Saturday, August 15, 2020
Even after 73 years, #Pakistan still struggling for independence: Pak journalist
Over the years the minority communities in Pakistan like Baloch, Pashtuns, Mohajirs, Kashmiris, Baltis, Christians and Hindus have been facing persecution at the hands of both the government and the army.
Pakistan is still struggling for independence even after 73 years as people from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Sindh, Gilgit-Baltistan and other regions are yet to attain freedom, said journalist Marvi Sirmed.
"Marking 73 yrs of existence, Pak still struggling for independence. People in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Sindh, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pak admnstd Kashmir, nth military farms, Media, parliament, activists, 1000s of missing persons, #Julie...none is free. Happy birthday Pakistan!" She said on Pakistan's Independence Day.
While the country continues to share a troubled relationship with its minorities like Shias, Ahmadis, Hindus, Sikhs and Christians, Prime Minister Imran Khan during his address to the nation on Independence Day once again raised the Kashmir issue.
Meanwhile, hours before Pakistan's Prime Minister raised the issue of Kashmir, an elderly man from the Ahmadi minority community was shot dead by assailants in Peshawar.
Over the years the minority communities in Pakistan like Baloch, Pashtuns, Mohajirs, Kashmiris, Baltis, Christians and Hindus have been facing persecution at the hands of both the government and the army.
On Friday, the Voice for Sindhi Missing Persons and other human rights organisations organised a protest rally to express solidarity with the families of missing persons in Sindh and shouted slogans like "Yeh jo dehshat gardi hai, iske piche vardi hai (The people in uniform are behind these terrorist activities)".
The Pakistan Police used force to stop the protesters, including family members of the missing persons and human rights activists, outside the Karachi Press Club.
https://www.timesnownews.com/international/article/even-after-73-years-pakistan-still-struggling-for-independence-pak-journalist/637467
Pakistan’s Blasphemy Law A Weapon Of Revenge Used Against Minorities
Harshil Mehta
It isn’t that a politician has never tried to change blasphemy laws or bring reforms. But those who did, faced the wrath of the religious zealot section of the country.Radical Islamists of Pakistan found a new ‘hero’ recently. His name is Khalid Khan, who shot dead Tahir Naseem, an American citizen accused of blasphemy, in a Peshawar courtroom on July 29.
Even though Khalid Khan surrendered before the police, thousands rallied in support of him and his photos were shared widely on social media. Even before he was taken to the court, he was welcomed with hugs and kisses.
Naseem was charged with blasphemy in 2018 after he declared himself Islam’s prophet.
The killing has ignited a debate on the dangerous blasphemy law and Pakistani society’s mindset in general. Pakistan’s blasphemy laws (PPC section 295 and subsections, section 298 and subsections) state that ‘derogatory’ remarks on the Prophet Muhammad, insulting any religion, disturbing a religious assembly and trespassing on burial grounds can cause lifetime imprisonment or sentence to death.
Till now, no blasphemy convict has been executed by Pakistan but allegations of blasphemy are enough to cause riots and killing of accused by vigilante groups. According to Al Jazeera, 77 people have been killed since 1990 over accusations of blasphemy. In Pakistan, as per data released by the National Commission for Justice and Peace, a total of 776 Muslims, 505 Ahmadis, 229 Christians and 30 Hindus have been accused under the various clauses of blasphemy law from 1987 to 2018. Ahmadis, Christians and Hindus constitute less than four per cent of the general population of Pakistan, but they account for around 50 per cent of blasphemy accused.
It isn’t that a politician has never tried to change these laws or bring reforms. But those who did, faced the wrath of the religious zealot section of the country. In 2011, Punjab Governor Salman Taseer was killed by his own guard after he defended a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, accused of blasphemy. She was acquitted in 2018.
In another case, Pakistan’s only Christian cabinet member and first federal minister of minority affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti, was killed after he reportedly pressurised the federal government to change blasphemy laws. Pew Research Center, a prominent organisation for the survey, had found that 75 per cent of the Pakistani Muslims support the country’s blasphemy laws. The number is not small enough to ignore.
