Wednesday, June 9, 2021

ٹرین حادثہ میں پچاس لوگ مر گئے لیکن حکومت ذمہ دار نہیں




سید مجاہد علی

گھوٹکی کے قریب گاڑیوں کے افسوسناک حادثہ میں پچاس سے زائد مسافر جاں


بحق ہو چکے ہیں۔ مزید اموات ممکن ہیں۔ تاہم ملک کے با اختیار وزیر اطلاعات حادثہ پر کسی دکھ کا اظہار کرنے کی بجائے یہ دلیل دے رہے ہیں کہ وزیر ریلوے اعظم سواتی پر اس کی ذمہ داری عائد نہیں کی جا سکتی۔ پھر وہ کیوں استعفیٰ دیں۔ یوں تو جمہوریت احتساب اور جوابدہی کا ہی دوسرا نام ہے لیکن جس جمہوریت پر فواد چوہدری اور ان کے حالیہ قائد محترم عمران خان یقین رکھتے ہیں، اس میں احتساب اور جوابدہی سیاسی مخالفین سے شروع ہو کر انہیں تک ختم ہوجاتی ہے۔

فواد چوہدری نے حادثہ کے نتیجہ میں وزیر ریلوے کے استعفیٰ نہ دینے کا عذر پیش کرتے ہوئے وہی گھسی پٹی دلیل استعمال کی ہے کہ اعظم سواتی تو دسمبر میں وزیر بنے ہیں اور تحریک انصاف اگست 2018 میں برسر اقتدار آئی ہے۔ اس وقت ملک میں جو بھی غلط ہو رہا ہے وہ سابقہ حکومتوں کی غلط پالیسیوں کی وجہ سے ہے۔ اسی لئے ان کا دعویٰ ہے کہ یہ حادثہ مسلم لیگ (ن) کے سابق وزیر ریلوے سعد رفیق کی ’غلطیوں‘ کی وجہ سے ہوا ہے لہذا موجودہ وزیر ریلوے یا حکومت پر اس کی ذمہ داری عائد نہیں کی جا سکتی۔ اس بیان سے ایک بار پھر یہ واضح ہو گیا ہے کہ عمران خان نے شبلی فراز کو ہٹا کر فواد چوہدری جیسے شخص کو ایک بار پھر کیوں وزیر اطلاعات بنایا تھا۔ حکومت میں نصف سے زائد مدت گزارنے کے بعد بھی کارکردگی میں اپنی تہی دستی چھپانے کے لئے وزیر اعظم کو ایسے لوگوں کی ضرورت ہے جو ہر معاملہ میں کوئی عذر تلاش کر کے حکومتی موقف کی حفاظت کرسکیں۔ فواد چوہدری اور شیخ رشید اس معیار پر پورا اترتے ہیں۔

یہ عام اور مسلمہ جمہوری اصول ہے کہ کسی شعبہ میں کوئی کوتاہی سامنے آنے پر اس کا اعلیٰ ترین فرد اور سیاسی طور سے نگران شخص ذمہ داری قبول کرتے ہوئے اپنا استعفیٰ پیش کر دیتا ہے۔ اس کا یہ مطلب نہیں ہوتا کہ متعلقہ وزیر ہی حادثہ کا ذمہ دار ہے یا اس کے اشارے پر ہونے والی تکنیکی غلطی کی وجہ سے حادثہ رونما ہوا جس میں قیمتی انسانی جانیں ضائع ہوئیں۔ بلکہ اس کا مقصد صرف یہ ہوتا ہے کہ متعلقہ محکمہ کے سربراہ کے طور پر ذمہ داری قبول کر کے یہ بات یقینی بنائی جاتی ہے کہ 1 ) حادثہ کی غیر جانبدارانہ تحقیقات ہوں گی اور ذمہ داروں کا تعین ہوگا تاکہ مستقبل میں کسی ایسے ہی سانحہ سے بچا جا سکے۔ 2 ) اس اصول کو نمایاں کیا جا سکے کہ اگر کسی حادثہ پر اس محکمہ کا نگران وزیر ذمہ داری قبول کر کے اپنا عہدہ چھوڑ سکتا ہے تو کوتاہی کی صورت میں کسی بھی دوسرے اعلیٰ یا درمیانے درجے کے عہدیدار کے ساتھ کوئی رعایت روا نہیں رکھی جائے گی۔ اور جو شخص بھی کسی ایسے حادثہ کا سبب بنا ہوگا جس میں درجنوں معصوم لوگ جاں بحق ہو جائیں، اسے اس غیر ذمہ داری یا غلطی کا خمیازہ بھگتنا پڑے گا۔ 3 ) کوئی بھی برسر اقتدار حکومت اور سیاسی جماعت اس طریقہ سے واضح کرتی ہے کہ وہ اعلیٰ اخلاقی معیار کو نصب العین کے طور پر اختیار کرتے ہوئے متعلقہ وزیر کو استعفیٰ دینے پر مجبور کرتی ہے تاکہ عوام کو یقین ہو کہ ان کے حکمران ہوشمند، جمہوری اور انسانی روایات کو ماننے والے اور غلطی پر شرمندگی محسوس کرنے والے ہیں۔

کوئی یہ نہیں کہتا کہ اگر کسی جگہ پر گاڑی کا حادثہ ہو گیا ہے تو ریلوے کا وزیر ہی اس کا ذمہ دار ہے۔ ریلوے وزیر نہ تو انجن ڈرائیور ہوتا ہے اور نہ ہی اس کا کام سگنل کی نگرانی کرنا ہے۔ ظاہر ہے جب بھی ٹرینوں کے حادثے ہوتے ہیں تو ان میں عام طور سے سگنل کی کوئی تکنیکی غلطی ہی سامنے آتی ہے۔ لیکن اس بنیاد پر یہ نہیں کہا جا سکتا کہ ریلوے کا وزیر کیوں ذمہ داری قبول کرے، وہ کوئی ٹرین ڈرائیور تو نہیں ہے۔ تاہم فواد چوہدری جیسے سرکاری ترجمان جس انداز میں حکومت کا دفاع کرنے پر یقین رکھتے ہیں، اس میں یہ بھی بعید نہیں ہے کہ کل کلاں کسی نئے حادثہ کے بعد فواد چوہدری کو یہی دلیل دینے پر مجبور ہونا پڑے کہ وزیر ریلوے تو گاڑی نہیں چلا رہا تھا۔

ایسا بیان یوں بھی بعید از قیاس نہیں ہے کہ آج کل ملک کے وزیر اطلاعات پاکستانی میڈیا کو دنیا کا آزاد ترین اور بے حد خود مختار ادارہ قرار دینے پر زور بیان صرف کر رہے ہیں۔ شاید یہی وجہ ہے کہ اس بے پناہ آزادی کو قدرے محدود کرنے کے لئے تحریک انصاف کی حکومت نیا میڈیا قانون لانے اور ایسی میڈیا اتھارٹی بنانے کی تیاری کر رہی ہے جس میں اخبار نویس کو صحافی کہلانے کے لئے بھی حکومت کی اجازت درکار ہوگی۔ یہ اتھارٹی بیک وقت میڈیا کی سہولت کار، سنسر کرنے والا ادارہ اور انصاف فراہم کرنے والا ٹریبونل ہوگا۔ ایسا بااختیار ادارہ وجود میں آنے کے بعد ملکی میڈیا کے کسی بھی شعبہ کو یہ اختیار حاصل نہیں رہے گا کہ وہ اپنی مرضی سے کوئی خبر یا رائے سامنے لا سکے۔ اسے ہمہ وقت سرکاری ’ریڈ لائنز‘ کا احترام کرنا پڑے گا۔ البتہ یہ ’سہولت‘ ضرور دی جائے گی کہ سارے میڈیا کم از کم پانچ فیصد اور زیادہ سے زیادہ جتنی چاہیں جگہ اور وقت حکومتی پروپیگنڈا پھیلانے پر صرف کریں گے۔ اس مواد پر کسی قسم کا سنسر یا کنٹرول نہیں ہوگا کیوں کہ وہ سرکاری اداروں میں دفتری بابوؤں کے زور قلم اور کاوش فکر کا نتیجہ ہوگا۔ واللہ کیسا آزاد میڈیا ہوگا جو اس بات پر تگ و دو کرے گا کہ کون حکومت کا مقدس پیغام زیادہ مقدار میں عوام تک پہنچاتا ہے۔

