Friday, July 1, 2022
As Baloch Women Raise Their Voices, the State Cracks Down
By Somaiyah HafeezThe rise in Baloch women’s activism – and terrorism – has accompanied a new willingness by authorities to target women with state-sanctioned violence.
What Happened on June 13?To demand information about the disappeared students, protesters set up a camp outside Karachi Press Club. On the third day of the camp, the protesters decided to march toward the provincial legislature. They were demanding that the families of Doda and Ghamshad be granted a meeting with the CTD and, more broadly, that the authorities end the profiling of Baloch students in Karachi and elsewhere in the country. Balochistan, Pakistan’s geographically largest but poorest province, has been the center of recurring insurgency movements since 1948, with the ongoing movement being the fifth. Enforced disappearances in the province are rampant and are thought to be a counterinsurgency tactic used by security agencies, which deny being involved. As per Voice for the Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), an organization campaigning for the release of missing persons, more than 5,000 people have become victims of enforced disappearances in the province in the last two decades. These figures are disputed by the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIED), formed in 2011. As of May 2022, COIED reported that 2,238 unresolved cases of enforced disappearances had been registered from all over the country, with only 355 from Balochistan. The Human Rights Council of Balochistan, a human rights organization that collects reports from the province, reported that in the month of May alone 45 people, including women and children, were abducted while 20 were killed. The saga of enforced disappearances in the province continues without a respite but the increase in abductions of women and subsequent crackdown has concerned many. Activists are disturbed and concerned over peaceful protests being sabotaged. Sammi Deen Baloch, a missing persons activist who has been relentlessly protesting for the release of her father, Dr. Deen Muhammad Baloch, for more than a decade, thinks the state is trying to traumatize victims’ family members further by inflicting physical violence. “We were already undergoing collective punishment and had exhausted all options, having knocked on every door for justice, but now they want to snatch from us the only option we are left with – peaceful protests and resistance,” she said. When the protesters started marching toward the Sindh Assembly, the police tried to block their way, creating hurdles. Still, the protesters managed to reach the gate. “To bring our protest to an end, the police told us they will arrange a meeting with CTD the next day. We went back to our camp,” recounted Amna Baloch, organizer of Baloch Yakjehti Committee Karachi, “The next day, June 13, we waited for the meeting for hours, but the police kept delaying and making excuses.” The protesters decided to once again march toward the Sindh Assembly. As the throng of protesters reached the provincial legislature, the police arrived and started mass arrests, launching baton charges. According to the police, Section 144 had been imposed in the province, banning political gatherings, which the protesters contravened. While the police denied manhandling protesters, videos soon started circulating on social media that told a different tale. “The police used vile and filthy language, hurled abuses at us – said things that I do not think any civilized person or organization would say. We were called disgraced and disrespectful women, were accused of protesting for ‘fame’ and to appear on media,” said Sammi. She added that three men were knocked unconscious and had to be hospitalized and one pregnant woman was kicked. “My younger sister, Mehlab Baloch, was slapped thrice – the sight of her being slapped is imprinted on my mind. For the last 13 years, Mehlab and I have been asking a simple question: where is our father and for what crime are we being punished? The state couldn’t answer this question for Mehlab but wants her to stay silent,” said Sammi. “Our mother is worried for us. When we leave home, she says she will accompany us. She is even forced to request us not to protest in the fear that something happens to us,” Sammi added, explaining the mental toll of the police brutality on her and her family. The detainees were released later in the night and around 3 a.m., Doda and Ghamshad – the students whose alleged abduction sparked the protests – also returned home. As per Amna Baloch, the police threatened and forced the protesters to promise in writing that they won’t protest anywhere other than outside the Karachi Press Club in the future. “To dissuade and deter us from demanding our constitutional rights, the police did everything, but we will continue resisting,” said Amna. A committee was formed by the Inspector General of Sindh Police to inquire into the incident. Amna feels that the committee is just a face-saving gimmick in response to the public outcry. “If they are to form a committee, one which is free and fair and from which concrete actions can be expected, then they must form a committee on missing persons and on the profiling of Baloch students throughout the country,” she told The Diplomat. Shari Baloch, the First Female Baloch Suicide Bomber On April 