History of women rights in PakistanMuslim reformers such as Sir Syed Ahmad Khan brought reforms in education and tried to empower women through education. Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnahhad a positive attitude towards women. After the independence of Pakistan Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah tried to eliminate socio-economic disparities against women in the country.Before 1947 there was a tendency for the Muslim women in Punjab to vote for the Muslim League and women were organized into large-scale public demonstrations.Pakistani women were granted the suffrage in 1947 under the Pakistan (Creation of Pakistan) Ordinance, and they were reaffirmed the right to vote in national elections in 1956 under the interim Constitution. The provision of reservation of seats for women in the Parliament existed throughout the constitutional history of Pakistan from 1956 to 1973.Zulfikar Ali Bhutto GovernmentThe democratic regime of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (1970-1977) had liberal attitudes towards women. All government services which had been denied to women earlier were opened to them. About 10 % of the seats in the National Assembly and 5% in the provincial assemblies were reserved for women, with no restriction on contesting general seats as well.Gender equality was specifically guaranteed in the Constitution of Pakistan adopted in 1973. The constitution says that “there shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex alone.” Additionally, it affords the protection of marriage, family, the mother and the child as well as encouraging “full participation of women in all spheres of national life.”Zia-ul-Haq's Military RegimeThe martial law regime of General Zia-ul-Haq (1977-1986) took some of the steps for women’s development

1. The establishment of the Women's Division in the Cabinet Secretariat,2.  The appointment of Commission on the Status of Women.3. A chapter on women in development was included for the first time in the

Sixth Plan.4. In 1981, General Zia-ul-Haq inducted 20 women as members in

the Majlis-e-Shoora5. In 1985, the National Assembly elected through nonparty elections

doubled women's reserved quota (20 percent).However, Zial-ul-Haq initiated a process of Islamization through discriminatory legislation against women. He banned women from participating and from being spectators of sports and promoted purdah. He suspended all fundamental rights guaranteed in the Constitution of 1973 including the right to be free of discrimination on the basis of sex.Benazir Bhutto Government

During her election campaigns in 1988, Benazir Bhutto voiced concerns over social issues of women, health and discrimination against women. She announced different plans to set up women's police stations, courts and women's development banks. She also promised to repeal controversial Hudood laws that curtailed the rights of women. However, during her two incomplete terms in office (1988-90 and 1993-96), Benazir Bhutto did not propose any legislation to improve social status of Pakistani women. She was not able to repeal a single one of Zia-ul-Haq’s Islamisation laws which were protected both from ordinary legislative modification and from judicial review by virtue of the eighth constitutional amendment.Nawaz Sharif GovernmentIn 1997, the Nawaz Sharif government proposed a fifteenth amendment to the Constitution that would entirely replace the existing legal system with a comprehensive Islamic one and would override the “constitution and any law or judgment of any court.” The proposal was approved in the National Assembly (lower house), but, it was strongly opposed by women’s groups, human rights activists, and opposition political parties. They demanded that Hudood legislation must be repealed as it discriminates against women and conflicts with their fundamental rights.The improvement of women's status was stated as one of the 16 goals listed in the Pakistan 2010 Program (1997), and is a critical policy document. Later on the document omitted women while listing 21 major areas of interests. Likewise, another major policy document, the “Human Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy” (1999), states women as a target group for poverty reduction but lacks gender framework.Pervez Musharraf's Regime (1999-2008)

1. On September 2004, the Ministry of Women Development was established an independent ministry.

2. On July 2006 General Musharraf signed an ordinance for the immediate release on bail of around 1300 women who were currently languishing in jails on charges other than terrorism and murder.

3. In late 2006, the Pakistani parliament passed the Women's Protection Bill, repealing some of the Hudood Ordinances.

4. The Cabinet had approved reservation of 10% quota for women in Central Superior Services. Before this, there was a 5% quota for women in all Government departments.

President Asif Zardari GovernmentThe government’s highest priority is to address discriminatory laws against women, which includes

1. Adoption of Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act 2010.

2. Criminal Law (Amendment) Act.

3. Acid Control and Acid Crime Act and Prevention of Anti Women Practices Act.

4. The National Commission for Human Rights Act 2012 has been enacted to monitor the overall human rights situation.

5. The Women in Distress and Detention Fund Act 2011 has been promulgated to provide financial and legal assistance to deserving women.

