Women must be given their constitutional rights, powers: CJP

• CJP says it is imperative women enjoy all rights and powers guaranteed by Constitution.
• “Not only should women be given representation everywhere, all their rights should also be protected,” says CJP.
• Says as many as 40,000 deaths a year due to breast cancer can not be overlooked.

LAHORE: Highlighting the constitutional rights of women in the country, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmed has said it is imperative they enjoy all the rights and powers guaranteed by the law.

Addressing an inaugural ceremony of the Pink Ribbon Hospital, the first ever fully dedicated breast cancer facility in Pakistan, Justice Gulzar said that the constitution has guaranteed many rights and powers for women, which should be provided to them.

“Not only should women be given representation everywhere but all their rights should also be protected,” he added.

‘Well-being of women leads to well-being of whole nation’

The CJP said that women were not only a valuable part of the country, but the lifeline of society. "The well-being of women leads to the well-being of the whole nation,” he said.

The CJP said it was unfortunate that a country, with a high proportion of women population, had no specialized breast cancer institute. He added that as many as 40,000 deaths a year due to breast cancer can not be overlooked.

He urged the need to comprehend the gravity of the situation and added that breast cancer hospitals and clinics should be established throughout the country to detect and treat the disease at an early stage. He assured the hospital administration of unflinching support by the Supreme Court.

Earlier, the CEO of Pink Ribbon Pakistan, Dr Omer Aftab, said that his organisation is working dedicatedly on the issue of breast cancer in the country for the last 17 years. "The journey of the organisation has been full of challenges as there was a time when even mentioning the word “Breast Cancer” was a taboo, which has now become a leading topic in the national health agenda,” the CEO said.

He asserted that the organisation had educated 1.3 million young girls on the need of breast self-examination, and 18 million women on early detection techniques since the inception of the organisation back in 2004.