گھوٹکی حادثہ کے فوری بعد وزیر اعظم عمران خان نے ایک زور دار تعزیتی بیان جاری کیا ہے اور متاثرین کی دلجوئی اور مدد کے لئے فوری طور سے وزیر ریلوے کو گھوٹکی پہنچنے کی ہدایت کی ہے۔ انہوں نے یہ وعدہ بھی کیا ہے کہ حادثہ کی غیر جانبدارانہ اعلیٰ سطحی تحقیقات کا حکم دیا جا رہا ہے۔ اللہ خیر صلا۔ مدینہ ریاست کے نقیب اور نئے پاکستان کے بانی اپنی ساری ذمہ داریوں سے عہدہ برا ہوئے۔ حالانکہ کیا وزیر اعظم نہیں جانتے کہ حادثہ کی جگہ پر جتنے اعلیٰ افسر، وزیر مشیر اور دیگر عہدیدار پہنچیں گے، متاثرین کی امداد کا کام اتنا ہی تعطل کا شکار ہوگا۔

اب اس معاملہ میں ہی ریلوے کے مقامی اور ریجنل حکام کو وزیر عالی مقام کے شایان شان استقبال کی پریشانی لاحق ہو جائے گی، وہ وسائل اور صلاحیتیں جو صرف حادثہ میں زخمی ہونے والوں کو سہولت بہم پہنچانے کے لئے صرف ہونی چاہئیں، ان کا بڑا حصہ وزیر ریلوے اور ان کے ساتھ آنے والے اعلیٰ افسران کی خاطر مدارات پر صرف کرنا پڑے گا۔ اسی طرح سول انتظامیہ جاں بحق افراد کی شناخت، تدفین اور زخمیوں کی دیکھ بھال پر پوری توجہ صرف کرنے کی بجائے وزیر اور حکام کی آمد پر سیکورٹی انتظامات میں مصروف ہو جائے گی۔ تاہم وزیر اعظم کی طرف سے ایسے اعلان کی سیاسی اہمیت و ضرورت سے انکار نہیں کیا جا سکتا۔ یہ کام عمران خان نے فوری طور سے بخوبی طور پر انجام دیا ہے۔ بس فواد چوہدری یا وہ خود ہی یہ بتا دیں کہ پھر موجودہ وزیر اعظم یا حکومت کو ماضی کے حکمرانوں سے مختلف کیوں کر مان لیا جائے؟

پاکستان میں ریل گاڑیوں کے حادثات کی تاریخ نہایت تکلیف دہ ہے اور ہر دور میں ملک کے ریلوے نظام کو محفوظ اور جدید بنانے سے گریز کیا جاتا رہا ہے۔ پاکستان ریلویز کے اعداد و شمار کے مطابق صرف 2012 سے 2017 کے دوران گاڑیوں کے 757 حادثے ہوئے یعنی ہر سال ریل گاڑیوں کے چھوٹے بڑے 125 حادثے ہوتے رہے ہیں لیکن کسی نہ کسی عذر کی وجہ سے ریلوے کا انتظام بہتر نہیں ہوسکا اور نہ ہی مسافروں کی حفاظت کو یقینی بنایا جا سکا ہے۔

موجودہ وزیر داخلہ شیخ رشید احمد 18 اگست 2018 سے 11 دسمبر 2020 تک ریلوے کے وزیر رہے ہیں۔ انہی کے دور میں اکتوبر 2019 میں کراچی سے راولپنڈی جانے والی تیز گام کی ایک بوگی میں آگ لگنے سے 74 افراد جھلس کر جاں بحق ہو گئے۔ شیخ رشید نے بھی موجودہ وزیر ریلوے اعظم سواتی یا وزیر اطلاعات فواد چوہدری کی طرح کوئی ذمہ داری قبول کرنا ضروری نہیں سمجھا تھا بلکہ اس سانحہ کو مسافروں کی غلطی قرار دینے میں دیر نہیں کی تھی۔ وہ دو سال سے زیادہ عرصہ تک ریلوے کے وزیر رہے۔ اس دوران حادثات میں سوا سو کے لگ بھگ افراد جاں بحق ہوئے۔ تاہم وزیر ریلوے یا حکومت کے کانوں پر جوں تک نہیں رینگی۔

شاید اس شاندار کارکردگی یا پھر چرب زبانی کی وجہ سے دسمبر 2020 میں وزارت داخلہ کا قلمدان شیخ رشید کے حوالے کر دیا گیا۔ عملی طور سے یہ کابینہ میں اپ گریڈنگ تھی کیوں کہ وزارت داخلہ، خارجہ اور خزانہ کے بعد اہم ترین وزارت سمجھی جاتی ہے۔ اب شیخ رشید یہ دعویٰ کرتے ہیں کہ ملک کی اپوزیشن کمزور اور عمران خان مقدر کے سکندر ہیں۔ ان کے اقتدار کو کوئی خطرہ نہیں۔ حقیقت تو یہ ہے کہ عمران خان ہی نہیں بلکہ شیخ رشید اور ان کے ہم نوالہ سارے وزیر ہی مقدر کے سکندر ہیں۔ کیوں کہ انہیں اب بھی جی ایچ کیوں کے گیٹ نمبر 4 تک رسائی حاصل ہے۔ جس کی چوکیداری کا فریضہ شیخ رشید عرصہ دراز سے انجام دیتے چلے آرہے ہیں۔

https://www.humsub.com.pk/398199/syed-mujahid-ali-1817/

No bread to eat; no clothes to wear while Imran Khan says don't panic: Bilawal Bhutto

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that there is no food for people to eat, no clothes to wear while the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan is saying ‘Do not panic’.

In a statement on Tuesday, Bilawal Bhutto said that every house is an example of economic disaster due to the incompetency of the rulers.
The PPP chairman further stated that 50 % people suffered from poverty during Pervez Musharaf era. Imran Khan has taken the country at same point of crisis from where Pakistan Peoples Party rescued it.
“Wheat is available but flour is expensive; sugar prices are getting out of control despite the availability of sugarcane. This inflation is nothing but the result of Imran Khan’s backing of mafia,” said Bilawal.Bilawal Bhutto added that the PTI government had no regard for the relief of the common man, including salaried people and pensioners in the budget.He said that the government s target was only to prove the wrong GDP figures as correct. He said that if GDP was really increasing, the youngsters in the country would be getting jobs.
Bilawal Bhutto further stated that Imran Khan’s photoshopped GDP growth has turned the employed into unemployed. Every fifth person either lost his job or faced a salary-cut during Imran Khan’s government.
https://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/605138-No-bread-no-clothes-Imran-Khan-panic-Bilawal-Bhutto

By dedicating only 3.3% of the budget to the health sector, it is clear the incompetent PTI government does not consider health as a top priority – says Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari strongly condemned the decision of the National Economic Council to allocate a meager fund for the health and education sector in the upcoming budget. He demanded an increase in the allotted funds so the country could fight the coronavirus pandemic head-on. In a statement issued from the Media Cell Bilawal House, Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari stated, “Allocating only Rs 30 billion for the health sector in the upcoming budget is preposterous. With this allotment, the PTI government is handing the people over to the epidemic.”
By dedicating only 3.3% of the budget to the health sector, it is clear the incompetent PTI government does not consider health as a top priority. “Rs 68 billion from the budget was allotted to please PTI’s assembly members, while only Rs 5 billion have been set aside for epidemic prevention,” lamented Chairman PPP.
The unjust and anti-people budget has also allocated only 5.5% of the funding for the education sector. “Imran Khan has made the future of the nation a joke,” proclaimed Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Instead, the mafia working under Imran Khan claims to focus on development projects that were inaugurated but never completed. “Mr. Prime Minister! If the country does not develop by building roads, then why did you increase the development budget by 38%?” Chairman PPP asked. Rejecting the budget, he declared, “The selected Prime Minister made a selected budget which will not be accepted in any way.”
Chairman PPP also criticized Imran Khan’s government for allotting more development budgets for provinces where the PTI government reigns. “With this move, Imran khan proved he does not consider himself the prime minister of the entire country,” stated Chairman PPP.
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/25057/

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Pakistani Christian man demands justice for wife abducted, raped and beaten by wealthy Muslim captor

 By Anugrah Kumar

A wealthy Muslim man in Pakistan’s Punjab Province ordered his workers to abduct a Christian mother of five and then he repeatedly raped, drugged and beat her for 20 days, according to a report.

