Srinagar: PDP President Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday called for an end to the “vicious circle of death and destruction” in Jammu and Kashmir to allow women to live in peace.
“Women suffer heavily from the consequences of conflicts as has happened and is happening in Jammu and Kashmir. In our state, women have faced enormous tragedies because of the conflict,” Mehbooba said in a statement on the International Women’s Day here.
She said while mothers have to bid farewell to their young sons, young women have to bid adieu to their brothers or husband.
“This vicious circle of death and destruction has to end to allow our women live in peace,” she said.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader expressed satisfaction over the achievements by women in the Valley despite the turmoil.
“At the same time, I am contented that despite going through the gloomy era of turmoil, our young girls are making us proud not only in education but in various professional spheres and I wish them all the best,” Mehbooba said.
She said the PDP-BJP coalition government headed by her late father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had introduced some “path-breaking” women welfare schemes including ‘Laadli Beti’, ‘Aasra’ and ‘marriage assistance’ to address the concerns of girl child from the birth to adulthood and provide financial security to them.
“As we celebrate International Women’s Day this year, let us also bear in mind that the struggle is far from over. Women’s empowerment should never be reduced to individual success stories. It should be about collective well-being,” the PDP president said.
She said the objective of observing the International Women’s Day is to change the way the society treats women and ensure a world where the only limit on them is their talent not their gender.
“We together need to put in concerted efforts to achieve the desired objective of securing the future of the girl child,” she said, adding “we need to focus on empowering women by providing her better education, healthcare and parity.”
—PTI