Rights groups and critics say Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are often used against religious minorities. Often the laws are used as a weapon of revenge. Therefore, there’s an urgent need to replace these laws.
It is important that murderers like Khalid Khan be given maximum punishment by the judiciary to set an example that the guilty will not be spared. If Pakistan wants to prove itself as a haven for religious freedom, then it must ban these regressive laws.
It’s also imperative that global powers raise this issue on international platforms to create pressure on the internal politics of the country. Proposal to put sanctions or interrogation at international level may force them to think on this again. Progressive countries of the world should give refuge to the acquitted.
#Pakistan’s persecution of #Ahmadi Muslims must end
By Siobhain McDonagh
Pakistan’s birth on Aug. 14, 1947 offered hope of a new country with new opportunities and new freedoms.
That was the vision of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who as Pakistan’s founding father had rallied for a state where all would be free to believe in any faith or indeed in no faith at all. The country would harness the power of an equitable state and the talents of all its citizens to propel the country to the fore.
Seventy-three years on, Jinnah’s vision of secularism, equality and prosperity lies crumpled as Pakistan’s concern for civil freedoms has all but vanished. Ironically, its religious communities have suffered the most, and none more so than the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
Britain’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community recently published a report on the persecution of Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan, titled “Suffocation of the Faithful.”
“Such is the extent of persecution that it is no exaggeration to describe the life of an Ahmadi Muslim in Pakistan as one that faces persecution from the cradle to the grave,” the report states. “At every step of their lives, they remain ever at risk of arrest, attack or harassment. Ahmadis have been denied their fundamental right to vote, they cannot possess their religious texts, and even after death their graves are targeted and bodies exhumed.”
Among the range of human rights violations, the report found worrying evidence of Pakistani textbooks promoting extremism by inciting hatred against other religious communities.
School textbooks incite hatred against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community by labeling Ahmadis as “Kafir” (disbelievers) and apostates, for which they prescribe the death penalty. Furthermore, textbook stickers are distributed in schools stating that any communication or friendship with Ahmadis is completely haram (forbidden) and calling for students to send names of Ahmadi students to Khatme Nabuwwat, an organization that has been at the forefront of violent anti-Ahmadi hostilities.
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| PAKISTANI VOLUNTEERS COLLECT DEBRIS FROM A DEMOLISHED AHMADI MOSQUE IN THE EASTERN CITY OF SIALKOT, PAKISTAN |
Additionally, the report reveals how Ahmadi Muslim students of primary school age regularly face threats at school. Teachers, rather than maintaining discipline, turn a blind eye or worse, actively identify, denigrate and ridicule Ahmadi Muslim students in front of their class. Ahmadi Muslims face a constant risk of being denied access to education and those who secure a place are routinely targeted and stigmatized through physical and emotional abuse.
We heard during the inquiry that it was not uncommon for teachers to seclude students from minority backgrounds: They would be forced to eat, sit and play separately.
One must wonder what Pakistan can gain by excluding rather than harnessing talent.
During the launch of the report, Lord David Alton highlighted the fact that millions of pounds in British taxpayers’ money is given in aid to Pakistan.
While Britain rightly remains committed to helping the poorest in the world, the U.K. government must not do so blindly.
As the report notes, it must ensure that U.K. aid is not being used inadvertently to teach hatred, for example through textbooks, which evidently nurture intolerance and extremism.
Rather, checks and balances must be put in place to effectively counter hatred and promote diversity, respect and inclusion among schoolchildren, for it is the youth who will bring about the change needed in Pakistan to revert the country to the ideals of Jinnah.
As I wrote in the report: “It is time to say that enough is enough and that is why this report calls on the UK Government, and the wider international community to take immediate action to give Ahmadi Muslims, one of the most charitable and peaceful communities I know, their basic human rights.”
#Pakistan’s minorities continue to suffer discrimination
By Robin Gomes
The National Minorities Day is observed on August 11 to honour Pakistan's religious minorities who have contributed to creating Pakistan and in nation-building. It commemorates the speech of Pakistan’s founding father Muhammad Ali Jinnah to the legislature on Aug. 11, 1947, days before Pakistan separated from India, in which he pledged to protect the rights of non-Muslims in the newly created country.
