Tuesday, July 31, 2018
#PakistanElections2018 - #ANP - Mian Iftikhar questions ECP’s credibility
Awami National Party (ANP) central General Secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain said on Monday that the recently held general election was a question mark on the impartiality of the Pakistan Army and credibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
He was speaking at a joint protest rally of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and ANP against the alleged rigged elections. Mufti Hakim Ali, Pir Zulfiqar, Ikhtiar Wali, Alhaj Pervez Khattak, Mian Zahoor Kakakhel, former lawmaker Qurban Ali Khan, Amir Alam Khan, Inayatur Rehman, Jamal Khattak and others were present on the occasion.
Mian Iftikhar said all political parties rejected the results of the election. "All parties demand re-election in the country," he said. "It has not only created doubts about the impartiality of the army but has also damaged democratic process in the country," he said. Iftikhar said the election should have not been held under the supervision of the army. "The ECP failed to conduct free, fair and transparent election," he said. He added that Pakhtuns had been pushed to the wall.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/348497-mian-iftikhar-questions-ecp-s-credibility
Why do Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas have such a high gender gap in education?
Sumbal Naveed
With the emergence of militants in the 1990s, the social, cultural, and economic structures of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in Pakistan were badly damaged, most significantly affecting women’s lives. Access to basic services like health and education was reduced, with mobility so minimized that women were not permitted to see a doctor, attend school, or have social interactions. Worse, the militants physically abused residents in FATA. With minimal law and order, the instability and isolation directly affected the overall economic and social status of this region where more than 60 percent of the population lives below the national poverty line.
Data from the Pakistan Education Statistics 2016-17 report shows that the overall reality of education remains bleak, with 22.6 million children out of school—more than half of whom are girls. Indeed, Pakistan holds the second highest gender gap in the world, according to the 2017 Global Gender Gap report. In FATA alone, more than half of the eligible grade 1-12 girls have never stepped foot inside a school and only 1 in 10 girls can read. Moreover, increased militancy, as well as military operations from both United States and Pakistani forces until 2014 respectively, resulted in the displacement of three million FATA residents. Consequently, schools were destroyed, poverty skyrocketed, and without a source of income, thousands of girls either dropped out or never enrolled in school.
WHY ARE GIRLS NOT IN SCHOOL?
In many parts of Pakistan, outside of FATA, the core reason for girls not attending schools or dropping out is poverty. Even after Article 25-A was added to the constitution in 2010, to make public basic education free, the provinces are still struggling with its implementation and leaving poor families to bear the entire cost of education for their children. Another hindrance, which varies by geography and families’ economic status, is parents’ attitudes towards girls’ education, where the education of boys, who are seen as the eventual breadwinners, is prioritized over girls’ education. Parents become even less interested in educating their daughters when they realize she will be leaving the family after marriage. Finally, many parents question the quality of education, which ultimately influences their decision on whether to send their daughters to school.
The fact that half of girls in FATA have never been to school warrants further exploration. There is not much evidence on the context-specific reasons around out-of-school girls in FATA. While some of the above-mentioned national level reasons may likewise be evident in FATA, given its unique cultural and political context, more research is needed.
WITH A NEW NORMAL, FATA IS OPENING DOORS FOR EDUCATING GIRLS
Now is the time to explore the realities of girls’ education in FATA. Since 2014, following the establishment of peace and government efforts to bring considerable reforms to the FATA region, FATA is now gradually moving towards “normality.” The first substantial step toward this change was a bill that was passed to merge FATA region with the neighboring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province. Such steps toward mainstreaming the isolated tribal areas of FATA can significantly improve the life of people in this borderland, including their access to basic rights like education.
To improve girls’ education in FATA, understanding the local context with all of its challenges and opportunities is necessary. As an Echidna Global Scholar, my research at the Brookings Institution will strive to provide a deeper understanding of girls’ education issues in FATA’s constantly changing environment. My research will also help in distinguishing myths from realities around the barriers to girls’ education, along with identifying opportunities that already exist or have emerged over time to improve the status of girls’ education in FATA. A nuanced understanding of the educational context in FATA region will prove helpful for policymakers and implementers in adopting approaches that are more context-specific and culturally sensitive. Without well-informed and focused efforts to improve girls’ education, it will not be possible for Pakistan to make full use of FATA’s potential and fully implement its reform agenda, to bring this long-isolated region on par with the rest of the country.
