Hyderabad: Speaking at the SANA Women Convention in Hyderabad, Mr. Abid Lashari, President of the National Disability & Development Forum (NDF) Pakistan, delivered a powerful address on the central role of women in personal success and social development, stating, “Women—my mother—is behind my success.”
Mr. Lashari shared that his greatest strength and inspiration has been his mother, who rehabilitated and empowered him during his childhood after he lost both hands in a tragic fire incident. “I am empowered by my mother. What I am today is because of her courage, care, and belief,” he said.
Highlighting women’s leadership within his own family, Mr. Lashari emphasized that he has empowered his wife, Ms. Saira Lashari, who is socially and economically empowered and currently serving as President of the Pakistan Down Syndrome Association (PDSA), Karachi. He noted that empowering women at home creates leaders who serve society at large.
He further shared that today he is a source of rehabilitation and hope for over 700 children with intellectual disabilities across Sindh through NDF Rehabilitation Centres located in Nawabshah, Larkana, Hyderabad, and Karachi, implemented in collaboration with the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPD), Government of Sindh, SANA, and other philanthropists.
Addressing women’s economic rights, Mr. Lashari spoke about empowering his sisters by ensuring they received their rightful inheritance (Virasat ka hissa). He acknowledged resistance from some relatives but noted a positive social shift: “Now other women are asking for their rightful share. This is real empowerment.”
He also highlighted the empowerment of the next generation, sharing that his daughter, Noor Fatima Abid Lashari, has been supported despite resistance in her education and has won a scholarship and is currently pursuing higher studies at a university in China.
Concluding his address, Mr. Lashari stressed that there is a dire need to empower women socially and economically to ensure inclusive development, gender justice, and sustainable progress in Pakistan.
When women are empowered, families are strengthened, communities progress, and nations move forward, he concluded.