stated that such laws ought to remind us of Qaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s vision. She mentioned that those legal reforms towards gender equality were aligned with the honorable Prime Minister, Mr. Imran Khan’s program, and with Article 25 of our constitution, which provides that there should be no gender discrimination. Dr Qibla Ayaz, Chairman Council of the Islamic Ideology, explained how women’s rights property were enshrined in the Islamic Jurisprudence. Furthermore, Barrister Dr Farogh Naseem, honorable Federal Minister for Law and Justice, highlighted the salient features of the Enforcement of Women’s Property Rights act 2020 for ICT and the KP and Punjab and hoped that Sindh and Balochistan would also enact such laws.

Finally, Dr Arif Alvi, Honorable President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, subsequently underlined that in the Pakistani context, madrassahs played a crucial role to raise awareness on women’s rights: according to the honorable president, religious leaders occupy a privileged place in our communities, and they can use it to create positive behavioral change. He thanked the ombudspersons for their dedication to upholding their important role in promoting the enforcement of women’s economic rights and closed the event by launching a call for synergic action, where citizens and duty bearers would join hands to turn this transformative process into an indigenous success story.

All the IEC material were unveiled and shared with participants during the event as well.

Click on the following link to watch the video of the launching ceremony:

Videos