PPP has always struggled for strengthening of democracy and parliament: Bilawal Bhutto
The PPP Chairman was addressing a luncheon meeting with the newly-elected Parliamentarians from the country at Bilawal House today. Former Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, PPP Women President Faryal Talpur, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Sherry Rehman, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Khursheed Ahmed Shah, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Senator Raza Rabbani and Murad Ali Shah were also present.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that despite difficulties and pre-poll pressures on candidates and workers, the PPP fared better in 2018 general elections than 2013.
He said that some opposition parties were considering to boycott the new parliament but PPP convinced them to join the Parliament and fight for democracy, which a victory for democrats though we had also reservations over the election process.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari emphasized that we have to focus on delivery in Sindh as we are entering a new era where good governance and better performance should the hallmark of the new provincial government. “We cannot let down the people who sent us to the Parliament as we are facing great challenges on international and economic fronts while other political parties are taking extreme positions on key issues,” he added.
http://www.thesindhtimes.com/pak/07/ppp-always-struggled-strengthening-democracy-parliament-bilawal-bhutto-zardari/
U.S. freezes assets of Pakistanis linked to militant group
The United States on Tuesday froze the assets of three Pakistanis it has linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, the militant group blamed for the deadly 2008 attacks in India’s financial capital, Mumbai.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-attack/at-least-15-killed-as-gunmen-attack-afghan-government-building-idUSKBN1KL0WE
The State Department added Abdul Rehman al-Dakhil to its list of “specially designated global terrorists,” saying he was a senior commander of the group.
The U.S. Treasury targeted Hameed ul Hassan and Abdul Jabbar, who it said were responsible for funneling money to Lashkar-e-Taiba and paying salaries to its members.
“Treasury’s designations not only aim to expose and shut down Lashkar-e Tayyiba’s financial network, but also to curtail its ability to raise funds to carry out violent terrorist attacks,” Sigal Mandelker, the Treasury under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement, using an alternate spelling of the group’s name.
The designation means all property belonging to the men subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked and Americans are prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), or Army of the Pure, is an anti-Indian militant group with historical ties to Pakistan’s top spy agencies. It has been accused of orchestrating numerous attacks, including the 2008 assault in Mumbai that killed 166 people, six of them Americans.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-attack/at-least-15-killed-as-gunmen-attack-afghan-government-building-idUSKBN1KL0WE
Monday, July 30, 2018
U.S.' Pompeo warns against IMF bailout for Pakistan that aids China
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned on Monday that any potential International Monetary Fund bailout for Pakistan’s new government should not provide funds to pay off Chinese lenders.
In an interview with CNBC television, Pompeo said the United States looked forward to engagement with the new government of Pakistan’s expected new prime minister, Imran Khan, but said there was “no rationale” for a bailout that pays off Chinese loans to Pakistan.
“Make no mistake. We will be watching what the IMF does,” Pompeo said. “There’s no rationale for IMF tax dollars, and associated with that American dollars that are part of the IMF funding, for those to go to bail out Chinese bondholders or China itself,” Pompeo said.
Bilawal Bhutto visits injured PPP worker at SMBB Traumi Center
Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that his party workers who were attacked and maimed during election campaign were being targeted by police instead of the perpetrators and attackers in Sindh.
The PPP Chairman stated this while visiting an injured and under-treatment PPP worker Mohammad Siddiq Mahesar who was shot at and wounded alongwith another Party worker in Mehar on polling day.
Several PPP workers were attacked and injured in Dadu, Mehar, Tharparker, Jacobabad etc. and in Khairpur one worker was killed and many others wounded in different armed attacks.
Injured Mahesar is admitted in Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Trauma Center in Karachi. Chairman PPP was accompanied by former Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Rashid Rabbani, Waqar Mehdi, Saeed Ghani and other Party leaders.
Bilawal said that complaints have been received that FIRs were being lodged against the victims of PPP with no proper investigations of the attacks on PPP workers.
