Justice Minister calls on OIC states to ensure women lead digital future, warning that AI must not deepen inequality
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar addresses the second day of the 9th OIC Ministerial Conference on Women in Islamabad. SCREEN CAPTURE
Justice Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar on Monday urged member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to ensure that women and girls have equal access to emerging technologies, warning that artificial intelligence and digital innovation could reduce inequality or deepen it.
Speaking on the second day of the 9th OIC Ministerial Conference on Women in Islamabad, Tarar said every woman and girl must have equal opportunities to learn, innovate and lead so that the digital future becomes “a bridge to inclusion” rather than “a barrier to equality”.
“Artificial intelligence and digital innovation are transforming our societies at an unprecedented pace,” he said. “If managed wisely, these technologies can expand access to employment, healthcare, entrepreneurship and financial inclusion. If ignored, they risk creating new forms of inequality, discrimination and exclusion.”
Tarar said women across the Muslim world were transforming economies, driving scientific progress, leading businesses, holding public office and contributing to peace and humanitarian efforts.
Despite these achievements, she said, millions of women and girls continued to face barriers that limited their opportunities and prevented them from fully contributing to national development.
“Our responsibility is not simply to recognize these realities; it is to change them,” she said, describing the conference’s theme on the socioeconomic and political empowerment of women in OIC member states as timely and forward-looking.
Calling women empowerment an economic necessity as well as a social imperative, Tarar said no nation could reach its full potential while half of its population lacked equal opportunities to learn, work, innovate and lead.
She said Muslim women have historically worked as academics, educators, entrepreneurs, jurists and community leaders, and continue to break new ground in science, technology, academia, business and public service.
“Our responsibility is not to define its potential, but to remove the barriers that prevent it from being realized,” he said.
The minister further said that the principles guiding these efforts were deeply rooted in Islam, which recognized the dignity, rights and legal identity of women more than 14 centuries ago.
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Tarar highlighted the role of the OIC and said the Action Plan for the Advancement of Women and the Organization for the Development of Women had established a strong framework for cooperation among member states.
Sharing best practices and strengthening institutional partnerships, he said, would help accelerate progress while respecting different legal systems, cultures and national priorities.
Tarar also said Pakistan viewed its presidency of the conference “not as a prestigious position but as a responsibility” to build consensus and translate shared aspirations into practical actions.
Turning to Pakistan’s domestic agenda, the minister asserted that women empowerment was a national priority anchored in the Constitution and supported by legal, political and institutional reforms under the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
She said the government was implementing the National Gender Policy Framework 2025 and the Prime Minister’s Women’s Empowerment Package to expand women’s leadership, promote financial inclusion and entrepreneurship, close the digital divide, strengthen access to justice and create safer and more inclusive workplaces.
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“Today, women in Pakistan serve with distinction as parliamentarians, judges, public servants, diplomats, businesswomen, academics, scientists and members of our armed forces,” she said. “Their growing leadership in public and private institutions reflects our belief that when women are empowered to lead and succeed, families thrive, societies become more resilient, and nations prosper.”
Tarar further said that sustainable progress required the active participation of men and boys as partners in promoting equality, respect and shared responsibility, adding that building an inclusive society was a collective effort that required the commitment of all institutions and all citizens.
She added that women’s empowerment went beyond legal protections to ensure equal access to education, innovation, finance, decision-making and economic participation.
She also highlighted the plight of women living amid conflict, occupation and humanitarian crises, and paid tribute to women and girls in Palestine, particularly in Gaza, for their resilience. She also touched on the situation of women in Afghanistan and India’s illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, saying empowerment was not just about opportunity but also about protection, dignity, justice and hope.
Concluding her speech, Tarar said Pakistan would use its presidency of the conference to strengthen dialogue and cooperation among OIC member states, urging delegates to translate commitments into tangible progress for nearly 940 million women across the Islamic world. “The next generation of Muslim women must not simply participate in the digital economy; they must help lead it,” she said.
