WHEN Pakistan assumed the chairmanship of the OIC Ministerial Conference on Women this week, it did so while confronting uncomfortable realities of its own. Only recently, the World Economic Forum ranked Pakistan 148th out of 148 countries in its Global Gender Gap Report, underscoring how much work remains to ensure women enjoy equal opportunities in education, employment and public life.

That sobering backdrop lent added significance to repeated calls in Islamabad for the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to move beyond declarations and deliver tangible progress. Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani’s proposal for measurable targets on girls’ education, women’s leadership, workforce participation and protection against gender-based........

© Dawn