The PPP chief demanded that culprits who attacked PPP workers in above districts and elsewhere in Sindh should be caught and brought before the law.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/348345-bilawal-bhutto-visits-injured-ppp-worker-at-smbb-traumi-center
Imran’s election win is result of ‘arranged marriage’ says Khursheed Shah
While talking to newsmen, Khursheed Shah said that elections results were pre-planned and full punctures were made in the constituencies of Yousaf Raza Gillani, Rasool Bux Chandio, Aijaz Jakhrani and Saad Rafique.
He said that vote recount needs to be held in only a few constituencies to conduct postmortem of the elections.
http://www.thesindhtimes.com/sindh/07/imrans-election-win-result-arranged-marriage-says-khursheed-shah/
Sunday, July 29, 2018
#PakistanElection2018 - #Pakistan - Women, minorities under-represented in polls, says EU observers report
The EU Election Observation Mission (EUEOM) said that despite the positive legal changes, women, minorities and other marginalised groups remain under-represented in the electoral process in the country.
The mission acknowledged that women generally came out to vote on July 25. However, it observed that women in some constituencies were either barred from polling or had low participation. According the preliminary report by the EUEOM, there were more women candidates this time due to the five per cent mandatory quota but the female voters were under-represented.
Women were reportedly restricted from voting in at least eight constituencies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Punjab. However, the statutory ten per cent threshold for women in some constituencies was not reached.
“We were pleased that so many women came out and voted in the polling stations that we observed, although, we are concerned that this was not the case everywhere in the country … After all, five per cent quota for women candidates is just a starting point and more in winnable seats would be welcomed,” said Ms Jean Lambert, who headed the EU Parliament’s election observation delegation to Pakistan.
EUEOM observed that several candidates reported very serious allegations of physical harassment and verbal abuse during the campaign period.
“Female candidates were to a large degree invisible in the media. Neither political parties nor media, including the state-run, explicitly encouraged the equality of women’s participation in public and political life,” the report said.
However, the observers acknowledged that the gap between the male and the female electorate has been slightly reduced with women making up 44 per cent of the 105,955,407 electorate.
In erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA), the registration of women increased by 66 per cent from 2013. Apart from women, minorities, persons with disabilities and transgender are also still largely hampered from participating in the electoral process, the mission said.
The mission said that the registration of non-Muslim voters rose by 30 per cent to 3.63 million from 2.7 million in 2013.
However, it observed that the allocation of seats did not prompt effective representation if their elected representatives are not linked to their constituencies.
Similarly, it noted that Ahmedis are still registered on a separate electoral roll, which it said was a ‘clear disenfranchisement’ of 167,500 Ahmadi voters.
“Pakistan is yet to fulfil its international obligations regarding equality of electoral rights to all minority citizens.”
The people with disabilities are also largely hampered from participation in the electoral process.
There are 3.3 million people with disabilities in the country but 165,927 are registered as voters. There were also three candidates with disability in the election.
“There are lengthy CNIC registration procedures, inadequate access to postal voting and difficulties in accessing polling stations,” the report said, adding voter material in Braille was tested in 300 polling stations.
“We wish to commend in particular the commitment of the voters to cast their ballots, particularly those with disabilities who displayed great courage to make sure they could participate, often in places where access to the polling station was very difficult,” said Lambert, who visited several polling stations in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Jhelum on July 25.
FAFEN satisfied with transparency of polls, urges ECP to allay opposition’s concerns.
“Although, we did note that ramps had been installed in some polling stations, we urge those concerned to continue to work on improving access.” It observed that international standards related to persons with disabilities are not yet enshrined in the domestic law.
The mission said transgender people also faced social stigma and financial constraints to their full participation in the election.
“Only four transgender candidates competed in the elections and faced fierce competition, as well as serious harassment,” the report said.
ISI requests IHC to expunge Justice Siddiqui’s order
The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) through the Ministry of Defence secretary and the Federation through the Ministry of Interior on Friday approached the IHC against Justice Siddiqui’s July 18 order.
Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Khawaja Imtiaz Ahmed filed the appeal that said a single-judge bench while hearing a habeas corpus petition unnecessarily dragged the ISI in the controversy.
In a written order pertaining to a missing person’s case, Justice Siddiqui had said abduction of people from different walks of life had become a routine in Islamabad but instead of performing their statutory duty the police came up with a stereotyped stance that persons might have disappeared on their own.
