China has pledged to enhance cooperation and increase aid for women in Sindh and Balochistan, a move described by Pakistan Peoples Party leaders as a significant development in the enduring “partnership of dreams” between the two allied nations. This commitment was made on Thursday during a special event on women’s empowerment hosted by the Chinese Consulate in Karachi.
Chinese Consul General Yang Yidong announced that his country considers gender equality a fundamental part of its national policy. He revealed that China will increase its financial support for the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) over the next five years and will invite thousands of women to China for vocational training.
Highlighting the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Yang Yidong stated that under this historic project, women are being provided with training, scholarships, and employment opportunities. He also paid tribute to Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, acknowledging her as the first female Prime Minister in the Muslim world who paved the way for women’s leadership.
Pakistan Peoples Party’s central leader Faryal Talpur described Pak-China relations as a relationship that has stood the test of time and is built on mutual trust. She declared, “The friendship between Pakistan and China is not just a relationship between two neighboring countries, but a partnership of shared dreams for peace, development, and equality.”
Faryal Talpur emphasized that the development of women guarantees national progress. She credited former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto with giving a new dimension to the struggle for women’s rights and affirmed that Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and President Asif Ali Zardari are carrying her vision forward.
Echoing these sentiments, Sharjeel Inam Memon said that the Peoples Party has always kept women at the center of its policies. He mentioned the party’s historic initiatives, including Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s ensuring of equal rights in the 1973 Constitution and Benazir Bhutto’s establishment of the Women’s Bank and the Lady Health Worker Program.
Memon highlighted the current initiatives of the Sindh government, including the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), which provides economic security to millions of women. He also mentioned a project to build 2.1 million houses, the ownership of which will be transferred to women, providing them with social and financial security.
Further examples of the provincial government’s commitment include the “Pink Bus Service” and the “Pink Electric Scooties Scheme,” which provide safe and dignified travel for women and have been described as unique examples in the region.
The event was attended by other prominent figures, including Provincial Minister for Education and Literacy Sardar Shah. Before the speeches, Faryal Talpur, Sharjeel Memon, and Sardar Shah met with the Chinese Consul General to discuss Pak-China relations and matters of mutual interest.