To assert this commitment, the government of Pakistan declared 11 August as National Minority Day in 2009.
Members of various religious minorities organized several events on Tuesday, including seminars and social gatherings.
In a message for the occasion, Pakistani President Arif Alvi reaffirmed that all communities residing in the country will be treated and respected equally so that the country can further march on the path of progress and development.
HRCP: the government has failed
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed concern over the state of religious minorities in the country and called for amending the Constitution to protect their rights and freedoms.
In a statement, the human rights watchdog noted that 73 years after Jinnah’s historic speech, Pakistan’s religious minorities "continue to be relegated to the status of second-class citizens, vulnerable to inherent discriminatory practices, forced conversions, and faith-based violence."
The HRCP expressed concern over the government’s Single National Curriculum, saying it “violates the constitutional guarantee that no member of a religious minority will be required to ‘receive religious instruction’ not relevant to their own religion”.
Over 96 per cent of Pakistan’s estimated population of 220 million is Muslim, in which the largest groups are ethnic Punjabis and Sunni Muslims. Catholics and Protestants number around 2 million each, making up less than 1 per cent of the population respectively. Ahmadis, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and Shias are said to be the most discriminated against.
In its annual report released in May, HRCP had pointed out that religious minorities continued to suffer in 2019, including discrimination, unabated honour killings, forced conversions of minority Hindu under-age girls and continued use of a blasphemy law that carries the death penalty to intimidate and settle scores, forced conversions and persecution under blasphemy laws and discrimination.
Minorities: lack of enforcement mechanisms
At a conference organized in Faisalabad on the eve of the National Minorities Day, leaders of religious and civil society groups expressed concern over the government’s position towards minorities.
Speaking at the conference on “Collective efforts for advancing diversities”, Catholic Bishop Indrias Rehmat of Faisalabad said “disparities of rights in policies and laws can never ensure equality of status and treatment”.
The participants pointed out that the government has failed to take seriously the problems minorities face, noting that quotas for minorities are a futile attempt to ensure political, religious, social and economic equality if there is no proper enforcement mechanisms.
According to Rizwan Ullah Kokab, a professor at the Government College University, in a multi-cultural and multi-religious society, the authorities’ "ethnocentric" approach is not useful to the cause of national unity.
Hamid Yaseen of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists noted that “education policy must incorporate the concept of human rights, social justice, peaceful coexistence and non-discrimination”.
Father Kahid Rasheed Asi of Faisalabad said more “efforts are needed to reverse discrimination and convert the representation of minorities into participation”.
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2020-08/pakistan-national-minorities-day.html
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2020-08/pakistan-national-minorities-day.html
Joe Biden offers full-throated support to India against China, Pakistan
Joe Biden will support reforming the temporary visa system for high-skill — H-1Bs — to protect wages and workers and then their numbers.
Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, will work with India in the Indo-Pacific to ensure no country, including China, “is able to threaten its neighbours with impunity” and will have “no tolerance” for cross-border terrorism in South Asia, if elected president, his campaign said in an expansive agenda released Friday for bilateral relations with India and the welfare of Indian Americans.A Biden administration also will place a “high priority” on bolstering ties with India, continue to strengthen India’s defence capabilities and bring the United States back into the Paris climate to work with India again to combat climate change, according to the agenda.
On immigration, which has been a major part of India-US relations, Biden will “preserve family unification as a core principle of our immigration system”, increase the number of visas offered for permanent, work-based immigration — Green Cards, overturning the Trump administration’s switch to a merit-based system.
His administration will also exempt from any cap recent graduates of PhD programs in STEM fields, eliminate country limit on Green Cards, which has created a 100-year-long backlog for Indias. He will support reforming the temporary visa system for high-skill — H-1Bs — to protect wages and workers and then their numbers.
