EVERY year March 8 is celebrated as International Women’s Day. … Women deserve to be appreciated and encouraged because they have rendered numerous sacrifices and endured injustices and are still facing discrimination and ill-treatment … in society. …Women can play a pivotal role in the social and economic development of the country and it is the duty of the state to give proper attention to progress of the female population.

…The celebration of the … day reminds us of the significance of females in our society and urges us to accept their due rights, give them proper share in the policymaking institutions and work for their development, especially in underdeveloped areas. Nobody can deny women their rights across the globe and in the present era women are in the position to raise a voice for their rights and against violations. … The male population alone cannot overcome the existing problems and it is the need of the hour to take advantage of women’s support and experiences in different fields and sectors.

[We also need to] … focus on the issues of rural women. It is a fact that women in the rural [areas] can play a vital role in boosting the national economy. …The government should also take notice of the injustices [meted out to women. It should] particularly [focus on] stopping child marriages, ‘marriages’ with the Quran, acid-throwing incidents and harassment of women. — (March 12)

Selected and translated by Ali Hazrat Bacha.