The 30-year-old Christian woman, Venus Bibi, who is from Sahoo Ki Malian village near Sheikhupura city, had gone out for household shopping on April 1 when she was abducted and held captive until April 20, according to her husband, Warris Masih, the Pakistan Christian Post reported.

When she was returning home, some Muslim men blocked her way and told her to accompany them without making a noise, Masih said, adding that before she could respond, they grabbed her by the hand and dragged her to a car that was parked nearby.

Masih identified the abductor as Muhamad Akbar, a wealthy and influential Muslim man who had previously kidnapped a separate Christian woman but escaped punishment. After several attempts, Masih said policemen forced Akbar to release Bibi, who was later found on a roadside near her village but she was unable to walk.

Bibi and Masih are both brick kiln workers, and they suspect that police accepted a bribe from Akbar.

“I want justice for my wife,” Masih was quoted as saying. “I want all the kidnappers arrested and punished for their crimes so they can stop kidnapping more Christian women.”

Commenting on the incident, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern said, “With the second-largest Muslim population in the world, Christians in Pakistan are seen as second-class citizens and are provided little protection by their government.

“As a result, Christian girls and women are often kidnapped, tortured, and killed without consequence for their perpetrators.”

The incidence of abduction of Christian girls and women, and, in many cases, also their forced marriage and conversion to Islam, is high in Pakistan.

International persecution watchdog group Open Doors USA ranks Pakistan No. 5 on its 2021 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most severe persecution due to an “extreme” level of Islamic oppression. Pakistan is also listed by the U.S. State Department as a "country of particular concern" for tolerating in or engaging in egregious violations of religious freedom. 

Last month, a 32-year-old Christian man, Arif Masih, was allegedly poisoned and killed by a group of radical Muslims for defending his sister from harassment on the street in the Muslim-majority Tariqabad village of the Punjab province on May 23, the Union of Catholic Asian News reported.

Earlier that week, two young men dragged his sister into the street and stripped her naked after following her home from the store and breaking into the home.

They fought her brother, Masih, who filed a complaint against Muhammad Tariq and Muhammad Majid, the two men who harassed his sister on May 20.

According to Asia News, the men were not arrested and Masih was reportedly threatened for not dropping the complaint and was attacked by the perpetrators three days later.

The perpetrators allegedly loaded Masih on their motorcycle, beat him, poisoned him and threw him into the street. He was taken to the hospital but did not survive his injuries.

https://www.christianpost.com/news/pakistani-christian-man-demands-justice-for-wife-abducted-raped-by-wealthy-muslim-captor.html

Governor of Punjab Says Pakistan is the Safest Country for Religious Minorities

 The Governor of Punjab, Chaudry Mohammad Sarwar, declared that Pakistan is the safest country for religious minorities. The statement came just days before the Hight Court of Pakistan acquitted a couple (Shafqat and Shagufta) for being accused of blasphemy, after having served seven years on death row.

They are not a unique case—religious minorities live under constant fear of being accused of blasphemy. The blasphemy law is consistently held over the religious minorities of Pakistan as a tool of oppression and persecution.

Governments and advocacy groups around the world consistently call attention to Pakistan’s blasphemy law as one of the harshest, with punishments including life in prison and the death penalty. Religious minorities are accused of blasphemy disproportionately compared to those of the religious majority community.

The governor’s statement comes at a time when much of the world’s attention is directed at Pakistan’s blasphemy law. Radicals in the country have appealed to the concept of blasphemy in calling for the French ambassador to be kicked out of the country after President Macron defended a cartoonist who ridiculed Islam.

Pakistan’s leadership is desperately trying to defend its religious freedom record on the international stage, but is falling short of as more evidence comes to surface on the realities of life for religious minorities in Pakistan.

https://www.persecution.org/2021/06/07/governor-punjab-says-pakistan-safest-country-religious-minorities/

#Pakistan #Peshawar - Edwardes College - An old Christian school seized from the Church: minority rights trampled on

 

The Edwardes College in the city of Peshawar, a historic institute of the "Church of Pakistan" (the Anglican Church), in the Anglican diocese of Peshawar, has been entrusted to the management of the state. This was decided by the Supreme Court of Peshawar, ruling in favor of the government of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, within the framework of the current legal battle between the Church and the provincial government for the control and management of the institute. The Supreme Court's ruling comes after Peshawar High Court issued an order in October 2019 to nationalize the oldest educational institution in the provincial territory. The recent verdict of the Supreme Court is totally rejected by the Christian communities which, as the Anglican Bishops in Pakistan say, "do not see their constitutional right protected and see justice trampled on".

Zeeshan Yaqub, an activist for the rights of minorities from Peshawar, tells Fides that "the Christian community in Pakistan is making great efforts in the fields of education, health and other humanitarian services, which benefit the entire population, people of all religions. We ask for the protection of the rights of minorities, as provided for by the Constitution of Pakistan, even in their properties".
Edwardes College was born as a Christian missionary school called "Edwardes High School", founded by the British "Church Missionary Society" in 1853. In 1900 it was transformed into a College and has since functioned as a private institution, officially run by the "Anglican Church". The institute remained under the leadership of the Church even after the Government of Pakistan decided in 1972 to nationalize private educational institutions.
Many institutes were returned to the churches in the following decades, following a policy of de-nationalization.
The legal controversy over the administration of Edwardes College began in 2014, after American missionaries left the leadership of the institute to members of the local Church and the first Pakistani Christian principal was appointed. A Muslim academic, who challenged this appointment, brought the case before the High Court in 2016. Based on the decisions of the High Court, the Anglican Bishop of Peshawar, Monsignor Humphrey Sarfraz Peters (to whom, in the meantime, the jurisdiction had passed, with the erection of that diocese) reestablished the original Board of Directors, in accordance with the Constitution promulgated by the "Church Missionary Society". Among other things, the Church has exclusive ownership of the College's land and buildings: therefore, the College did not meet the criteria for nationalization. Monsignor Humphrey Sarfraz Peters recalled that the College covered all educational expenses, like any other private educational institution, without the State having to assume any burden.
The current government of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa did not accept the configuration of the College as a "private institution", owned by the Church, and continued the legal battle trying to wrest full control of the structure from the Church. The sentence of the High Court of Peshawar of October 2019 proved the civil government right and, after the latest appeal presented by the Church, the Supreme Court also ruled in favor of the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa.
A recent investigation by the NGO "Center for Social Justice" has verified the strong weakening of the once Christian schools and institutes after the nationalization, in the quality of the education provided. 