26, Shari Baloch attacked a van carrying Chinese nationals outside Karachi University in a cataclysmic suicide bombing incident, which was to have widespread ramifications. Shari was the first Baloch women to carry out a suicide bombing; in addition to herself, she killed the bus driver and three Chinese educational workers. Baloch female political and social activists are all facing challenges after the incident. Nida Kirmani, a sociologist and activist, feels that the incident has given the state a “free pass” to go after Baloch women. “While Baloch women have suffered violence even before this, they were rarely the direct targets. Rather, they suffered because their male kin disappeared. However, since the attack at Karachi University, the state is acting as if it has a license to go after anyone regardless of gender,” she explained. Sammi feels these challenges have increased tenfold for missing persons’ families, who have been protesting peacefully for years. She believes that the suicide bombing is being used by the state as a justification for abducting, threatening, and abusing Baloch women under the pretext of circumscribing terrorism.“They have started to define Baloch women as terrorists and launched a crackdown, but in the guise of ensuring law and order, they are targeting those Baloch women who have been protesting and resisting for eons,” Sammi said. Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur, a well-known activist and nationalist, believes that the violence against Baloch women and men mirrors the state’s “systematic policy of coercion and oppression” intended to intimidate and cow them so much so that they stop demanding their rights. “The end result of this violence against Baloch will only result in hardening of attitude to the extent that ordinary Baloch too will consider all those who cooperate with the state as traitors and will support those who oppose the injustices against Baloch. There will be an irreversible polarization much to the detriment of the hopes for peace, at some stage, through dialogue,” explained Talpur. “State institutions have made it impossible for Baloch to live in Karachi. It seems like the land splits open to disappear Baloch within it. Those students who come from far flung areas of Balochistan to get an education in Karachi are being abducted and their whereabouts kept unknown,” Amna Baloch added, describing the scrutiny and profiling of Baloch students, which has augmented since the incident. Doubly Marginalized On May 24, the Sindh police detained 18 people, including Sammi and Nida as well as other family members of Baloch missing persons, for protests over abductions. As they would do on June 13, the police told the media that the detainees had flouted Section 144; however, the protesters had a different recollection of the events. Nida thinks that the police seem to be “acting as a cover for the [security] agencies” and that their sympathetic act when confronted about enforced disappearances is a charade. “The question is, if the state itself is not respecting its own laws by forcibly abducting citizens, why should protesters respect colonial laws such as Section 144?” she said. In a Twitter thread, Nida shared her experience and delineated the contrasting treatment she received from the police compared to the way the police behaved with other detainees (who were Baloch). “Because I am an upper class, non-Baloch woman, the police are hesitant to treat me poorly. Perhaps they are afraid of the consequences and think I may be connected to powerful people. Clearly there is both class and ethnic-based discrimination involved,” Nida told The Diplomat. The feminist movement in Pakistan has been criticized for its lack of inclusivity. “I do not understand the difference in uproar when an incident occurs against a non-Baloch woman and when Baloch women are publicly thrashed, abused, beaten, and harassed merely for protesting for their rights. In the latter case, there is barely any condemnation, let alone uproar,” said Sammi indignantly. Amna said that the police used force on the protesters because they do not want the missing persons issue, a very “sensitive” issue, to be highlighted. But she refuses to be intimidated. “I had told the police officers during the detainment that we will protest again and that they cannot break our resolve through force,” she said. “These are living, breathing people with dreams and hopes who are missing – not lifeless things or possessions like a mobile phone that we can back off from demanding for them to be released. The family members of missing persons live in torment – nothing can be worse than waiting without any certainty,” she said. Even as the state’s assault has reached Baloch women, their acts of resistance continue.
https://thediplomat.com/2022/06/as-baloch-women-raise-their-voices-the-state-cracks-down/
#Pakistan - Attack on polio team
THE threat of deadly violence never seems to diminish for health workers and police officials involved in door-to-door polio vaccination campaigns in the country. On Tuesday, two policemen and a health worker were killed when unidentified gunmen opened fire on them in North Waziristan’s Datakhel tehsil. The attack took place in the Tang Kali locality near the Pak-Afghan border. This is the second such attack since January this year when a policeman escorting a vaccination team was shot dead in Kohat.
