Saturday, June 4, 2022
UK to link Pakistan aid with human rights
UK bilateral aid spending in Pakistan has dramatically decreased since 2016, said a British Foreign Office report that linked the dwindling British assistance with human rights issues.
“It is vital that UK aid partners understand the aims and strategy of UK aid in Pakistan in order to carry out their work as effectively as possible. Aid programmes are most effective when different donors ensure that they complement each other in a joined-up approach. Our evidence suggested that this isn’t always the case in Pakistan,” said a report by International Development Committee.
The report, released in April, states the UK government should direct its bilateral spending in Pakistan strategically towards supporting marginalised groups to reach their full potential.
According to the report, there is a shrinking space for NGOs in Pakistan, which are seen as promoting a foreign agenda. The restrictions on and harassment towards NGOs in Pakistan threaten the success of UK aid programmes there.“The FCDO should work with the Pakistani Government and use diplomatic means to ensure that INGOs and NGOs, especially the UK’s aid partners, are able to undertake development work in the country without barriers. The FCDO should write to the Committee within nine months to update us on their progress in this area,” it said.The report states that UK aid programmes focused on supporting the development of an open society “do not always fit” with the policy objectives of the Pakistani Government.
However, progress in this area is key to supporting other core elements of UK development work in Pakistan, such as improving opportunities for women and girls and minorities.
“However, the Committee are aware that there has been a change in the federal government in Pakistan, and it is not yet clear how the newly formed Government will address the challenges,” it said.
The report further argues that the UK Government should maintain dialogue with the Pakistani Government on the importance of an open society, including the need for civic spaces and religious and media freedom.
“As part of this, the FCDO should increase support to Pakistan’s National Commission on the Status of Women and its National Commission on Human Rights,” it added.
https://theprint.in/world/uk-to-link-pakistan-aid-with-human-rights/983684/
PPP's Rabbani says tasking ISI with screening govt officials amounts to 'ceding civilian space'
PPP leader and former senate chairman Mian Raza Rabbani on Saturday termed the federal government's decision to task the country's premier spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), with screening civil servants as "surprising" and said the move amounted to "ceding civilian space".
An Establishment Division notification issued early last month, and which was reported widely yesterday, stated:
"In exercise of powers conferred by sub-section 1 of section 25 of the Civil Servants Act 1973 […] read with notification No. SRO 120 (1)/1998 […] the prime minister is pleased to notify Directorate General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) as [the] Special Vetting Agency (SVA) for verification and screening of all Public Office Holders (Officers Category)."
The quoted laws — i.e. sub-section 1 of section 25 of the Civil Servants Act as well as SRO 120 — empower the prime minister to amend or make rules for the civil bureaucracy. The direction to notify the ISI as SVA had been issued from the office of the prime minister on May 6.
Interfaith group urges Pakistan to hire back reporter who was fired for Israel visit
Journalist Ahmed Quraishi says trip was ‘by private individuals, with no direct links to Pakistan and its policies’ amid opposition claims he was sent by government.A US-based non-government organization devoted to promoting Muslim-Jewish relations on Friday urged Pakistan’s state-run television to hire back one of its anchors who was fired for visiting Israel with an interfaith group last month. The plea from the Mukhayriq Initiative, which has both Muslim and Jewish members living in the United States and around the world, comes days after journalist Ahmed Quraishi was taken off the air and fired by Pakistan Television following his visit to Jerusalem, where he met with President Isaac Herzog.Quraishi was part of a 15-member delegation of mostly Pakistani expatriates living in America that traveled to Israel. The visit came under severe criticism in Pakistan, an overwhelmingly Muslim nation with no diplomatic relations with Israel because of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On Monday, Pakistan’s state-run TV tweeted that it laid off Quraishi who visited Israel in a “personal capacity.” Pakistan’s Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb also announced Quraishi’s removal for the visit to Israel. Among those who criticized the visit was Pakistan’s ousted former prime minister Imran Khan, a former cricket star turned Islamist politician who was voted out of office in April. Khan claimed the visit to Jerusalem was meant to pave the way for Pakistan’s eventual recognition of Israel — something the delegation denied. Quraishi was fired the day after Khan gave a speech that assailed the visit to Israel. The Mukhayriq Initiative said a tweet from Pakistani politician Shireen Mazari set off the controversy