(KN-PA) (Agenzia Fides, 8/6/2021)

http://www.fides.org/en/news/70273-ASIA_PAKISTAN_An_old_Christian_school_seized_from_the_Church_minority_rights_trampled_on


European Parliament Condemns Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws

By Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab

On April 28, 2021, the European Parliament adopted a joint motion for a resolution on the blasphemy laws in Pakistan calling for more comprehensive approaches to address the abuses of blasphemy laws in Pakistan.
The motion refers to two specific cases, those of Shagufta Kausar and Shafqat Emmanuel. They are a Pakistani Christian couple convicted of blasphemy by a Pakistani court, and sentenced to death by hanging back in 2013. They are alleged to have sent a blasphemous message against the Prophet. Despite the couple being illiterate and the message being in English, the couple did not stand a chance of succeeding in their defense against the dangerous blasphemy provisions and a failed legal system. In 2014, they appealed, however, the High Court of Lahore has since postponed the trial. Both suffer from medical conditions, Shafqat Emmanuel from damage to his spinal cord and Shagufta Kausar from depression. They are not provided with any adequate medical assistance.
Understandably, their cases are not the only ones. The Centre for Social Justice in Pakistan reports that at least 1,855 people have been charged under the blasphemy laws between 1987 and February 2021, with a significant spike in 2020.
Blasphemy laws seek to restrict any speech that may be perceived as offensive to Prophets and holy personages. Despite a global movement to abolish blasphemy laws, many countries maintain these laws. In fact, at least thirteen countries sentence the death penalty for offenses committed in contravention of blasphemy laws. Blasphemy laws have always been problematic as they rely on the notion of causing offense, which is subjective and vague. Blasphemy laws are based on the notion of statements outraging religious feelings and representations insulting the religion or religious beliefs. Both outrage and insult are inexact concepts which create legal uncertainty and encourage an unhelpful degree of subjectivity.
Apart from being subjective in nature, what is also glaring is that despite the fact that blasphemy laws tend to apply to all religions, they are being disproportionally used against religious minorities in states where such laws exist. Public support for strict blasphemy laws in Pakistan is reportedly strong. However, it is clear that those who are calling for strict blasphemy laws are unlikely to ever have to face the charges of blasphemy. The majority of those convicted under blasphemy laws are minorities, especially Ahmadiyya and Christian minorities. The targeting of religious minorities confirms the numerous problems posed by blasphemy laws. They are not being used to prosecute genuine claims of blasphemy but are instead used to persecute religious minorities for daring to live in accordance with their religious beliefs.
In Pakistan, blasphemy laws have often been used by groups of mobs to exact extrajudicial justice. Reports suggest that, since 1990, at least 80 people have been killed in Pakistan over claims of blasphemy. Among others, in April 2017, Mashal Khan, a Muslim student, was killed by an angry mob following allegations that he posted blasphemous content online. In 2014, a Christian couple in Kot Radha Kishan were reportedly beaten to death and burnt by a crowd of over a thousand people for allegedly desecrating the Quran.
Furthermore, anyone who tries to help those charged with blasphemy, are also subjected to threats and violence. Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian Minister, was killed in an ambush for attempting to reform the blasphemy law. The house of Shahbaz Gurmani, a lawyer defending a university lecturer accused of blasphemy, Junaid Hafeez, was raided by gunmen on motorcycles warning him to withdraw from the case. The lawyer of Asia Bibi, Saif-ul-Mulook, had to flee the country in fear of his life.
Such attacks are also common online, particularly, on journalists, academics and civil society organizations.
The situation did not change, as one would have hoped, with Imran Khan becoming the Prime Minister. To the contrary, reportedly, Imran Khan has been calling for the introduction of blasphemy laws in other countries. He is reported to say that “Together, we should ask Europe, the European Union and United Nations to stop hurting the feelings of 1.25 billion Muslim like they do not do in case of Jews. (…) I want the Muslim countries to devise a joint line of action over the blasphemy issue with a warning of trade boycott of countries where such incidents will happen. This will be the most effective way to achieve the goal.”
Considering how dangerous blasphemy laws are in Pakistan, it would be a significant damage to human rights of all to have such provisions adopted in other countries, as reportedly proposed by Imran Khan. The case of Pakistan is a clear warning of the dangers of blasphemy laws.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ewelinaochab/2021/05/26/european-parliament-condemns-pakistans-blasphemy-laws/?sh=2760937344f3

Monday, June 7, 2021

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Video - Bilawal Bhutto's Speech In Today National Assembly Session

Imran Khan promised people 10 million jobs. But when he came to power, he did the opposite – he snatched away jobs from the people – says Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari criticized PTI’s lack of concern for the common man and their failed economic policies damaging the future of Pakistan. He pointed out that due to the anti-people policies of the selected PM, even the middle class of the country has fallen into poverty.
In a statement issued from the Media Cell Bilawal House, Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari demanded PM Imran Khan Niazi be held accountable for the false promises he made to the public during elections. “The puppet Prime Minister, who vowed for a change in 90 days, is now fooling the people once again by announcing to solve the country’s problems in the next government. What a cruel joke he is playing on the nation” he said.
“Does the PM think we have forgotten the claims he made regarding job creation?” questioned Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. “He gave his word and promised our people 10 million jobs. But when he came to power, he did the opposite – he snatched away jobs from the people.”

Highlighting the PM’s inexcusable decisions during his tenure, Chairman PPP pointed out that inflation was imposed on 200 million people of Pakistan. This was done just so the reigning government and the PM’s cronies can benefit from the underprivileged’s fruits of labor. “The countrymen are not blind,” said Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, “They can see how PTI has created economic policies that are leading the rich to get richer, while the poor are getting poorer. Imran Khan’s big claims of economic development have collapsed.”
According to Chairman PPP, Pakistan now needs a savior. That savior can only be Pakistan Peoples Party and their economic policies that have done wonders for the country in the past. He also said that increasing the debt of the country does not count as successful leadership. What matters is the growth in employment and the availability of “ROTI KAPRA AUR MAKAN.”
“If the direction of the country’s economy is to be corrected, we must save the country from future experiments like Imran Khan,” stated Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. “Our past tenures speak volumes of the benefits we have provided for the people. PPP’s economic policies are not for the rich, but for the improvement of the lives of the common man.”
Speaking of PPP’s economic achievements, Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said, “Our accomplishments include record employment for the youth, the Pak-China Economic Corridor, and a GSP Plus Status from Europe,” he disclosed. “These are achievements that will not be forgotten.”
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/25012/

#Pakistan - #TrainAccident #Ghotki - PM and Railway Minister resign over train accident: Bilawal Bhutto

Speaking in the National Assembly, Bilawal Bhutto said that the Prime Minister used to say that when there was a train accident, the Minister and the Prime Minister should resign.
Bilawal Bhutto said that the Information Minister expressed regret over the accident, we do not express regret, we need an answer as to why so many train accidents are happening in this government.
The PPP chairman said that there was a big incident in Ghotki, the minister and the PML-N paper workers stood up to polish their politics, the lives of the poor people of the country are not protected when they travel by rail.
Bilawal Bhutto said that they also shine their politics on accidents, we have to give the message that we stand with the victims of accidents, the government has not responded to us till date of railway accidents.
https://irshadgul.com/index.php/2021/06/07/pm-and-railway-minister-resign-over-train-accident-bilawal-bhutto-ig-news/

Train barrels into another in Pakistan, killing at least 51

By MUHAMMAD FAROOQ and ASIM TANVEER



An express train barreled into another that had derailed in Pakistan before dawn Monday, killing at least 51 people and setting off a desperate effort to search the crumpled cars for survivors and the dead, authorities said.More than 100 other people were injured. Cries for help pierced the night as passengers climbed out of overturned or crushed rail cars. The pleas continued to echo throughout the day at the scene in the district of Ghotki, in the southern province of Sindh.
Heavy machinery arrived to cut open some cars, and more than 15 hours after the crash, rescuers carefully removed wreckage as they looked for anyone who might remain trapped — though hopes were fading for survivors. The military deployed troops, engineers and helicopters to assist.
The Millat Express train derailed around 3:30 a.m., and the Sir Syed Express train hit it minutes later, said Usman Abdullah, a deputy commissioner of Ghotki. It was not immediately clear what caused the derailment, and the driver of the second train said he braked when he saw the disabled train but did not have time to avoid the collision.
About 1,100 passengers were aboard the two trains, rail officials said.
“The challenge for us is to quickly rescue those passengers who are still trapped in the wreckage,” said Umar Tufail, a police chief in the district.The death toll steadily rose through the day, and the chances of finding survivors were diminishing, said Rizwan Nazir, a district administration official.
Authorities brought in lights so rescuers could work through the night. Relatives of some of the missing passengers waited nearby.
Passengers with critical injuries were to be brought by helicopter to a nearby hospital.
Engineers and experts were trying to determine what caused the collision, said Azam Swati, the minister for railways who headed to the scene of the crash. He told The Associated Press that all aspects would be examined, including the possibility of sabotage.
The segment of the railway tracks where the crash took place was old and needed replacing, Habibur Rehman Gilani, chairman of Pakistan Railways, told Pakistan’s Geo News TV. He did not elaborate.Aijaz Ahmed, the driver of the Sir Syed Express, told the station that on seeing the derailed train, he tried his best to avoid the crash by braking but failed. Railway officials said Ahmed was slightly injured, and villagers pulled him from the train’s engine after the crash.
According to local media, some of the passengers on the Millat Express were heading to a wedding party. Mohammad Amin, one of the passengers on the Millat Express who had minor injuries, told the AP from a hospital that before the train departed from the southern port city of Karachi, he and his brother saw mechanics working on one of the cars.
That led them to believe there was something wrong with it, but they were reassured all was fine. Amin said he believed the car that was being worked on was the one that later derailed. Railway officials said they were recording statements of survivors, including the drivers.
Train accidents are common in Pakistan, where successive governments have paid little attention to improving the poorly maintained signal system and aging tracks. In 1990, a packed passenger plowed into a standing freight train in southern Pakistan, killing 210 people in the worst rail disaster in the nation’s history.
https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-business-486edbda33937a38f8db1c171617fea6

Sunday, June 6, 2021

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#PPP Video - AYA AYA BILAWAL...