The judge had said such statements were always made in those cases in which allegations were levelled against the intelligence agencies, adding that it was a sorry state of affairs and a challenge to the state. Justice Siddiqui had also claimed that even benches were constituted and cases were marked to different judges on the direction of such elements.
“Everyone knows how proceedings are manipulated, from where strings are pulled and when power wielded and manoeuvred to achieve desired results. To remain like a silent spectator is against the oath made by every judge provided by the Constitution,” he had said.
In the intra-court appeal (ICA), the DAG said Justice Siddiqui’s remarks are “not only unsubstantiated and unfounded but also direct attack/allegation on the appellants, the institution of Pak Army, judiciary” and specifically the IHC’s chief justice and other judges.
He stated that the abducted man did not accuse any law enforcement agency yet the judge made comments in his written order. “The impugned order is based upon mala fide and goes beyond the scope of justice and puts allegation on the appellants in a whimsical manner without substance,” he said.
He said the impugned order was circulated through media and social media and “caused serious damage to the reputation of its premier institutions of armed forces, intelligence agencies and the judiciary.”
He has argued in the appeal that disputed questions of fact cannot be resolved while exercising jurisdiction under Article 199 of the Constitution. The appellants have reproduced the order as well as several paragraphs in the appeal.
The DAG requested the court to set aside relevant paras of the impugned order, declare that no abduction was carried out by any law enforcement agency and respondents’ petition be dismissed with cost.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/347657-isi-requests-ihc-to-expunge-justice-siddiqui-s-order
5 Empty Ballots Found In Pakistan As Vote-Rigging Claims Gather Steam
Alleging poll rigging and threatening country-wide protests, a multi-party meeting which included the Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N) has rejected the results and demanded a "transparent" re-election.
Five empty ballot boxes and over a dozen papers have been found by the roadside in Pakistan's Karachi and Sialkot, raising suspicion over the poll body's claims of having conducted free and fair general elections.
A European Union team of election observers had concluded that Pakistan's general elections on July 25, won by Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) with 116 seats, were eclipsed by "restrictions" on freedom of expression and an "unequal" opportunity for candidates to campaign.
Alleging poll rigging and threatening country-wide protests, a multi-party meeting which included the Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N) has rejected the results and demanded a "transparent" re-election.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate for NA-241 seat Moazzam Ali Qureshi informed the police about the recovery of a dozen ballot papers from a garbage dump near a famous superstore in Qayyumabad area of the city, DIG police Amir Farooqui was quoted as saying by Dawn news.
The police asked him to approach the concerned district returning officer of the election commission, who would launch an inquiry if needed. About 12 ballot papers were recovered.
In Sialkot, people found five empty ballot boxes near Kashmir Park in the Cantonment area, the report said.
Police said that some unidentified people had thrown the empty ballot boxes, it said.
After receiving information about the recovery of the ballot boxes, PTI's defeated candidate from the constituency (NA-73) Usman Dar along with a large number of his party workers reached the spot and raised slogans against PML-N's Khawaja Muhammad Asif, who has won the election.
Dar alleged that the recovered ballot boxes were thrown by PML-N workers after they had stolen them from some local polling stations. Asif rejected the allegations, saying that PTI's Dar was trying to get sympathy from the people, the report added.
In its preliminary assessment of the 25 July elections, the EU Election Observation Mission (EOM) said the media outlets and journalists suffered from restrictions which resulted in self-censorship.
The multi-party meeting told media that it was "not an election but selection" and the results were unanimously rejected by the parties attending the moot.
However, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has rejected the "blatant" rigging allegations levelled by the incumbent PML-N and other parties, saying it did "our job right."
Cricketer-turned-polician Imran Khan led his party to victory in the parliamentary elections, amid a growing consensus among South Asia experts and Pakistan-observers that it was greatly influenced and meddled by the strong Pakistani Army.
Pakistan's NA - the lower house of Parliament - comprises a total of 342 members, of which 272 are directly elected. A party can only form the government if it manages to secure 172 seats in total.
Jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with 64 seats and former president Asif Ali Zardari's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) with 43 seats are placed at number two and three respectively, the ECP said.
A party can only form the government if it manages to secure 172 seats in total.
