Wednesday, July 14, 2021
ملالہ اور بےنظیر کو ہیرو نہ سمجھا تو اللّٰہ حافظ ہے، شیری رحمان
پنجاب ٹیکسٹ بک بورڈ کی ملالہ یوسف زئی سے متعلق مضمون پر پابندی کے بعد پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی کی رہنما شیری رحمان معاملہ سینیٹ میں لے آئیں۔
سینیٹ میں اظہار خیال کرتے ہوئے شیری رحمان نے کہا کہ آپ ملالہ اور بے نظیر جیسی خواتین کو اپنا ہیرو نہیں سمجھیں گے تو اللّٰہ آپ کا حافظ ہے۔
شیری رحمان نے کہا کہ آپ نئی نسل کو کیا پیغام دے رہے ہیں؟۔
سینیٹر اعجاز چودھری نے کہا ملالہ سے متعلق مضمون پنجاب ٹیکسٹ بک بورڈ نے نہیں آکسفورڈ نے چھاپا تھا۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ حکومت پنجاب کی اس حوالے سے کوئی ذمے داری نہیں۔
https://jang.com.pk/news/956690
سینیٹ میں رضا ربانی کے نعرے، بعد میں معذرت
سینیٹ میں اپوزیشن نے وفاقی وزیر امور کشمیر علی امین گنڈا پور کے بیان کے خلاف احتجاج کیا، سینیٹر رضا ربانی نے ایوان میں نعرے لگوا دیے اور پھر بعد میں معذرت کر لی، رضاربانی نے کہا کہ ایک دوسرے کو برا بھلا کہنے والی سیاست تباہی کی طرف لے جائے گی۔
سینیٹ اجلاس میں سابق چیئرمین سینیٹ رضا ربانی نے شہید ذوالفقار علی بھٹو کے خلاف حکومتی وزیر کے بیان پر نعرے لگائے اور پھر معذرت کرلی اور کہاکہ پاکستان آج اس بات پر اترا رہا ہے کہ اس کے پاس ایٹم بم ہے تویہ بھٹو کی وجہ سے ہے، آج پاکستان بھارت کی آنکھوں میں آنکھ ڈال کردیکھ سکتا ہے تو اس کیلئے بھٹو نے پھندا چوما تھا۔
رضا ربانی نے کہاکہ ایک ایسے علاقے آزاد کشمیر میں جاکر بھٹو کے بارے میں بات کی گئی ہے، جس شخص نے ہندوستان کی آنکھوں میں آنکھ ڈال کر کہاں ہم ہزار سال لڑیں گے، جس نے کہا گھاس کھائیں گے ایٹمی پروگرام پر سمجھوتہ کرنے کو تیار نہیں، تو آج آپ اس شخص کے لیے ایسے الفاظ استعمال کرتے ہیں۔
پی پی رہنما نے کہاکہ ہمیں اسلام آباد یا پنڈی سے حب الوطنی کے سرٹیفیکٹ لینے کی ضرورت نہیں، وہ شخص جو شہد پیتا ہے وہ بھٹو کو یہ لقب دے رہا ہے، بھٹو 90 ہزار قیدیوں کو واپس لایا، پاکستانی کو پاکستانی ہونے کی شناخت دی۔
انہوں نے کہاکہ کچھ ایسی لیڈرز ہوتے ہیں جو اپنی جان دے دیتے ہیں اصول پر سمجھوتہ نہیں کرتے، بھٹو امریکی سامراج سے سمجھوتہ کرسکتا تھا لیکن نہیں کیا، جس شخص نے فلسطین کے لیے فضائیہ کو دیا آپ اس کے لیے یہ الفاظ کہتے ہیں، جس نے لاہور میں سب اسلامی ممالک کو اکھٹا کیا اور کہا ہماری فوج سب اسلامی ممالک کی ہے، آپ اسے غدار کہنا چاہتے ہیں۔
رضا ربانی کاکہنا تھا کہ اس طرح کی سیاسی گفتگو ہونی ہے تو یہاں کوئی محفوظ نہیں رہے گا، شہد کی بات کو حذف کردیں لیکن آج مجھ پر جذبات طاری ہیں، آج سیاست کے اقدار کو پھینک دیا گیا ہے، سابق وزیر اعظم کو چور ڈاکو کے لقب سے بات کریں گے، ہماری زبان کھلے گی تو مناسب نہیں ہوگا، یہ سیاست تباہی کی طرف لے کر جائے گی۔
سابق چیئرمین سینیٹ نے کہا کہ ایسے واقعات پاکستان میں ہوئے ہیں جس کی وجہ سے سننا پڑا ہے میرے عزیز ہم وطنو، یہ تو ملک چھوڑ کر چلے جائیں گے لیکن اٹک قلعہ اور جیل ہمارے لیے ہوں گے، کیا ایک بار پھر ہم اس روش کی طرف تو نہیں نکل رہے۔
https://jang.com.pk/news/956516
Tuesday, July 13, 2021
Before Balochi Insurgents, Imran Khan Needs To Talk To Army – OpEd
By Nilesh Kunwar
It’s no secret that the Pakistan army has been brutalizing and terrorizing the people of Balochistan ever since it illegally occupied this region in 1948. Those who think otherwise, just need google search “kill and dump policy” and perusal of the top 20 results have one thing in common- they all pertain to the Pakistan army’s vicious role in Balochistan due to which Rawalpindi owns exclusive copyright of this terrifying phrase. Hence, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s willingness to talk with Baloch insurgents is indeed a welcome step that was long overdue.
