The National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) announced that Pakistan will publish its first National Gender Parity Report on International Women’s Day, following the conclusion of the second day of a national consultation that produced a consensus on a harmonized gender data framework.
The NCSW said the report will provide a structured, comparable and sustainable approach to gender data, intended to inform policy, improve accountability and accelerate reforms. The decision was reached during the commission’s ongoing consultation process, which brought together government officials, statistical experts and representatives from international organizations.
Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar described gender discrimination as Pakistan’s biggest obstacle to progress and called the new framework a tool for reforms and accountability. NCSW Chairperson Ume-Laila Azhar emphasized the need to synchronise national gender data with global standards to design policies that genuinely empower women. Secretary Humaira Zia Mufti reiterated the government’s commitment to aligning gender data with international benchmarks to ensure accountability and sustainability.
A panel discussion, moderated by NCSW legal expert Waiza Rafique, highlighted practical challenges and solutions for strengthening gender statistics. Dr. Aliya Khan warned that without reliable gender indicators, women’s economic contributions remain undervalued and invisible. Rafique Chandio pointed to provincial difficulties in compiling consistent statistics and stressed that harmonising data across regions is key to Pakistan’s credibility internationally. Saman Ahsan argued that gaps in data result in the erasure of women’s realities from decision-making. Imran Saleem of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics said unified reporting will bolster the country’s image and accountability. Muqadar Shah of the UN Population Fund noted that countries that let gender data drive reform achieve better outcomes, and welcomed Pakistan’s new direction.
Participants concluded the consultation with agreement on a lean, comparable and sustainable framework designed to convert improved gender data into tangible reform, stronger accountability and measurable progress.