6. Moreover‚ 26 Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Centers for women have been established in various districts to provide immediate relief to female victims of violence. Around one million women are receiving direct assistance under Benazir Income Support Program, while the National Commission on the Status of Women has been strengthened to monitor the violation of women’s rights. A proposal is under consideration to give more representation to women in the judiciary.

PracticesPurdah norms are followed in many communities of Pakistan. It is practised in various ways, depending on family tradition, region, class, and rural or urban residence. Child marriage/ (Vani)Although the Child Marriages Restraint Act makes it illegal for girls under the age of 16 to be married, instances of child marriages can be found. Vani is a child marriage custom followed in tribal areas and the Punjab province. The young girls are forcibly married off in order to resolve the feuds between different clans; the Vani can be avoided if the clan of the girl agrees to pay money, called Deet, to other clans.Swara, Pait likkhi and Addo Baddo are similar tribal and rural customs that often promote marriage of girls in their early teenage years. In one extreme case in 2012, a local Jirga in Ashari village, Swat ordered that Roza Bibi, a girl of six, must be married off into a rival family to settle a dispute between her family and the rival family. Watta sattaWatta satta is a tribal custom in which brides are traded between two clans. In order for you to marry off your son, you must also have a daughter to marry off in return. If there is no sister to exchange in return for a son's spouse, a cousin, or a distant relative can also do. Even though Islamic law requires that both partners explicitly consent to marriage, women are often forced into marriages arranged by their fathers or tribal leaders. Honor killingsA majority of the victims of honour killings are women and the punishments meted out often tend to be lenient. The practice of summary killing of a person suspected of an illicit liaison is known askaro kari in Sindh and Balochistan. In December 2004, the Government passed a bill that made karo kari punishable under the same penal provisions as murder. Many cases of honour killings have

been reported against women who marry against their family's wishes, who seek divorce or who have been raped. Marriage to QuranIn some parts of Sindh, the practice of marrying a woman to Quran is prevalent among landlords, although this practice is alien to Islam and has no religious basis. The practice is often used by men to keep and grab the land of their sisters and daughters. CultureAlthough the women's dress varies depending on region, class and occasion, shalwar kameez is principal garment worn by Pakistani women. Ghararas (a loose divided skirt worn with a blouse) and lehengas were very common earlier, but now they are worn mostly at weddings.Few Pakistani women wear the hijab or burqa in public and the degree to which they choose to cover varies. Some Pakistani women who do not wear the hijab; they may wear the dupatta or chadar instead.A Sari is a formal dress worn on special occasions by some mainly urban women. The so-called "Islamization" under General Zia ul Haq's dictatorship branded the sari as an "unIslamic" form of dress. The sari is now making a comeback in fashionable circles. Western garments such as T-shirts and Jeans are common amongst young urban women.Education and economic developmentIn Pakistan, the women's access to property, education, employment etc. remains considerably lower compared to men's. The social and cultural context of Pakistani society is predominantly patriarchal.[4] Women have a low percentage of participation in society outside of the family.EducationDespite the improvement in Pakistan's literacy rate since its independence, the educational status of Pakistani women is among the lowest in the world. The literacy rate for urban women is more than five times the rate for rural women. The school drop-out rate among girls is very high (almost 50 percent), the educational achievements of female students are higher as compared with male students at different levels of education. This is the story of few years ago but now the Education in Pakistan for women is improving rapidly. In the Lahore city there are total 46 public colleges out of which 26 are female colleges and if we talk about the rest of 20 colleges some of them are offer co-education. Similarly the public universities of Pakistan has female enrollment more than boys.UNESCO and the Orascom subsidiary of Pakistan telco, Mobilink have been using mobile phones to educate women and improve their literacy skills since 4 July 2010. The local BUNYAD Foundation of Lahore and the UN's work via the Dakar Framework of Action for EFA are also helping with this issue.

