Islamabad: Pakistan’s National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), established to safeguard women’s rights, has been without a permanent chairperson for 15 months, following the end of Nilofar Bakhtiar’s term in July 2024. This vacancy is part of a recurring issue that has seen the chairperson’s office vacant for more than five and a half years over the past quarter-century.
The NCSW, founded in 2000, was designed to be a central pillar in Pakistan’s commitment to the Beijing Declaration, a global accord for gender equality. However, repeated gaps in leadership have significantly hindered its ability to function effectively. The periods without a chairperson have turned the institution’s promise into an unfulfilled one.
The appointment process, as outlined by the NCSW Act of 2012, involves a parliamentary committee selecting a chairperson from a list recommended by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. Despite this structured process, delays have been frequent, with past vacancies lasting several months.
Parliamentarians have voiced their concerns over the delays. Dr. Nafisa Shah, the chair of the Special Committee on Gender Mainstreaming, has urged for the immediate appointment of chairpersons for both the NCSW and provincial women’s commissions. In June 2025, her call for action was echoed by the Senate Committee on Human Rights, which has also advocated for reforms within the NCSW.
The continued absence of a permanent chairperson comes as Pakistan faces increasing pressure to meet its international commitments, such as those under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the GSP+ obligations. Without stable leadership, the NCSW’s role as a transformative voice for women’s rights remains compromised, hindered by the lack of autonomy and political insulation needed to fulfill its mandate.