Rotary Club of Karachi Darakhshan celebrates International Women’s Day

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Rotary clubs across the planet celebrated the International Women's Day 2017 with great fanfare and Rotary Club of Karachi Darakhshan marked the occasion by holding a gathering at the DA Beach View Club in Karachi on March 8.

The day to commemorate the struggle for women's rights and celebrate the political, social, economic and cultural achievements of women throughout history was accorded due deference by the Rotary Club, helping in creating greater awareness. 

The International Women's Day witnessed a number of conferences, meetings, rallies, exhibitions and festivals in Pakistan and it was in the fitness of things that the Rotarians were proactive in celebrating the annual event. 

Historically, the International Women's Day was observed for the first time in New York in the early 1900s while it was adopted by the United Nations (UN) in 1975.The 2017 theme for International Women’s Day focused on ‘Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030.’

The Charter President of Rotary Club of Karachi Darakhshan, Jahangir Moghul, who is also the Immediate Past District Governor of Rotary International in Pakistan, appreciated the UN initiatives in meeting the challenge. 

“The United Nations on their part has been doing the job in highlighting the issues and facilitating in its own ways. But more efforts are needed in this direction as empowering women and girls is indeed the only way to protect their rights and make sure they can realize their full potential. There is no doubt that women’s rights are human rights. It’s a pity that their rights are still being reduced, restricted and reversed at a lot of places. As Rotarians, we have a responsibility to use our unique position to make a difference,” Jahangir Moghul remarked. 

Having a proven track record in community service, the former Rotary chief of Pakistan reckoned that on International Women’s Day, all Rotarians should pledge to do everything they can to overcome entrenched prejudice, support engagement and activism, and promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The former District Secretary of Rotary International in Pakistan, Syed Khalid Mahmood, who is also a Past President of the Rotary Club, believed that the girls need to be guided and motivated to choose from a broad range of careers instead of restricting them to a few traditional fields. 

He urged women and girls to participate more actively in the ongoing process of the digital revolution. 

Sarah Asim Khan, one of the members of Rotary Club of Karachi Darakhshan, delivered a talk on the occasion in which she deliberated on the various aspects of the International Women’s Day. 

The meeting of Rotary Club of Karachi Darakhshan was chaired by its President-Elect, Asad Sadiq, and it was also attended by Mahmood Shaikh, Waqas Moghul, Kousar Moghul, Fahim Sulaiman, Asim Murtaza Khan, Amin Noor, Ashiq Hussain, Awais Moghul, Farzana Awais, Haris Moghul, Tariq Hussain, Natasha Moghul, Darakhshan Anjum, Javeria Khalid and Beenish Khalid.