The attack in North Waziristan has come on the heels of an aggressive resurgence of the wild poliovirus in the area. Since only April this year, at least 11 cases of the wild poliovirus have been reported from a cluster of high-risk union councils. These cases had surfaced after a hiatus of 15 months that had given hope that Pakistan might be on the brink of eliminating the crippling disease from its territory. However, as the attack demonstrates, Pakistan still has a long way to go before achieving polio-free status. Moreover, refusals still remain high in North Waziristan. According to reports, silent refusals by parents and fake markings on children’s fingers were one of the key reasons for the abnormally high number of cases.
Though the investigation is still ongoing, the latest attack on the polio team reflects the high mistrust of official authorities in this area. The issue of refusals is a long-standing one, and WHO and Unicef on many occasions have asked the Pakistani authorities to address the problem of missing and invisible children who remain outside the umbrella of immunisation campaigns. On the other hand, as the wild poliovirus remains endemic only in the Pak-Afghan region, cross-border coordination for its elimination is the need of the hour. Recent events have made it clear that aggressive campaigning for the administration of the polio vaccine is no longer enough, and that a wide-ranging, sensitive and strategic effort is required to address the public’s suspicions regarding the government’s anti-polio efforts.
Pakistan reports 694 new COVID-19 cases
Pakistan reported 694 new COVID-19 cases during the last 24 hours, as the tally of infected people increased to 1,536,479, the country’s ministry of health said on Friday.
According to the data released by the ministry, a total of 30,395 people died from COVID-19 in Pakistan, with no more deaths recorded on Thursday, Geo News reported.
On Thursday, 17,640 tests for COVID-19 were conducted in Pakistan while the positivity rate stood at 3.93 per cent, National Institute of Health, Islamabad (NIH) data showed Friday morning. This is the highest positivity ratio since February 19, when it was recorded at 4.15 per cent. However, no death has been reported during the last 24 hours across the country due to the virus.
According to Geo News, the federal government had decided to “fully activate” the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) earlier this week in order to curb the rapid surge in COVID-19 cases.
A statement from PM Office said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed concerns over the rising COVID-19 cases and issued directives to revive Pakistan’s coronavirus response forum as the premier ordered district and provincial authorities to implement strict measures and take stringent steps to keep the deadly virus at bay.
Established inside the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) Secretariat in Islamabad, NCOC was set up in March 2020 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to collect, analyse and process information.
NCOC is the entity in charge of Pakistan’s COVID-19 efforts, policies and implementation and makes suggestions to the Prime Minister’s National Coordination Committee for timely actions related to the national COVID-19 response, NHS official said, adding that it includes specialists from both the civil and military institutions.
Currently, there are 101 active cases that are in critical condition in the South Asian country.
https://theprint.in/world/pakistan-reports-694-new-covid-19-cases/1020156/
#Pakistan - Vital Statistics and Underage Marriages
Author: Farhat Hayat
Living in a third-world country might be not one’s fault but one ought to pay the price for being in the third world. Pakistan like other third-world countries lacks basic facilities ranging from health to education. Vital statistics are important in policymaking, implanting policies, and evaluating projects. For a common person, vital statistics mean registering the birth, death, marriage, and other issues related to demography but for the government, it is beyond that these registrations give a road map to a government for future interventions. In developed countries, vital statistics are considered pivotal in framing and drafting social policy.
These statistics enable the government to prioritize different sectors for funding according to the needs of society. Distribution of resources and eliminating inequality in different aspects of life also depend upon accurate figures of vital statistics. Societies where inequality in terms of gender, race, religion, social class, and ethnic groups is evident and needs to address immediately, have to improve in the field of vital statistics.