#HowWorldLooksAtImran - Controversial Election in Pakistan
Pakistanis voted this week to elect a new government, with the largest number of seats going to the cricket legend Imran Khan, who appears poised to become the new prime minister.
In a long political history peppered with military coups and martial law, this would have been the second successive transition of power through a constitutional process from one elected government to another in Pakistan. However, political opponents, the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, and international observers such as the European Union alleged that irregularities and election rigging occurred in many parts of the country, particularly in rural and urban Sindh and Punjab provinces.
Even as several political parties threatened to boycott parliament, Khan, who enjoys the backing of Pakistan’s powerful military, delivered a victory speechon July 26 pledging that “for the first time, Pakistan's policies won’t be for the few rich people, it will be for the poor, for our women, for our minorities, whose rights are not respected.”
Khan also said his government will investigate allegations of rigging and election manipulation. That’s good – dealing quickly and openly about electoral irregularities will strengthen democratic rule in Pakistan. He has also committed to ensure rule of law and protect religious minorities, and to try and mend ties with neighbors India and Afghanistan.
If Khan lives up to his promises, this could offer fresh hope to a country facing serious economic and security challenges. Thousands of Pakistanis, particularly members of minority communities, have died in militant attacks.
Khan has an opportunity to create a rights-respecting government that can restore the public’s faith in democratic institutions. His government should amend or repeal discriminatory laws against religious minorities and hold accountable all who commit or incite violence in the name of religion. The government should nurture a culture of political tolerance for criticism and free expression. And it should keep its commitment to end gender-based violence and to protect and empower women by revising laws that perpetuate discrimination. For real reform, pledges need to translate into action.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/07/28/controversial-election-pakistan
Saturday, July 28, 2018
Stop the ‘weaponization’ of religion in Pakistani politics
This week, as hundreds of religious leaders, nonprofit heads and government officials gather in Washington for the State Department’s first-ever ministerial on religious freedom, an election about to take place in Pakistan shows why the cause of religious freedom is as important as it has ever been in modern history.
For Pakistan’s Christians and minority Ahmadi Muslims, the run-up to Wednesday’s (July 25) vote has been terrifying. New hard-line Islamist political parties, such as the Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek and the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, have risen, focusing on denigrating the Ahmadis.
Last November, the TLP organized a violent protest that called for Ahmadi Muslims to be removed from high positions in Pakistani society, and demanded that a list be created of all Ahmadi Muslims working in the government. Ahmadis have long been subject to targeted killings, bomb attacks and vigilante violence, and the prospect of being publicly identified cast an even darker shadow over the community’s future.
This kind of harassment is not isolated to extremist political parties. Earlier this month, Imran Khan, the celebrated cricketer and the establishment Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party’s candidate for prime minister, announced his support for controversial blasphemy laws, which have long been used to target and punish religious minorities. Khan’s hard-line approach has further marginalized religious minority communities.
Meanwhile, on July 4, the Islamabad High Court ruled that citizens must declare their faith when applying for any government-issued identification, a necessity for government employment. By stating that all citizens “have a right to know the religious beliefs of civil servants,” the IHC has laid the path for extremist groups to physically target and eliminate anyone who doesn’t fall in line with the political establishment’s ideology.
The Federal Minister for Information appealed the court’s decision, but when Pakistan’s most popular leaders and highest courts signal that certain religious communities are second-class citizens, the damage has already been done.
Take, for example, an attack on the 100-year-old historic Ahmadi mosque in Sialkot in May. Though the Ahmadi community was granted permission to make renovations, a mob attacked the mosque and the historical residence of the faith’s founder under the eye of the municipal authorities. The mob was allegedly led by Hafiz Hamid Raza, who is affiliated with Khan’s PTI.
Despite widespread international condemnation, a resolution in Pakistan’s Sindh province condemning the attack was rejected by legislators. The participation of a political leader in the attack on the mosque and the subsequent refusal to denounce such acts by a provincial assembly affirm that the Pakistani state is itself a major part of the problem.
As a consequence of the increasing discrimination, incitement and violence targeting Ahmadis, the community has decided to boycott the elections entirely out of fear that its members may be attacked.