#WajahatMasood #Religion #State - کيا رياست کا کوی مذھب ھوتا ھے ؟ Can a State have official Religio?

China leans on Pakistan to round up its Uighurs

Beijing ups pressure on Islamabad to find and deport some 2,000 Uighur families that have recently fled persecution in Xinjiang.

Muslim Uighur families are fleeing China’s Xinjiang western province to avoid official persecution and taking refuge in neighboring Pakistan, a gathering exodus that is putting bilateral relations under new strain.

Pakistani authorities say they are under growing pressure from Beijing to round up and repatriate the Uighurs due to China’s concerns they may join the East Turkestan Independent Movement (ETIM), which seeks to create an independent state in Xinjiang, and other Muslim militant groups who have targeted Beijing’s nationals and interests in Pakistan. Pakistan Interior Ministry sources told Asia Times that over 2,000 Uighur families have recently illegally entered Pakistan, most due to Chinese state repression. China has put over one million Uighurs in so-called “vocational” camps Western critics have said are thinly veiled internment camps.
China’s persecution of the Uighurs has recently come under hot fire from the US and EU, putting the minority group in the middle of a larger geopolitical contest for supremacy.
That’s putting Pakistan in a tight space. Before the recent influx, Interior Ministry sources say around 2,000 Uighur families have been living in Pakistan since 1950, mostly running businesses in central Punjab and northern parts of the country. Asia Times repeatedly tried to reach Pakistan Interior Minister Shaikh Rasheed on the phone for comment on the issue, but his private secretary said that the official was busy in a meeting and never returned follow-up calls.
A senior immigration official who requested anonymity told Asia Times that higher authorities have recently been deployed by security agencies and police to pursue the new Uighur refugees in response to Beijing’s “immense pressure” to deport them.
“The authorities have begun collecting biometric data on all Uighurs living in Pakistan to know exactly how many Uighurs have migrated from China,” he said.
The same source said China has complicated the immigration process for the Turkic ethnic group, whose Chinese passports have either been confiscated or not renewed to make it more difficult for them to travel abroad.
He said that the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), an autonomous agency under the Interior Secretary’s control, has recently circulated a survey form to collect information about the “religious affiliation and family history” of Uighur households so that new arrivals from Xinjiang could be identified.Most of the Uighurs who recently fled from China have camouflaged their identity and settled in secretive locations in densely populated urban areas of the country to avoid official detection.
Uighur community members who had earlier migrated to Pakistan and earned citizenship have reportedly helped them to discreetly settle.
Pakistan has given citizen status to Uighur migrants whose ancestors had moved to Pakistan in the late 60s and 70s. They are now fully integrated into Pakistani society through inter-marriage, speak fluent Urdu and wear traditional Pakistani dress.Some of them import Chinese tiles, ceramics, silk and textiles products from Xinjiang, giving them commercial and personal connections to the mainland.
Abbas Rahim, a silk dealer in the Rawalpindi China Market, told Asia Times that the situation for Pakistan’s Uighurs has become more delicate since China extended its Belt and Road infrastructure-building initiative to Pakistan.
Beijing’s growing influence over Islamabad, he said, had made things tougher for Uighur immigrants through greater police and security agency surveillance, scrutiny and harassment.
“They enter our homes and business places now and then on flimsy excuses and harass our females and children without any justification,” he said.
“Pakistani authorities have deported hundreds of our community members to China where we learned many were executed by the Chinese army and many incarcerated back in the concentration camps for indoctrination,” he claimed, saying many were “untraceable” once sent back to China. “We are trying to trace them but the police are not cooperating with us. We suspect that the law enforcers picked them and handed them over to the Chinese authorities,” he said. Rahim and others said that Uighur schools, community centers and religious seminaries have recently been shut down by Pakistani authorities due to Chinese pressure.
Until now, Pakistan has been a safe haven for migrant Uighurs. From 1950-70, thousands of Uighur Muslims settled in Pakistan and the state granted them all the constitutional rights given to citizens.
Several Pakistani Uighurs have gone on to achieve high political and social status. Hakim Muhammad Saeed, an ethnic Uighur who before his assassination served as governor of Sindh Province from 1993-94, was one of Pakistan’s most prominent medical researchers in the field of Eastern medicines.Others include Sadia Rashid, who holds the chancellorship of Hamdard University and chairs the Pakistan-Japan Cultural Association (PJCA). Yet another is Abdul Rasul, who served as leader of the Asian Muslims Human Rights Bureau.The tide started to turn in the 1990s, however. From 1997 to 2016, Pakistan extradited some 35 Uighur students and militants from Lahore and North Waziristan.
Amnesty International claimed that the Chinese authorities have executed most of them. The Pakistani government in 2015 asserted that Uighur militants were no longer present in the tribal areas of northwest Pakistan, in a bid to appease Beijing.
However, in the Mansehra District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and Punjab, groups of Uighur militants are known to be still hiding with the connivance of Pakistan’s security agencies. The tide has turned more decisively against the Uighurs since 2015, when Pakistan inked the US$60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a crucial spoke in Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.
It’s around that time, critics say, that Beijing started influencing more of Islamabad’s decisions on the Uighurs. Authorities have since closed down schools and cultural organizations set up by the Uighur community to educate children in their native language.
Pakistan has not publically condemned China’s persecution of the Uighurs in Xinjiang, fearing a Chinese backlash and possible suspension of lucrative investment projects.
In 2019, when journalists asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to comment on the Uighur issue, he simply replied that he “did not know much about the issue.” In the same breath, Khan described China as a “breeze of fresh air” for Pakistan, an assessment Pakistan’s Uighurs would likely contest. https://asiatimes.com/2021/06/china-leans-on-pakistan-to-round-up-its-uighurs/

Rewarding 96 billion rupees to PTI members during an acute economic crisis is blatantly unjust – says Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

 Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari strongly condemned the poor economic policies of the PTI government, saying that the PTI government cannot cover up its incompetence by blaming the IMF for inflation. “The PTI government has handed over Pakistan’s sovereignty by signing on to the repressive terms of the IMF deal,” said Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. 


In a statement issued from the Media Cell Bilawal House, the Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari questioned the incumbent government, “Why is the inflation rate in Pakistan at 10.9% while India controlled it at 4.29% and Bangladesh at 5.54% during the pandemic?”

The mafia working under Imran Khan raised the price of chicken by 110% for PTI’s cartel to profit billions of rupees. And now, by reducing the rate slightly, they will also take credit for the price drop. “On one hand, people do not have any money in their pockets. On the other hand, Imran Khan plans to reward PTI assembly members with billions of rupees in the budget”, said Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari demanded that the national exchequer be spent on the welfare of citizens, not to reward PTI members who came to power through rigged elections. “Rewarding 96 billion rupees to PTI members during an acute economic crisis is blatantly unjust, anti-people, and quite frankly grotesque.”, he added.