that got Quraishi fired.The government has also said there are no plans to establish ties with Israel.The head of the delegation, Anila Ali, a Pakistani-born US citizen living in Washington, defended the visit, telling The Associated Press earlier this week that they only sought to reconcile Muslims and Jews.The Mukhayriq Initiative’s managing director, Ellie Cohanim, said Friday that Quraishi became “the target of a political agenda for doing nothing more than his job as a journalist.”She told the AP that after criticism from Khan, “Quraishi began to receive threats to his life” — even though he was only doing the “job of any good journalist, [which is] to seek information on the ground, and to understand issues first-hand.” Later Friday, Quraishi reiterated in a message sent to the AP that his visit was one “by private individuals, with no direct links to Pakistan and its policies, and covered by me as an independent journalist that works in Pakistan and the region.” “For any political party to politicize this for temporary political benefit is unfortunate,” he added. Cohanim said the Mukhayriq Initiative is a new NGO that “seeks to build on the shared history and shared values that bring Muslims and Jews together, knowing that united our peoples can write a new chapter of an ancient relationship.” Quraishi is a member of the initiative’s board.His visit to Israel provided him “with a significant opportunity to continue building bonds of understanding and peaceful coexistence,” the initiative said in a statement. The group said Quraishi’s firing was a “serious mistake which must be reversed. “At a time when more and more peoples of every religion and ethnicity are working towards building societies which promote tolerance and peace, PTV is signaling the exact opposite message to the people of Pakistan and to the world community,” the Mukhayriq Initiative said. The group called on international journalist groups to investigate the case, calling it a “dangerous precedent.” Israel and Pakistan have made overtures to each other in the past, most notably when the country’s foreign ministers met in Istanbul in 2005 following Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. But there hasn’t been any major public push to bring the countries closer, even as Israel has tightened ties in recent years with Pakistan’s rival, India. According to Pakistan’s national database, there are 745 registered Jewish citizens in Pakistan, which has a population of at least 220 million. https://www.timesofisrael.com/interfaith-group-urges-pakistan-to-hire-back-reporter-who-was-fired-for-israel-visit/
#Pakistan - Bilawal Bhutto already addressing Pakistan’s foreign policy challenges
By RAHIM NASAR
History repeats itself. The memories of legends remain alive among those nations that strive for dignity and integrity. In 1963, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto became Pakistan’s foreign minister at a time when the country was facing several problems. Its security, economy, political scenarios, and relations with the international community were at all-time lows. For a young and determined foreign minister like Bhutto, dealing with regional and extra-regional powers, and resolving diplomatic issues was a daunting challenge. However, Bhutto was able to play a crucial role in presenting Pakistan’s positive image and normalizing ties with the international community.The new foreign minister showed promise during his first diplomatic trip to the US and EU.
The US State Department has also rejected Khan’s allegations, and called his ouster Pakistan’s internal issue. The US says it had no role in the political tension in Pakistan that resulted in the ouster of the government led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). In the lead-up to Bilawal’s trip overseas, it seemed that he would not get much response from the US and the European Union, but his statesmanship qualities helped him present Pakistan’s case at the international level in a very responsible and professional manner. During his visit to the US, at a press conference at the UN Headquarters in New York, when Bilawal was asked by a journalist whether Imran Khan’s visit to Russia had led to a trust deficit and damaged Pakistan’s ties with the US and its allies, he categorically defended the ex-prime minister’s visit as part of Pakistan’s foreign policy. Referring to the invasion of Ukraine, Bilawal said Khan could not have been expected to know what Russia was planning. In this way, Bilawal demonstrated a sense of fairness and diplomacy even toward a political rival. In contrast, there is no doubt the irresponsible statements and undiplomatic attitude of Imran Khan and his team damaged Pakistan’s foreign relations. Islamabad’s ties with its neighbors reached a low point, even with traditionally friendly countries like China. Economically, Pakistan is a dependent state. Ruining relations with the United States means ruining relations with the entire Western world. Weakening Pakistan’s relationship with a superpower is tantamount to isolating itself from the world and marching toward economic and security challenges. Bilawal and his team will have to struggle for at least a year to normalize diplomatic ties and avoid trust deficits due to the role played by Imran Khan’s government.
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