Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari said in his message on International Women’s Day on Saturday the PPP gave women due respect and dignity.

The former president of Pakistan said, “Islam and the Constitution of Pakistan gave us the message to protect and respect women.”

He said, “Those who are opposing the rights of women actually are afraid of new ideas. Gone are the days when the society would suppress women. Now women are proving their mettle.” “We pay tribute to PPP women who chose jail over comfort and fought against dictatorships,” he said.

Zardari quoted remarks of the late two-time prime minister Benazir Bhutto, the first woman prime minister of Pakistan, about women’s rights and asked women of Pakistan to follow into her footsteps.

A PPP MPA from Khairpur also expressed his full support to Aurat March. Addressing a press conference on Saturday, he said, “There has been a lot of propaganda going on against the march and any attempt to stop it will not be tolerated. Women are allowed to do their democratic struggle,” he said.