Chairman PPP also criticised Imran Khan’s government for not presenting its five-year economic plan after the conclusion of the 11th economic plan. “If PTI’s economic plan is only to be beholden to the IMF’s dictation, then Imran Khan should admit to the people of Pakistan that he came to power, not with a plan to serve the people, but a plan to serve only his cronies and himself.”

https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/24977/

پاکستانیوں کو ملالہ سے کیا پریشانی ہے؟



سید مجاہد علی

 

خیبر پختون خوا اسمبلی میں ملالہ یوسف زئی کے بیان پر وضاحت طلب کرنے کا مطالبہ کیا گیا ہے۔ امن انعام یافتہ 23 سالہ ملالہ نے برطانوی میگزین ’ووگ‘ کو ایک انٹرویو میں شادی، پارٹنر شپ اور محبت
کے موضوع پر بات کی تھی۔ ملالہ جولائی کے ’ووگ‘ میگزین کےسرورق پر جلوہ افراز ہوں گی۔ جریدے نے ان کی کچھ تصاویر جاری کی ہیں اور طویل انٹرویو کے کچھ حصے نیٹ پر شائع کئے ہیں۔ لیکن پاکستانی قارئین ’ملالہ شادی پر یقین نہیں رکھتی‘ کا نعرہ لگا کر ملالہ یوسف زئی کی کردار کشی اور ان کے خیالات کے بارے پر جوش طریقے سے رائے زنی کررہے
ہیں۔ ایک پوائینٹ آف آرڈر پر کے پی کے اسمبلی میں یہی بات دہرائی گئی ہے۔ سوشل میڈیا پر گزشتہ چند روز سے اس موضوع پر طوفان بپا ہے۔ پشاور کے مفتی شہاب الدین پوپلزئی نے ٹوئٹر ملالہ کے والد ضیاالدین یوسف زئی سے سوال کیا تھا کہ ’سوشل میڈیا پر ایک خبر زیر گردش ہے کہ ان کی بیٹی نے رشتہ ازدواج کو یکسر مسترد کرتے ہوئے کہا ہے کہ شادی کرنے سے بہتر ہے کہ پارٹنر شپ کی جائے نہ کہ نکاح‘۔ ضیاالدین یوسف زئی نے اس ٹوئٹ کے جواب میں لکھا تھا کہ ’محترم مفتی پوپلزئی صاحب ایسی کوئی بات نہیں۔ میڈیا اور سوشل میڈیا نے ان کی بیٹی کے انٹرویو کے اقتباس کو سیاق و سباق سے ہٹ کر اور تبدیل کرکے اپنی تاویلات کے ساتھ شئیر کیا ہے، اور بس‘۔ اس سوال و جواب کے بعد بھی معاملہ رکنے کا نام نہیں لیتا۔ آج خیبر پختون خوا اسمبلی میں اپوزیشن ارکان کی طرف سے اس حوالے سے وضاحت طلب کرنے اور تحقیقات کا مطالبہ کیا گیا۔ضلع اپر دیر سے تعلق
رکھنے والے پیپلز پارٹی کے رکن صوبائی اسمبلی صاحبزادہ ثنااللہ نے ایک پوائینٹ آف آرڈر پر بات کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ چند روز سے سوشل میڈیا اور مین اسٹریم میڈیا میں ملالہ یوسف زئی کے ایک بیان کا چرچا ہے۔ انہوں نے مطالبہ کیا کہ حکومت تحقیقات کرے کہ کیا لڑکیوں کی تعلیم کی جد و جہد کے لئے مشہور عالمی شہرت یافتہ ملالہ نے واقعی شادی کے بارے میں یہ ریمارکس دیے ہیں۔ اگر ملالہ نے شادی کی بجائے عورت اور مرد میں پارٹنر شپ کی بات کی ہے تو اس کی مذمت کی جائے کیوں کہ دنیا کا کوئی بھی مذہب اس کی اجازت نہیں ہے۔ ان کا یہ مطالبہ بھی تھا
کہ ملالہ وضاحت کرے کہ اس نے یہ بیان نہیں دیا۔ اسی موضوع پر متحدہ مجلس عمل کے رکن اسمبلی عنایت اللہ خان نے کہا کہ شادی کے بارے میں ملالہ سے منسوب خیالات نے اس کی شخصیت کو نقصان پہنچایا ہے۔ ملالہ کے والد کو بتانا چاہئے کہ کیا غلطی سے بیان دیا گیا یا اسے سیاق و سباق سے ہٹ کر پیش کیا جارہا ہے۔ کیوں کہ ملالہ کی شناخت مسلمان اور پشتون روایات سے ہے۔ اب اس بیان کے بعد اس کے حامی بھی اس پر نکتہ چینی کررہے ہیں۔ تاہم اس بحث کے دوران عوامی نیشنل پارٹی اور حکمران تحریک انصاف کے نمائیندوں نے ملالہ اور اس کے خاندان کے مؤقف کی حمایت کی۔ اے این پی کے نثار خان نے کہا کہ ملالہ پشتون قوم کی بیٹی ہے جس نے بہادری سے دہشت گردوں کا مقابلہ کیا۔ اس کے خلاف کی جانے والی باتوں کی مذمت ہونی چاہئے۔ تحریک انصاف کے ضیااللہ بنگش نے کہا کہ انٹرویو کا متعلقہ حصہ دراصل ماں بیٹی کا مکالمہ ہے۔ اسے سیاق سباق سے علیحدہ کرکے تنازعہ کھڑا کرنے کی کوشش کی جارہی ہے۔ بحث کے دوران دیگر ارکان نے بھی ملالہ سے وضاحت دینےکا مطالبہ کیا۔ اس بحث کی ضرورت اور صوبائی اسمبلی کے ارکان کے حب الوطنی اور دینی حمیت سے لبریز بیانات کا جائزہ لینے سے پہلے ضروری ہے کہ یہ دیکھ لیا جائے کہ ملالہ نے دراصل کیا کہا ہے۔ ’ووگ‘ میگزین کے انٹرویو میں محبت، شادی اور مرد و عورت کے تعلق کے بارےمیں جو باتیں کی گئی ہیں ، وہ کچھ یوں ہیں: ملالہ نے محبت کے موضوع پر بات کرتے ہوئے وضاحت کی اس کے سب دوست ساتھی تلاش کررہے ہیں۔ اسے نہیں معلوم کہ وہ بھی ایسا ہی چاہتی ہے۔ میں ایسے تعلق کے بارے میں کچھ نروس ہوں۔ سوشل میڈیا پر ہرکوئی اپنے تعلق کی کہانی بتا رہا ہوتا ہے اور آپ پریشان ہوجاتے ہیں۔ اس سوال پر کہ کیا رومانوی تعلق کے بارے میں؟ ملالہ نے کہا ، ہاں۔ کہ کیا آپ کسی پر اعتبار کرسکتے ہیں یا نہیں۔ آخر اس بارے میں یقین سے کیسے کچھ کہا جاسکتا ہے۔ ملالہ نے بتایا کہ اس کے والدین نے ایک دوسرے کو دیکھ کر پسند کیا تھا پھر ان کے والدین نے شادی کا انتظام کیا۔ میں نہیں جانتی کہ میں شادی کرنا چاہتی ہوں۔ مجھے نہیں معلوم کہ لوگوں کو شادی کیوں
کرنا چاہئے۔ اگر آپ زندگی میں ساتھی چاہتے ہیں تو یہ پارٹنر شپ کیوں نہیں ہوسکتی؟ ملالہ نے ہنستے ہوئے بتایا کہ میری ماں اس بات پر مجھ سے متفق نہیں ہیں۔ ان کا موقف یوں ہوتا ہے’خبردار جو ایسی بات کی۔ تمہیں شادی کرنا ہے۔ شادی ایک خوبصورت بندھن ہے‘۔ اسی حوالے سے اس انٹرویو نما مضمون میں بتایا گیا ہے کہ ملالہ کے والد کو پاکستان سے ملالہ کے لئے رشتے آتے رہتے ہیں۔ کہ لڑکے کی کتنے ایکڑ زمین ہے اور کتنے مکان اس کی ملکیت میں ہیں۔ ملالہ نے مسکراتے ہوئے یہ معلومات فراہم کیں اور بتایا کہ یونیورسٹی میں سیکنڈ ائر تک وہ یہی سوچتی تھی کہ مجھے شادی نہیں کرنی، بچے پیدا نہیں کرنے۔ میں صرف اپنا کام کرنا چاہتی ہوں۔ میں خوش و خرم اپنے خاندان کے ساتھ رہنا چاہتی ہوں۔ لیکن ’میں اس وقت نہیں جانتی تھی آپ ہمیشہ ایک سے نہیں رہتے۔ عمر بڑھنے کے ساتھ آپ تبدیل ہوتے رہتے