Similar examples could be drawn from Pakistan’s Christian community, whose citizens have been frequently, unjustly imprisoned without proper due process and whose churches have been regularly attacked by extremists to the neglect of the nation’s security forces.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, on which we both serve, has also been monitoring alarming efforts within Pakistan’s military establishment to encourage politicians to stoke interreligious hate and violence in order to gain campaign funding and electoral support from religiously intolerant voters.
Pakistan’s decline has been consistent and entirely predictable. Every year since 2002, USCIRF has recommended to the State Department that Pakistan be designated a “country of particular concern” due to “ongoing, systematic, and egregious violations of religious freedom.”
The international community and the U.S. government must put unrelenting pressure on whoever wins Wednesday’s election to immediately stop the harassment of the country’s religious minorities. The State Department should work collaboratively with its European partners, including the European Union and United Kingdom, to put Pakistan on notice that its failure to address these concerns will impact aid and trade.
Without sustained pressure from the U.S. and international community, the already dwindling population of religious minorities in Pakistan will soon face an existential threat.
The shame of our world’s record on religious freedom is that the story of any of a dozen minority groups could be told just by changing the names and country in this article. In a dozen more, the situation has so degraded that the persecuted minorities would like nothing more than to be in the situation of the Christians and Ahmadis in Pakistan today.
The success of this week’s ministerial will be determined not by the quality of sentiments shared by those present but by the strategic change made because of it. All eyes will be on Pakistan as the first of many places in which much must be done, fast.
https://religionnews.com/2018/07/24/stop-the-weaponization-of-religion-in-pakistani-politics/
Ahmadi Muslims Fear Attacks After Imran Khan Victory In Pakistan
British followers of a minority Islamic sect have expressed fears of violent persecution after cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan announced victory in Pakistan’s general election.
The Ahmadiyya community is considered heretical by orthodox Muslims because its followers do not believe that Mohammed was the final prophet.
Their stance means they are not recognised as Muslims and its adherents can be put to death under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws.
Khan, 65, has been accused of risking bloodshed for electoral gain after he offered a defence of the strict laws in the run-up to the country’s general election this week.
“We are standing with Article 295c and will defend it,” said the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party at a gathering of Muslim leaders in Islamabad, referring to a clause of the constitution that mandates the death penalty for any “imputation, insinuation or innuendo” against the prophet Muhammad.
Now Britain’s 30,000 strong Ahmadis say they fear Khan’s election victory will embolden Islamic extremists in this country to target them for attacks.
Last year British Ahmadi mosques were forced to introduce airport-style security to screen worshippers for knives and firearms after receiving death threats from other Muslims around the country.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK (AMC) brought in walk-through metal detectors, identity checks and bag searches at its prayer centres after threats were made on the life of its leader, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, and other group members.
The severe security measures came just months after an Ahmadi shopkeeper Ahmad Shah was murdered by an orthodox muslim in Glasgow.
His killer Tanveer Ahmed, 32, from Bradford, later said he murdered the 40-year-old as he had falsely claimed to be a prophet.
Mahmood Rafiq, spokesman for the AMC said: “We are hopeful that Mr Khan will withdraw his support for the anti-Ahmadi laws but his rhetoric so far has not been convincing..
“Ahmadis are literally outlawed in Pakistan and even in the UK we have had incidents where orthodox muslims serving as local councillors have refused to sit alongside Ahmadis on interfaith committees.”
Rafiq explained how in 1974 Pakistan’s military dictator further targeted Ahmadi Muslims by making it a criminal offence, punishable by three years imprisonment (or by death under the Blasphemy Laws), for any Ahmadi who “directly or indirectly poses himself as Muslim.”
This meant that Ahmadis could no longer profess or practice their Islamic faith in any way without facing prosecution.
Rafiq said: “Consequently, thousands of Ahmadis have been charged under these laws and have continued to face harassment, intimidation and persecution on a daily basis.
“Ahmadis are routinely referred to as infidels and apostates with open calls for them to be killed. The persecution is institutionalised with harassment and intimidation rife in education, public services, the judiciary and Ahmadi graves have also been vandalised and bodies exhumed.”
He added: “The effects of such persecution is not limited to Pakistan alone as anti-Ahmadi hate has also surfaced in the UK as well. The most extreme example of this was the brutal murder in Glasgow of Ahmadi shopkeeper Asad Shah in 2016, who was killed on grounds of faith.
