A special ceremony was held under the banner of PAT and Minhaj Women League in the central secretariat on the occasion of International Mothers’ Day. The ceremony was presided over by Mrs. Farah Naz, President of Minhaj Women League, whereas the distinguished ladies who attended the ceremony included senior politician Mehnaz Rafi, Shabnam Nagi Advocate, Gulfishan Aslam, Shakira Chaudhry, Sana Waheed, Tahir Khan, Atia Baneen and others. When Bisma, the daughter of Tanzeela Amjad who got martyred in the Model Town tragedy, presented bouquet of flowers to her grandmother, tears welled up in the eyes of all the women attending the ceremony.

The speakers in the ceremony paid glowing tributes to the mothers of martyrs of Model Town, and Army Public School tragedies and Operation Zarb-e-Azb. Speaking on the occasion, Mrs. Mehnaz Rafi said that the system of oppression is snatching from sons and daughters their mothers. She said that the time for final and decisive push against the system and its guardians has arrived. She congratulated Farah Naz on holding prestigious ceremony in order to celebrate International Mothers’ Day.

In his speech, Farah Naz announced to dedicate the International Mothers’ Day to Shazia and Tanzeela, the martyrs of Model Town. She said that it is a matter of great concern that 276 mothers out of one hundred thousand die each year during delivery and this ratio is more than 700 in Balochistan. She said that the ruling elite that have been holding sway in this country are responsible for this state of affairs. She said that most of the women die due to non-provision of timely medical services. She said that it is not a coincidence but an outright murder. She said that rulers do not have their priorities right. She further added that they are wasting time and resources on wasteful infrastructure projects while the social sector has been put at the backburner.

The President of Minhaj Women League said that Pakistan is at 147th position in respect of Mothers’ Mortality Ratio. She said that the whole world is enveloped in the mother’s love. She said that mother is the only relation, which has upheld the universal human values. Aruj Asif, Shabnam Nagi Advocate, Atia Baneen and others also spoke on the occasion.