ہیں‘۔ آخر میں ووگ میگزین کی رپورٹر سیرین کیل لکھتی ہیں کہ ’ لگتا ہے کہ ایک شاندار مزاحمتی زندگی گزارنے والی ملالہ کےلئے سارے آپشن موجود ہیں۔ ملالہ نے مسکراتے ہوئے بتایا کہ :آخر میں آپ کو اپنا مستقبل خود ہی تراشنا ہوتا ہے۔ اگر کوئی جانتا ہے کہ یہ کام کیسے کرنا ہے تو وہ ملالہ ہی ہے‘۔ اس طویل انٹرویو میں محبت ، شادی، اعتبار اور ساتھ کے علاوہ متعدد اہم امور پر بات کی گئی ہے اور ملالہ یوسف زئی کی شخصیت اور اس کی سوچ کے نئے گوشوں کو اجاگر کیا گیا ہے لیکن پاکستانی مباحث
میں شادی کے حوالے سے ایک معصومانہ اور جائز سوال پر ملالہ کو مطعون کرنےاور اس کا رشتہ مذہب اور پشتون روایت سے جوڑنے کا سلسلہ جاری ہے۔ ملک کی ایک صوبائی اسمبلی میں اس حوالے سے بحث حیرت انگیز طور پر افسوسناک ہے۔ ایک ایسے ملک کی صوبائی اسمبلی کے ارکان کس منہ سے ’ملالہ سے جوابدہی اور وضاحت طلب کرنے‘ کا مطالبہ کرسکتے ہیں جو اپنی ہی ایک کم سن شہری کی حفاظت کا اہتمام بھی نہیں کرسکتا۔ اکتوبر 2012 میں پندرہ سالہ ملالہ کو طالبان نے ٹاگٹ حملہ میں ہلاک کرنے کی کوشش کی تو حکومت پاکستان معقول حفاظتی انتظامات میں اس کا علاج بھی نہیں کرواسکی۔ اس
وقت کے آرمی چیف جنرل (ر) اشفاق پرویز کیانی کی نگرانی میں زخمی ملالہ اور اس کے خاندان کو برطانیہ منتقل کردیا گیا۔ دہشت گردی کے خلاف ریاستی اداروں کی اس سے بڑی بے بسی اور کیا ہوسکتی ہے۔ اس کے بعد سے حکومت پاکستان نے سیکورٹی کا عذر تراشتے ہوئے ملالہ اور اس کے خاندان کو پاکستان نہیں آنے دیا۔ وہ 2018 میں مختصر مدت کے لئے صرف ایک بار پاکستان آ سکی تھیں۔ دہشت گردی کے خلاف آواز اٹھانے اور ڈٹے رہنے اور لڑکیوں کے تعلیم کے حق کے لئے سرگرم ہونے کی وجہ سے پوری دنیا نے ملالہ یوسف زئی کو اعزاز دیا ہے۔ وہ نوبل امن انعام حاصل کرنے والی سب سے کم عمر شخصیت تھیں۔ انہیں اقوام متحدہ میں خطاب کرنے اور امریکی صدر سمیت اہم ترین عالمی لیڈروں سے ملنے کا اعزاز حاصل رہا۔ اس پر ملالہ سے زیادہ دنیا کے لیڈر فخر اور عزت محسوس کرتے ہیں کہ وہ ملالہ جیسے باہمت اور اعلیٰ اوصاف و خیالات کی حامل لڑکی سے مل سکے۔ زیر بحث انٹرویو میں ہی سابق امریکی صدر باراک اوباما کی اہلیہ مشل کا درج زیل بیان بھی شامل ہے: ’وہ غیرمعمولی شخصیت ہے۔ میں اور باراک اسے پہلی بار 2013 میں اس وقت ملے جب وہ وہائٹ ہاؤس آئی تھی۔ فوری طور سے یہ واضح ہورہا تھا کہ اس کمرے میں وہ امریکی صدر کے ہم پلہ تھی۔ اس کا سکون، اس کی دانشمندی اور لڑکیوں کی طاقت پر کامل یقین۔۔۔ یہ سب کچھ اس پہلی ملاقات میں عیاں تھا‘۔ ملالہ کا یہ اعزاز اور تعلیم کے لئے اس کی جد و جہد اہل پاکستان کو قبول نہیں ہے۔ جس انٹرویو کو مباحث کا حصہ بنا کر ملالہ کو بدنام کرنے کی کوشش کی جارہی ہے، وہ بائیس تئیس سال کے کسی بھی نوجوان کے احساسات ہوسکتے ہیں۔ لیکن ملالہ نے جس مہارت، حساسیت اور خوبصورتی سے انہیں پیش کیا ہے، اس پر فخر کرنے اور توصیف کی بجائے، یہ نکتہ تلاش کرنے کی کوشش کی جارہی ہے کہ اس نے شادی کو مسترد کرکے پارٹنر کے طور پر رہنے کی وکالت کی ہے۔ یہ مؤقف انٹریو میں کہی گئی باتوں سے برعکس ہے۔ ملالہ نے کہیں شادی کی مخالفت نہیں کی ۔ صرف یہ معصومانہ سا سوال اٹھایا ہے کہ اگر دولوگ مل کر رہنا چاہتے ہیں تو کیا شادی ہی واحد راستہ ہے۔ یہ پارٹنر شپ کیوں نہیں ہوسکتی۔ اسے یوں بھی سمجھا جاسکتا ہے کہ جس شادی میں پارٹنر شپ نہیں ہے ، اس شادی کا کیا فائدہ ہے۔ یہ سادہ سوال معاشرے کی غالب سوچ کو قبول نہیں ہے کیوں کہ پاکستانی معاشرے کی شادی میں عورت کو برابر ماننا مذہب سے بغاوت قرار دیا جاتا ہے۔ خیبر پختون خوا اسمبلی کے معزز ارکان اس حوالے سے
یہ دور کی کوڑی لائے ہیں کہ دنیا کا کوئی مذہب شادی سے انکار نہیں کرتا۔ یہ بات کہتے ہوئے وہ یہ نہیں جانتے تھے کہ دنیا کی نصف سے زیادہ آبادی تو کسی مذہب کو مانتی ہی نہیں ہے۔ اور ناروے جیسے عیسائی ملک میں بھی پارٹنر شپ کے تحت رہنا قانونی طریقہ ہے۔ کیا شادی بھی ساتھ رہنے کا ایک معاہدہ نہیں ہے۔ پارٹنر شپ کے سوال پر جز بز ہونے والے لوگ دراصل شادی میں دو فریقوں کی موجودگی سے انکار کرتے ہیں۔ وہ شادی کو عورت پر مرد کی اجارہ داری کا اعلان سمجھتے ہیں۔ ملالہ نے اس اجارہ داری کو عالمی سطح پر چیلنج کیا ہے۔ اسی لئے وہ مہذب دنیا میں قدر کی نگاہ سے دیکھی جاتی ہے لیکن پاکستان کے کوتاہ نظر اسے دشمن کا ایجنٹ قرار دے کر اپنے تعصب، جہالت اور کم علمی کا مظاہرہ کرتے ہیں۔ صنفی مساوات سے انکار کیا جاتا ہے جو جدید
انسانی زندگی کا اہم اور بنیادی اصول ہے۔ کسی پاکستانی کو عالمی سطح پر وہ شہرت، عزت، قبولیت اور مقام و مرتبہ حاصل نہیں ہؤا جو ملالہ یوسف زئی نے کم عمری میں اپنے حوصلہ، شجاعت ، ذہانت اور اصول پسندی کی وجہ سے حاصل کیا ہے۔ وہ دنیا میں لڑکیوں کی تعلیم اور عورتوں کے حقوق کی توانا آواز ہے۔ پاکستان کی بدقسمتی ہے کہ اس باصلاحیت خاتون کو ملکی مفادات کا نمائیندہ سمجھنے کی بجائے، اسے اپنی تہذیب و عقیدہ کے خلاف ’سازش ‘ قرار دیا جاتا ہے۔ حالانکہ اس انٹریو میں بھی ملالہ نے بات کا آغاز ان الفاظ سے کیا ہے: ’میرا حجاب میرے مسلم عقیدے اور پشتون ثقافت کی علامت ہے۔ میں سب سے یہ کہنا چاہتی ہوں کہ آپ اپنی ثقافتی حدود میں بھی اپنی رائے کا اظہار کرسکتے ہیں۔ اور اپنے کلچر میں مساوات حاصل کرسکتے ہیں‘۔ پاکستان میں اس وقت تک قد آور ملالہ کو کمتر قرار دینے کی کوششیں ہوتی رہیں گی جب تک انسانوں میں برابری کے اس عالمگیر اور بنیادی اصول کو تسلیم نہیں کیا جاتا۔
https://www.humsub.com.pk/397930/syed-mujahid-ali-1815/

