Islamabad, 20 January 2026 — The Women Parliamentary Caucus of the National Assembly launched its Annual Report 2024-25 at Parliament House, with Syeda Shahida Rehmani, MNA, leading the caucus and UN Women supporting the initiative. The ceremony was moderated by Special Secretary National Assembly Syed Shamoon Hashmi and drew parliamentarians, senators, development partners and civil society representatives.
Attendees underlined a renewed commitment to advancing women’s rights, strengthening gender-responsive budgeting and consolidating Provincial and Legislative Chapters of the Women Parliamentary Caucus. Participants emphasized the need for sustained collaboration across assemblies to embed gender sensitivity into legislative work and oversight.
The annual report documents strides in promoting gender-responsive legislation, enhancing parliamentary scrutiny on gender issues and expanding outreach across party lines. A notable achievement was convening Pakistan’s first Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians workshop on gender-sensitive legislation in four years, which brought international parliamentarians to Pakistan and renewed focus on comparative practices.
For the first time in the country’s history, the caucus reports the establishment and strengthening of Provincial and Legislative Chapters in all four provincial and legislative assemblies. The WPC also organised the National Women’s Convention 2025 under the theme ‘A Unified Vision for Empowerment’, alongside roundtable conferences on gender-responsive budgeting and the 18th Speakers’ Conference session titled ‘Poverty Has a Woman’s Face: Gender-Sensitive Legislation to Advance Gender Equality and End Poverty’. The caucus led observance of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence and convened high-level consultations on political inclusion called ‘Raising Her Voice in Political Parties’.
During the open-floor session, Shaista Pervaiz Malik, MNA, pressed for enhanced legislative scrutiny of harassment laws and faster justice for survivors, while Rubina Qaimkhani proposed forming parliamentary committees to review gaps in harassment legislation. Tahira Aurangzeb, MNA, urged a non-partisan approach to gender equality and highlighted the role of parents in instilling respect and equality from an early age.
Munaza Hassan called for improved coordination among national, provincial and legislative assemblies to ensure cohesion across all WPC chapters. Samar Haroon Bilour drew attention to the impact of terrorism and security challenges on women who have lost male family members and urged inclusion of women lawmakers in economic and security decision-making, including increased job quotas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other provinces.
Rubina Khalid advocated internships for law and social science students within parliamentary bodies and urged adoption of international best practices to curb cybercrime, along with greater Senate representation in the WPC Working Council. Farrukh Khan, MNA, emphasised gender balance and mutual support between men and women for sustainable empowerment, while Khalida Ateeb stressed strict implementation of laws for protection, welfare and rehabilitation of women.
Asma Arbab Alamgir, MNA, highlighted the necessity of allocating adequate funds to women parliamentarians and called for dedicated government bodies to protect vulnerable women and children amid rising human trafficking. Naeema Kishwer Khan, MNA, urged stronger legislation for women’s protection and noted that international gender parity reports often miss provincial data, affecting Pakistan’s rankings. Shumaila Rana stressed laws for protection and rehabilitation of juvenile and women prisoners and recommended structured engagement with the caucus to support reintegration.
Dr. Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, MNA, pointed to remaining legislative gaps and the need for adequate representation of women at all legislative levels. Huma Chughtai, MNA, called for an integrated regional approach to women’s issues, including exploring a South Asian regional secretariat to coordinate collective action and ensure women’s access to due process of law.
The Women Parliamentary Caucus signalled continued focus on embedding gender-responsive budgeting and sustaining provincial coordination to translate legislative gains into tangible protections and opportunities for women across Pakistan. The 2024-25 report sets out a roadmap for legislative reform, oversight and broader political inclusion as the caucus moves forward.