Employment[edit]Patterns of women's employment vary throughout the Muslim world: as of 2005, 16% of Pakistani women were "economically active" (either employed, or unemployed but available to furnish labour), whereas 52% of Indonesian women were.Workforce participationAlthough women play an active role in Pakistan's economy, their contribution has been grossly underreported in some censuses and surveys. The 1991–92 Labour Force Survey revealed that only about 16% of women aged 10 years and over were in the labour force. The World Bank's reports of 1997 stated that women constituted only 28% of the country's labour force. According to the 1999 report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, only two percent of Pakistani women participate in the formal sector of employment. However, the 1980 agricultural census stated that the women's participation rate in agriculture was 73%. The 1990–1991 Pakistan Integrated Household Survey indicated that the female labour force participation rate was 45% in rural areas and 17% the urban areas. Pakistani women play a major role in agricultural production, livestock raising and cottage industries.MilitaryWomen in the Pakistan Armed Forces are the female soldiers who serve in the Pakistan Armed Forces. Pakistan is the only country in the Islamic world to have women appointed in the high ranking assignments and the general officer ranks, as well as performing their military duties in the hostile and combat military operations. Women have been taking part in Pakistan military since 1947 after the establishment of Pakistan, currently a strong sizable unit of women soldiers who are serving in the Pakistan Armed Forces. In 2006, the first women fighter pilots batch joined the combat aerial mission command of PAF and women in Pakistan Army have been trained in combat missions, particularly in sniper, airborne and infantry warfare.The Pakistan Navy is currently the only uniform service branch where women are restricted to serve in the combat missions especially in the submarine force command, rather they are appointed and served in the operation involving the military logistics, operational planning, staff development and the senior administrative offices, particularly in the regional and central headquarters. Tentative estimates of women serving in Pakistan armed forces are now about ~4,000 and seen a rise in numbers of women joining the combat PAF in last five years. Land and property rightsAround 90% of the Pakistani households are headed by men and most female-headed households belong to the poor strata of the society .Women lack ownership of productive resources. Despite women's legal rights to own and inherit property from their families, there are very few women who have access and control over these resources

Crime against women

The violence against women in Pakistan is a major problem. Skepticism and biased attitudes against women's complaints of violence are common among prosecutors, police officers and medico legal doctors in Pakistan. According to reports from 1990s, such complaints often face delayed/mishandled processing and inadequate/improper investigations. Sexual violenceRape is one of the most common crimes against women but grossly underreported due to the shame attached to the victim. Many cases of sexual harassment and acid attacks have also been reported. It is used as an illegal way to punish women who are deemed to have deviated from marital norms.  TraffickingAs in most other countries, trafficking of women exists in Pakistan. Dubai and other Arab cities are a prime destination for trafficked Pakistani women, where they are sometimes gang raped. In addition, women from Bangladesh and Myanmar have also been reported to have been brought to Pakistan and sold. Trafficked Iranian women transit Afghanistan en route to Pakistan. Trafficking of women is on the rise in Pakistan. Foreign women from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar are brought to Pakistan and sold. Dowry abuseMany cases of bride burning due to dowry issues have been reported in Pakistan. The wife is typically doused with kerosene, gasoline, or other flammable liquid, and set alight, leading to death by fire. In some cases, accidents are engineered (such as the tampering of a kitchen stove to cause victim's death) or the victims are set ablaze, claimed to be yet another accident or suicide. Domestic violenceDomestic violence is not explicitly prohibited in Pakistani domestic law and most acts of domestic violence are encompassed by the Qisas and Diyat Ordinance. The police and judges often tend to treat domestic violence as a non-justiciable, private or family matter or, an issue for civil courts, rather than criminal courts. Acid throwingAcid throwing (acid attack or vitriolage) is a form of violent assault. Perpetrators of these attacks throw acid at their victims (usually at their faces), burning them, and damaging skin tissue, often exposing and sometimes dissolving the bones. The consequences of these attacks include blindness and permanent scarring of the face and body.

Head and eyebrow shavingThis is the traditional, enforced buzz cutting or shaving off of a woman's head hair and sometimes her eyebrows to, as an often abused method of humiliation and chastisement. Pakistan does not have a separate law under the Women Protection Act to declare malicious head and eyebrow shaving. Role of Pakistani woman Women in Pakistan have continued to play a very important role in every aspect of life. In order to grow as nation, we need their actively involvement or presence in all fields as educationist, political leader, doctors, business women, bankers, managers, engineers, nurses, air-hostesses, designers, artists, office secretaries, attendants lawyers, diplomats, judges, administrators and industrialists ambassadors, artists, teachers, writers, poets, workers, farmers, mothers, wives, students, and the list goes on and on. Gradually things are improving for a woman, which has been caused by their tremendous determination and courage. Today women are sitting on important positions and achieved great stature in various fields of education, business, army, health, engineering, IT and active participation is seen in the sports and politics area. About 60% of women entrepreneurs in Pakistan run traditional business such as parlors, bakeries, boutiques and the largest number are employed in the Telecom and multinational companies.