Challenges to Gender Equality in Pakistan: A Comparative Analysis of the Musharraf Regime and PTI Governments

Abstract

The paper gives a comparative analysis of how the Musharraf government (1999-2008) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government (2018-2022) dealt with gender equality and empowering women in Pakistan. Pakistan is facing a perennial problem of gender inequality, even after successive governments have intervened severely in the policies of the country. In this paper, we will carry out a comparative analysis of the Musharraf regime (1999-2008) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government (2018-2022) in terms of their various attitudes to women’s empowerment and gender equality. The main premise of the article is the fact that despite bringing major reforms to the country, such as political representation and legal restructuring in the case of Musharraf and policy rooted in welfare and legal safety in the case of PTI, neither of the two regimes managed to bring about any substantive gender equality because of ingrained patriarchal values, weak institutions, and social and cultural opposition. The research method is qualitative and comparative, with the help of such sources as scholarly literature, official reports, policy papers, and documents, as well as the publications of international bodies. By comparing themes, the study points out that gender reforms in both regimes mainly remained symbolic and unequal in their effect, and little transformation occurred at the grassroots. The article concludes that in order to achieve sustainable gender equality in Pakistan, structural change, institutional reinforcement, and long-term socio-cultural change are necessary, beyond policy-level responses.

Keywords- Gender Equality, Women’s Empowerment, Musharraf Regime, PTI Government, Pakistan, Patriarchy, Feminism, Women’s Rights