Saturday, June 5, 2021

#Colbert #MichelleObama #WafflesandMochi - "Give Yourself A Break" - Michelle Obama On Coping With The Anxieties Of The Pandemic

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‘Worse day by day’: journalists speak out after Pakistani vlogger tortured - Opinion: Imran Khan promised us press freedom in Pakistan. Now journalists are under attack

 



As Imran Khan’s government moves to outlaw virtually any criticism, media figures fear ‘darkest era’ of press freedom.

Gathered before a solemn crowd, Hamid Mir, one of Pakistan’s best-known journalists, spoke defiantly. “Do not ever enter the homes of journalists again,” he said. “We don’t have tanks or guns like you, but we can tell the people of Pakistan about the stories that emerge from inside your homes.”

Mir may have been addressing journalists in Islamabad on Friday, but his words were not directed at them; they were a clear message to Pakistan’s all-powerful military establishment.

Days before, attackers had barged into the home of YouTube journalist Asad Toor, whose videos are critical of the ruling elite. They tied him up and tortured him, but not before allegedly introducing themselves as officers from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the shadowy security arm of the military.

“I was told that the army and ISI were not happy with my journalism,” says Toor after the attack. “While torturing me, they asked me why I had named ISI and the army in my reporting.”
The Pakistan authorities have denied all involvement and claimed Toor staged the attack in order to seek political asylum abroad. On Tuesday, the Federal Investigation Agency filed a case against Toor for “defamation” of a government institution.
“There is no space for freedom of speech and dissent,” says Toor. “If one criticises the military and Imran Khan, they face physical and online attacks. The level of frustration has rocketed. They can’t tolerate criticism by journalists.”
In response to the attack, Mir was among a group of journalists who had gathered to voice their anger at the increasing violence, intimidation and censorship of journalists who have dared to criticise Khan’s government.
Mir’s speech, which was directed at the military without mentioning it by name, went viral. But on Monday, Mir was told that his popular chatshow, which has been running for two decades, was to be pulled from the news channel Geo TV. The last time this happened to Mir was in 2007, when military leader Pervez Musharraf, then president of Pakistan, declared a state of emergency and suspended the 
 constitution.

They have even shared the contact number of my daughter on WhatsApp and asked others to threaten her

Hamid Mir, journalist

Mir is no stranger to intimidation for his reporting: he still has two bullets in his body from an assassination attempt in 2014. But Mir says that press freedom has deteriorated to one of the lowest points he has experienced in his decades-long career.
“They have gone so low,” says Mir, who would not directly name the military or ISI. “They have even shared the contact number of my daughter on WhatsApp and asked others to threaten her. She is just a student. She is now getting threatening and intimidating messages.” The decision to pull Mir’s show was condemned by many, including Amnesty International, which said it further undermined any protection of free speech “in an already repressive environment”.
“Censorship, harassment and physical violence must not be the price journalists pay to do their jobs,” said Amnesty. Since Khan came to power in 2018 with the backing of the military, journalists and civil rights groups have spoken out against a steady erosion of press freedom. Violent attacks on journalists are on the rise. In April, a senior Pakistani journalist was shot and wounded in Islamabad, believed to have been targeted because of his reporting.
The military now routinely issues threats to ensure news stories which are negative about the military or Khan’s government are pulled, critical journalists are fired and no coverage is given to opposition politicians and rallies.According to the International Federation of Journalists, Pakistan is the world’s fifth most dangerous country for journalists. In its 2020 world press freedom index, Reporters Without Borders ranked Pakistan 145th out of 180 countries.
The assault on the media in Pakistan is now about to become law, as the president, Arif Alvi, introduces some of the most draconian censorship seen in years, including an almost blanket ban on negative coverage of the government or the military.
Under these rules, existing press freedom laws will be repealed and a new authority granted power to inspect and raid any news organisation, summon any journalist for investigation and cancel the licence of a media network. Even journalists broadcasting over YouTube would need a licence.The ordinance also states that TV news anchors cannot broadcast views which are “prejudicial to the ideology of Pakistan or sovereignty, integrity or security of Pakistan” and that no coverage can be given to any story which “defames or brings into ridicule the head of state, or members of the armed forces, or legislative or judicial organs of the state”.Shahzada Zulfiqar, president of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, describes the new regulation as “media martial law. We are entering into the worst and darkest era of media freedom. In this era there is a lack of safety for journalists both in their career and in their life.
“It is getting worse day by day. Journalists don’t feel safe here.”
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/jun/02/hamid-mir-journalists-speak-out-after-pakistani-vlogger-asad-toor-tortured

#Pakistan - Only #PPP's economic policies can take country forward: Bilawal

 

Chairman of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday said that only economic policies of his party can take country forward and vowed to provide basic necessities to masses if PPP comes into power.

Bilawal Bhutto, in a statement, said that PPP is the only party that formulates the budget while keeping in mind the monthly budget of a common man. Polices of right-wing parties intend to only benefit the elite class, he added.

Bilawal further said that People’s Party has always lived up to its promise of providing food, clothes, housing and employment to all citizens of the country.

https://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/604731-Only-PPPs-economic-policies-can-take-country-forward-Bilawal

When PPP was the federal government, a typical family of five used to pay an average of Rs 3,500 house rent, but under PTI, it costs them Rs 22,000 – says Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari compared Prime Minister Imran Khan’s failed government with PPP’s past governments and promised that “Roti, kapra aur makaan” will be provided to citizens the day PPP comes into power. In a statement issued from the Media Cell Bilawal House, Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari explained how the predicaments in Pakistan’s current policies had affected livelihoods. “The policies of right-wing parties have failed,” declared Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, “Only the economic policies of PPP can take the country ahead.”

He further highlighted that in the past, only PPP’s economic policies managed to make a difference. The economic policies then were formulated keeping in mind the common man’s monthly budget. “The policies of right-wing parties only benefit the rich,” Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari pointed out. “History stands witness to the “Roti, kapra aur makaan” promises that the Pakistan Peoples Party fulfilled.”
The PTI government, under the selected Prime Minister, on the other hand, has increased inflation to an extent where the monthly flour needs of a family of 5 are met at Rs 3,500. During PPP’s tenure, the flour needs of an ordinary family of 5 people cost Rs 1,975 per month.Drawing comparisons with the current inflation rate, Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari revealed, “During the PPP regime, an ordinary family used to buy children’s clothes for Rs 600. It costs them Rs 3,600 today.”He further continued, “When PPP was the federal government, a typical family of five used to pay an average of Rs 3,500 house rent, but under PTI, it costs them Rs 22,000.”
However, these alarming statistics will continue to worsen if the puppet Prime Minister is not held accountable. While articulating comparisons between the PPP and PTI, Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari emphasized how inflation caused by a global economic crisis during PPP’s tenure was followed by a 59% increase in the common man’s income.“The Pakistan Peoples Party increased salaries by up to 150% during its federal tenure so that the burden of the global economic crisis does not fall on the common citizen,” said Chairman PPP. “Inshallah, by forming the next government, Pakistan Peoples Party will continue to solve the basic problems of the people.”
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/24973/