Unfortunately, we are lacking in maintaining the vital statistics as the case is for other fields of life. According to the Household survey 2017-18, only 42% of total children under 5 years were registered and only 36% have their birth certificates. The rates of children’s birth registration in urban areas were much higher than the rates of birth registration in rural areas. The same disparity was evident between different socio-economic groups. There can be a thousand reasons behind the problem of registering vital statistics; to me, government priority and masses awareness are two major factors contributing to low registration. By the way, whatever the causes are, the consequences are dangerous and affect every part of society, especially the marginalized groups.
Meanwhile the menace of underage marriage especially the marriage of minor girls is not a new phenomenon in our country. It is a deep-rooted issue protected by and flourished under the umbrella of the patriarchal family system. In the patriarchal family system, daughters are considered a “liability” rather than an asset, this understanding forces parents to shift the liability to their husband by marrying her at an early age. The minimum age for marriage in all parts of the country is 16 years except in Sindh province where it is 18 years. The available statistics showed that more than 3% of girls are married at the age of 15 years or less. But the question that arises here is whether the statistics are manipulated by the families to avoid legal action. The flaw in our registration system opens the window for the parents to register the fabricated birth dates of children, especially girls to meet the requirement of the legal age which is 16 years.
Although the problem of underage marriages is multifaceted and complicated to deal with, doing only one thing which is registering the birth date at the time of birth, can help us significantly to tackle this problem. Timely birth registration will shut the door to underage marriages. It will also help to develop a policy for family issues by using factual data rather than believing the perceived data. The role of officials dealing with vital statistics is important and their commitment to bringing original data can bear fruits. Another important factor is the use of the latest technology to make the process of registration hassle-free and comfortable. Government should initiate an awareness campaign in different places focusing on marginal groups and areas. The awareness campaign can help to change people’s attitudes towards the registration of vital statistics. Masses also need to understand the importance of the issue and their willingness to register the birth at an early stage can save us from a demographic disaster.
https://en.humsub.com.pk/4101/vital-statistics-and-underage-marriages/
#Pakistan #PPP - ‘Beneficiaries’ pointing finger at ‘neutrals’ now
However, he added that it would have been more “appropriate” to discuss the issue in the Sindh Assembly. The minister said the PPP had been struggling for democracy, fair and free elections, and economic issues for three generations. He said the party “bravely faced every tyrant”, citing examples of “violence” under leaders such as Ziaul Haq and Pervez Musharraf. “The PPP has had the opportunity to govern despite rigging. In this country, rigging has always taken place against the PPP to stop the party of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto,” he added. He claimed that like Imran Khan, there were parties, politicians and “puppets” in Sindh who helped dictatorial rule come forth in the hope that institutions would not be neutral.
“W hen our institutions started becoming neutral, be it the Election Commission, the courts or other institutions, these people started panicking. This is because they knew that their bails would be revoked if transparent elections were held and the institutions remained neutral,” he said. Bilawal further said the opposition parties were aware that they came into power through a “rigged” election in 2018. Calling out a member of the opposition, Bilawal said he could only contest in the elections because PPP leader Abid Bhayo’s brother was imprisoned in Shikarpur. “When we have a level playing field, they will have no place to run,” he said. The foreign minister further said that the opposition had gathered in the Sindh High Court a day before provincial polls in order to escape the elections, but the people could see that only one party – the PPP – was present for the province while others tried to escape. “Would the people of Sindh vote for those who were trying to run?” he questioned, adding that such parties would create more fuss as the second phase of the elections was in a month. “Free and fair elections will take place only after electoral reforms… there will be a level playing field. The PPP always performs well when there is a level playing field,” the foreign minister added.
According to Bilawal, the opposition feared institutions remaining apolitical and not interfering. “If there is no interference, the PPP will emerge victorious. What kind of a joke is it to complain of rigging if we win in Larkana?”
https://dailytimes.com.pk/960086/beneficiaries-pointing-finger-at-neutrals-now/
Asif Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto meet prime minister
https://www.app.com.pk/national/asif-zardari-bilawal-bhutto-meet-prime-minister/
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