The agenda was a first expansive plan released by any presidential campaign yet for aims and goals for relations with India and Indian Americas. And, thus, marked the importance being accorded to India. It was released just hours before a major outreach by senior members of the Biden campaign to the community.On bilateral relations with India, the former vice-president will bring to the offie years of supporting India. As a senator, the agenda said, Biden had in 2006, said,“My dream is that in 2020, the two closest nations in the world will be India and the United States” In 2008, he led other Democrats to back the India -US civil nuclear deal. The Obama-Biden administration declared support for India’s claim to permanent membership of the UN Security Council and Declared India a major defence partner.
As president, the agenda said, “Biden believes there can be no tolerance for terrorism in South Asia – cross-border or otherwise”. The reference here was unmistakably to cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan, which had also been a sore point with the Obama administration.
On China, the Biden administration will ensure continuity. “A Biden Administration will also work with India to support a rules-based and stable Indo-Pacific region in which no country, including China, is able to threaten its neighbours with impunity.” There was no explicit mention of the border clashes but, once against, the sub-text was clear, aligning with growing bipartisan support for India in these clashes.“Biden will deliver on his long-standing belief that India and the United States are natural partners, and a Biden Administration will place a high priority on continuing to strengthen the US-India relationship,” the agenda said, adding, “No common global challenge can be solved without India and the United States working as responsible partners.”
It added: “Together, we will continue strengthening India’s defense and capabilities as a counter-terrorism partner, improving health systems and pandemic response, and deepening cooperation in areas such as higher education, space exploration, and humanitarian relief.”
For the estimated 4 million Indian Americans, the Biden vowed adequate representation in the his administration if elected and pointed, as evidence, picking Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate. “Our government will reflect the diversity of the United States, and Indian American voices will be included in shaping the policies that impact their communities,” said the agenda.
The Biden administration will address the rising incidents of hate crimes against “Indian Americans of all backgrounds -- Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Jain, and others -- (who) have been subjected to bullying and xenophobic attacks”. He will see a legislation to increase the punishment for certain hate crimes that occur in houses of worship and other religious community sites, such as gurdwaras, mandirs, temples, and mosques.
“We cannot leave our faith-based organizations to rely on donations and internal fundraising efforts to guard against deadly attacks. Biden will work with Congress to attain an immediate and substantial increase in direct security grant funding to faith-based organizations,” said the agenda.