“There has also been a worrying development of hate preachers coming to the UK and a stream of hate speech on satellite television, the internet and social media and that is promoting intolerance and extremism.”
Contaminated blood transfusions spreading hepatitis in Pakistan, experts warn
Health experts have warned that one of the most important modes of transmission of hepatitis in Pakistan is unsafe, contaminated blood transfusions.
The Safe Blood Transfusion Programme (SBTP) organised a seminar in Islamabad on Friday to mark World Hepatitis Day, which is observed worldwide on July 28 to highlight the global spread of the hepatitis epidemic.
The day holds significance for Pakistan as it is among the high-burden countries for hepatitis.
The seminar participants included a large number of representatives of blood banks, blood donor organisations, NGOs, university and college students and other partners.
National Coordinator SBTP Professor Hasan Abbas Zaheer, in his presentation, briefed about the global, regional and national aspects of the hepatitis epidemic, and described in detail the global strategy and response to halt and prevent the spread of hepatitis.
The international effort led by the World Health Organisation is supported by all the member states, he said.
Pakistan, he noted, is also a signatory to these international commitments made in the UN General Assembly in 2015 which adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which called on the international community to eliminate hepatitis.
These commitments were articulated in the ‘Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis’ presented in the World Health Assembly in 2016, he added.
Prof Zaheer enumerated the efforts of the SBTP to make transfusions in Pakistan infection-free and strengthen the blood transfusion services.
These efforts included the development of a new nationwide blood transfusion infrastructure (construction of regional Blood Centers) with the support of the German government through KFW Development Bank grant, where blood transfusion services are being provided according to the international recommended guidelines adopting good laboratory practices for the screening of infections including hepatitis.
Other SBTP initiatives include developing technical manuals, guidelines, SoPs and training of the human resource which strengthen the blood screening systems.
SBTP has also revived the blood regulatory authorities in all the provinces and regions which are now strictly enforcing quality screening systems in the blood centres.
The regulatory authorities have also managed to curb and significantly reduce the rampant use of substandard manual screening devices, a major source of spread of hepatitis in the country.
World Hepatitis Day observed at SIUT
A large turnout of public representing all walks of life was witnessed at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), Karachi, on Friday to avail the free screening and diagnostic facilities for hepatitis as part of World Hepatitis Day.
The theme announced by the WHO for this year, "Eliminate Hepatitis", pledges to wipe out the disease globally by 2030.
During the day-long proceedings, visitors were screened for hepatitis C, received hepatitis B vaccination and went through ultrasound of the abdomen to ascertain the possibility for any liver disease.
The visitors were also shown awareness videos in different languages to educate them about the mode of transmission, treatment and preventive methods for hepatitis.
https://www.geo.tv/latest/205122-contaminated-blood-transfusions-spreading-hepatitis-in-pakistan-experts-warn
A solar-powered night school for Pakistan’s child labourers
Ananya Bhattacharya
Nearly 23 million children are out of school in Pakistan. Rohayl Varind wanted to bring them back.
So, in December 2016, the 23-year old social activist and educationist set up two branches of Slum School in Faisalabad, around 323 kilometres south of capital Islamabad, offering night classes to children.
The school does not accept cash donations. Instead, it seeks food, stationary, and laptops.
One other thing on Varind’s donations list, interestingly, is solar power-related equipment. Since its inception, the school has relied on solar energy to power its lights, fans, and IT equipment. “Where my Slum School is located, there is no electricity so I considered solar energy the best alternative,” Varind said. “It’s free and easy to install and use.”
A typical school evening runs from 7pm to 9pm, with Varind teaching the kids English, Urdu, math, and science. Each week, he splits his time equally between the two branches of the school, which have a total of over 100 students. Sometimes, volunteers—his friends and other activists in Pakistan—come in to teach computers, Taekwondo, graphic design, and other subjects.
Many of the children Varind teaches are child labourers. “They start working as house helps or maids. Many boys start working at paan(betel leaf) shops or tea stalls, cafés or restaurants as waiters or cleaners,” said Varind. “One thing is common in majority of child labourers is that they work the whole day and get free at night.”
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