PAKISTAN A nun at the National Commission for Women in Islamabad

Sr. Maryam Parween was appointed by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. She has been working for many years to defend women’s rights. Under her leadership, the Catholic Women’s Organization in Pakistan has worked to raise awareness on issues such as gender-based violence, forced conversions and early marriage. Activist Kashif Aslam considers her “an invaluable resource for the Church and the community.”

Islamabad () – Pakistan’s Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has appointed Sr. Maryam Parween (Genevieve Ram Lal) as a member of the National Commission on the Status of Women for a three-year term. Aged 66 and a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary, Sr. Maryam is a leading figure in the Pakistani Catholic community. Since 2012, she has been the national director of the Catholic Women’s Organization and promotes initiatives to support the education, empowerment and well-being of women throughout the country.

Kashif Aslam, a human rights activist, spoke to On her appointment: “Sr. Maryam is an invaluable asset to both the Catholic Church and the community. Her remarkable work and service on behalf of women’s rights, particularly Christian women, spans over two decades and continues.”

Under her watch, the Catholic Women’s Organisation (CWO) is working to actively raise awareness among women and girls on various issues including gender-based violence, forced conversions, child marriage and general human rights issues. “She has raised her voice for the rule of law. As a woman, she supported workers, sang for peace and acted as a human rights advocate, opposing war and injustice,” explains Aslam. She believes that the appointment to the NCSW will bring greater wisdom and meaningful representation for minority women. “We welcome this decision and hope that the Commission will fulfil its mandate as a true and meaningful statutory body.”

In dialogue with Fr. Khalid Rashid Asi, who worked with Sr. Maryam for many years, said: “She is experienced, she knows the culture and religion very well. I really believe that she will give her best to promote women’s rights in the country, because she has been working with different groups of women for a long time; she has extensive experience of working with women and she knows their problems thoroughly.” Fr. Khalid Rashid Asi also responds to some criticisms that were made about this appointment because, as a nun, Maryam is a celibate woman: “They are baseless, because they do not know the work she has done throughout her life for the liberation of women and for marginalized groups. If a person is not married, it does not mean that he cannot work for those who are married; in a court, the judge is not a thief or a criminal, but it is his duty to take decisions against such crimes. It all depends on his experience and his training.”