What is common between Usman Buzdar, Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, Hamza Shahbaz, and Maryam Nawaz as Chief Ministers of Punjab? None of them appointed a Chairperson for the Punjab Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW).
The last Chairperson, Fauzia Viqar, was abruptly removed in 2019 by the then PTI-led government under Chief Minister Usman Buzdar. Since her removal, the position has remained vacant. Soon after her dismissal, the term of divisional and minority members also expired, and no new members have been appointed since.
What does the Commission do?
PCSW was created by the Punjab Assembly through the Punjab Commission on the Status of Women Act, 2014 as a statutory oversight body to ensure that laws, policies and programs of the province promote women’s empowerment; that efforts are made for expansion of opportunities for socio-economic development of women, and discrimination against women in all forms is eliminated. PCSW started functioning in March 2014.
It comprises 19 members, including one member from each of the 10 administrative divisions of the province, a non-Muslim woman, Provincial Secretaries of the Law, Finance, Planning & Development, Home, and Women Development departments, the President of the Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Secretary of the Commission.
What is the process for the appointment of the Chairperson?
Under the 2014 Act, the Provincial Government appoints the Chairperson on the recommendation of a Search Committee headed by the Chief Secretary. The committee includes two female MPAs – one nominated by the Provincial Government and the other by the Leader of the Opposition – as well as the Secretaries of Law, Finance, Human Rights, and Women Development Departments.
A woman with more than 15 years of professional experience in women’s rights and related fields may be appointed as Chairperson. Legally, any vacancy in this office must be filled within three months — a requirement that has been ignored for over six years.
What is the process for appointment of non-government members?
The Provincial Government is also responsible, in consultation with the Chairperson, for appointing members from each administrative division and minority groups. Members must be between 30 and 65 years of age and have experience in women’s rights and development. Vacancies are to be filled within 30 days of their occurrence. However, in the absence of a Chairperson, these appointments have also been delayed, leaving the Commission effectively non-functional.
Like delays in the appointment of Chairperson NCSW, the prolonged absence of leadership has rendered the PCSW largely inactive. Without a functioning PCSW, efforts to monitor gender equality initiatives and ensure implementation of protective laws remain stalled.
