Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on Wednesday stated that the idea of inclusive development is incomplete without the active participation of women in politics, saying having more educated women in politics will attune party policies to needs of women.
This was stated by Party’s State women’s wing President Adv. Shameema Firdous, while addressing party’s women’s wing functionaries at party headquarters Nawa-e-Subha Srinagar. She said that NC is the only political force that has brought a major shift in the gender disparity miring JK politics.
“We have been the forerunners in promoting issues relating to development and gender equality. Ours is the only party that has been one of the first parties in the entire subcontinent to give pedestal to the JK women, they deserve. NC led government from time to time have earnestly worked to materialize its progressive vision enshrined in the Naya Kashmir document, but the successive Non-NC led governments including the present regime have least focused on placing women at the center of developmental discourse to ensure their participation as a stakeholder in policymaking, development. It’s only NC that boasts a vision that believes in utilizing women’s agencies in community building and peacemaking,” she said.
On the occasion, a number of women activists joined the party fold. Those who joined include Rabiya Qayoom from Tangdhar, Farha Majeed, Nazakat Rasheed, and Azra Sidiq from Hazratbal. Among others, the party’s Provincial Women’s wing president Er. Sabiya Qadri was also present. The functionaries welcomed the new entrants with a hope that their joining will benefit the party on grass root level.
She further said that the women have been at the receiving end of executive apathy for the past five years. “The institutional support given to JK women through various departments and legislations has been done away with. Rising unemployment in JK is also having a cascading effect on our promising women,” she added. “However it’s exciting to see aspiring girls well educated and well equipped with strong leadership skills join our fold wave after wave. Having women in politics, it goes without saying, will attune party policies towards the needs of women. I hope that the new entrants will help in strengthening the party at grass root level and also peacemaking and development in the region,” she added.
Meanwhile, Party’s Provincial Women’s wing President Er. Sabiya Qadri said that the contemporary generation have eminent and towering women figures to draw inspiration from that include Begum Akbar Jehan. The need of the hour, Sabiya said, is to give a platform to aspiring women and help in creating impactful voices to take on the future challenges faced by people of J&K. Sabiya added that there was already a gender gap in employment in J&K and that the successive clampdown, lockdowns coupled with widespread policy paralysis and systemic indifference have further deteriorated the situation.
She also held that the incumbent regime has only been doing mere lip service on empowering women, but in reality, the actions of the incumbent government give slip to their unconcerned attitude. “The recent disengagement of nearly 900 ICDS women workers is a case in point where a huge chunk of working women was deprived of their livelihoods with a single stroke of pen,” she added.