The Biden administration will also work with congress to reform the immigration system and find a way to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants, including 500,000 from India.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/joe-biden-offers-full-throated-support-to-india-against-china-pakistan/story-QXXDd5Wxyp7KlhXq0A4mON.html
'جمہوریت پسند خواتین صحافیوں کو زیادہ نشانہ بنایا جا رہا ہے'
پاکستانی میڈیا میں کام کرنے والی خواتین صحافیوں نے کہا ہے کہ سوشل میڈیا پر ان کی کردار کشی کی جاتی ہے، ٹرول کیا جاتا ہے، ڈرایا دھمکایا جاتا ہے اور ان کے خلاف منظم مہم چلائی جاتی ہے، جس کی وجہ سے ان کا آزاد رائے کا اظہار مشکل ہو گیا ہے۔
پاکستانی میڈیا میں کام کرنے والی سرکردہ خواتین صحافیوں نے کہا ہے کہ سوشل میڈیا پر ان کی کردار کشی کی جاتی ہے، ٹرول کیا جاتا ہے، ڈرایا دھمکایا جاتا ہے اور ان کے خلاف منظم مہم چلائی جاتی ہے، جس کی وجہ سے ان کا آزاد رائے کا اظہار مشکل ہو گیا ہے۔
'ویمن اِن میڈیا' نے بدھ کو سوشل میڈیا پر ایک خط میں تفصیلاً بتایا کہ انہیں کن مشکلات کا سامنا ہے۔ خط میں حکومت سے مطالبہ کیا گیا ہے کہ ایسے عناصر کو روکا جائے جو خواتین صحافیوں کو کسی بھی طریقے سے ہراساں کرنے کے مرتکب ہوں۔
خط میں یہ بھی کہا گیا کہ تمام سیاسی جماعتیں اپنے فالوورز اور سپورٹرز کو پیغام دیں کہ وہ 'غیر اخلاقی' حرکات کرنے سے گریز کریں۔ خط میں قومی اسمبلی کی قائمہ کمیٹی برائے انسانی حقوق کو نوٹس لینے کی بھی استدعا کی گئی ہے۔
یہ خط اور اس حوالے سے ایک ہیش ٹیگ آج صبح سے ٹوئٹر پر ٹرینڈ میں ہے اور لوگ اس حوالے سے مختلف تبصرے کر رہے ہیں۔ پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی (پی پی پی) کے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے خواتین صحافیوں کے خط پر ردعمل دیتے ہوئے کہا کہ 'بطور چیئرمین قائمہ کمیٹی برائے انسانی حقوق، میں نے اس معاملے کا نوٹس لیتے ہوئے خواتین صحافیوں کی نمائندوں کو کمیٹی کے آئندہ اجلاس میں طلب کیا ہے تاکہ وہ اپنے تحفظات سے آگاہ کر سکیں۔'
دوسری جانب وفاقی وزیر برائے انسانی حقوق شیریں مزاری نے اپنی ٹویٹ میں خواتین صحافیوں کو درپیش اس مسئلے کو 'افسوس ناک' قرار دیتے ہوئے کہا کہ 'اس ضمن میں وزیر اطلاعات سے بات کی ہے کہ صحافیوں کے تحفظ سے متعلق بل کو ترجیحی بنیادوں پر فعال کیا جائے۔'
انہوں نے مزید کہا کہ 'جنس کی بنیاد پر خواتین صحافیوں کی کردار کشی اور حملے ناقابل قبول ہیں اور آئین و قانون بھی اس بات کی اجازت نہیں دیتا۔'
سینیٹر شیری رحمٰن نے بھی اپنے پیغام میں کہا کہ 'سوشل میڈیا پر خواتین صحافیوں پر حملوں کے محرکات دیکھنے کی ضرورت ہے اور اس ضمن میں سینیٹ کی قائمہ کمیٹی برائے انسانی حقوق معاملے کا نوٹس لے گی۔'
اس حوالے سے سینیئر صحافی عاصمہ شیرازی نے انڈپینڈنٹ اردو سے بات کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ 'جمہوریت پسند خواتین صحافیوں کو زیادہ نشانہ بنایا جاتا ہے جس کی وجہ سے وہ محسوس کرتی ہیں کہ اس معاملے کو سامنے لایا جائے تاکہ وہ بات کرتے ہوئے خوف میں مبتلا نہ ہوں۔'
انہوں نے سوال اٹھایا کہ 'کب تک منظم مہم کو برداشت کیا جا سکتا ہے؟ صرف حکومت پر تنقیدی آوازوں کو نشانہ بنایا جا رہا ہے اس لیے اب آواز اٹھانی ہو گی۔'
عاصمہ شیرازی نے مزید کہا کہ 'آئے دن سوشل میڈیا پر خواتین صحافیوں کے خلاف کردار کشی، ہراسانی اور گالم گلوچ کی مہم نہ تو خواتین کو ڈرا سکتی ہیں اور نہ ہی انہیں سچ کہنے سے روک سکتی ہیں۔'
دیگر خواتین صحافیوں نے بھی ٹوئٹر پر اپنے خیالات کا اظہار کیا۔ جیو نیوز کی اینکر علینہ فاروق شائق کہتی ہیں کہ 'سوال کا جواب بد زبانی، گالی، ذاتی حملے اور ٹرولز کے ذریعے ہراساں کرنا نہیں ہوتا لیکن بدقسمتی سے ہمارے ہاں خواتین میڈیا ورکرز کو بہادری سے یہ برداشت کرنا پڑتا ہے۔ روز بروز یہ رجحان بڑھتا چلا جا رہا ہے اور اب ہمارے کام میں رکاوٹ بن رہا ہے، لیکن ہم ڈٹے رہیں گے۔'
ذمہ داری کسی کی بھی ہو،کراچی کے مسائل ہم حل کرینگے، بلاول بھٹو
پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی کے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہاہے کہ صوبوں کو
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