**Pakistani Lawmaker Urges Political Action to Address Country’s Widening Gender Gap**
In a passionate appeal for urgent reform, former Member of the National Assembly and gender rights advocate Mehnaz Akbar Aziz has called on Pakistan’s political leadership to take decisive action to close the country’s gender gap, warning that progress will not come from outside actors. Speaking at the National Dialogue on the Gender Gap in Islamabad, an event organized by the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), Aziz described Pakistan as having “hit rock bottom” on global gender equality measures, and argued that only a homegrown commitment to change can reverse the crisis.
Aziz’s remarks highlighted Pakistan’s poor standing in international gender rankings and strongly criticized the male dominance embedded in the country’s political system. She emphasized the persistent invisibility of women in parliament, cabinet positions, committees, and party leadership, noting that this exclusion is a self-inflicted obstacle to progress. “We have no one else to blame for this,” Aziz said, challenging political stakeholders to own the issue.
Rejecting tokenistic approaches, Aziz insisted on the need for an integrated and politically mandated drive toward gender mainstreaming. She advocated for the adoption of institutional tools such as gender-disaggregated data, gender-responsive budgeting, and transparent reporting to track and ensure accountability for gender-related outcomes.
Aziz acknowledged positive steps such as the creation of the Parliamentary Committee on Gender Mainstreaming, chaired by Dr. Nafisa Shah, but cautioned that without strong political leadership, committed bureaucracy, and active engagement from youth, the committee’s efforts would remain largely symbolic. She underscored that meaningful change must be domestically driven, stating, “No donor, no UN body, no IMF will fix our gender gap — this is our fight.”
The speech struck a chord with civil society representatives, policymakers, and activists in attendance, serving as a rallying cry for unified action. Aziz concluded with a call for building a nationwide coalition to break down institutional silos and establish a powerful, collective movement for gender justice in Pakistan.