Besides achieving political stability and substantial economic advantages that would accrue if dialogue resolves this long-festering issue, the biggest takeaway would be the end of a humongous human tragedy of gargantuan proportions. An amicable settlement would also pave way for the oppressed Balochis to start re-living a dignified life without the ever-looming fear of being ‘snatched’ by Pakistani security forces and ending up as battered corpses dumped by the roadside or secretly buried in mass graves. It will hopefully also end the exploitation of the region’s natural resources and recompense locals by using part of the income from such commercial activity for development of Balochistan.
However, resolving Balochistan won’t be an easy task because for this Khan would muster the courage to accept the reality that over the years, the Pakistan army’s medieval-era strategy of suppressing dissent with brute force has deeply lacerated the Balochi psyche and is the root cause of the problem. His surreal comment that “It is possible that they [Balochis] have grievances,” smacks of casualness and as such it doesn’t inspire much confidence.” Moreover, by adding that “India [can] use them [Baloch insurgents] to spread anarchy,” Khan has given a clear indication that just like his predecessors, he too will take the convenient option of remaining in a blissful state of denial by blaming New Delhi for this more than seven-decade-old crisis.
With the Pakistan army enforcing strict access control into Balochistan and Islamabad imposing stringent censorship on reporting incidents of human rights excesses by security forces and intelligence agencies, the world remains largely ignorant regarding the institutionalized dehumanization of Balochis by the Pakistan army and its proxies. However, credible information of incidents involving gross human rights violations keeps leaking out and is reported by various international rights organizations. However, despite documented evidence of human rights abuses by Pakistan’s security forces in Balochistan, the world, unfortunately, turns Nelson’s eye to these brazen crimes against humanity.
Whereas there’s no dearth of incidents of enforced disappearance in Balochistan, but just one example is enough to illustrate how Rawalpindi has not only mastered the macabre art of forcibly disappearing Balochis and secretly burying them into mass graves, but also its expertise in sabotaging the investigation. Most importantly, it reveals how Rawalpindi ‘fixes’ judicial inquires so that security forces get a ‘clean chit. This illustrative example is regarding an incident that happened in the Khuzdar district seven years ago.
Some geography enthusiasts may recall that Khuzdar district takes its name from a township which is the third-largest city of Balochistan. A few history buffs may also recollect that Khuzdar was the capital of the erstwhile Brahui kingdom of Makran. Since Brahui are the only Dravidian-speaking population not only in Balochistan but entire Pakistan, so, Khuzdar may also evince the interest of ethnologists. However, very few would recollect that in 2014, three mass graves were discovered in the Total area of Khuzdar district.
In its official statement [Document ID- AHRC-STM-023-2014], Asian Human Rights Commission [AHRC] confirmed that a total of 103 human remains had been found buried in these graves. The report goes on to reveal that “Pakistani military forces stopped the local people from unearthing the mass graves and took control of the area. Now, no one is allowed access to the location except military personnel.” While the army’s decision to stop locals from digging up these mass graves may be to preserve forensic evidence and is thus understandable, why were rights organisations and independent media persons were denied access to this site is beyond comprehension- unless the army dis so to conceal something from the public.
Locals said that 169 corpses had been found in the Total mass graves but due to strict access control, there was no way any impartial agency could verify this claim. So much so, that even though the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan [HRCP], is an autonomous body mandated to investigate incidents of human rights violations, HRCP Chairperson Zohra Yusuf revealed that its fact-finding team wasn’t allowed to visit the mass graves site “despite several written and verbal requests.”
Perhaps that’s why AHRC had demanded an UN-led inquiry stating that “It must be pointed out that the people of Pakistan do not expect any proper and transparent investigation from their government and the security agencies as they themselves are involved in the killings, enforced disappearances and the concealment of the crimes. The importance of a UN report, therefore, cannot be over-emphasized.”
However, this didn’t happen and, in the end, while the number of corpses found varied from 103 to 169, Pakistani authorities surprised everyone by claiming that the mass graves contained the mortal remains of only 17 persons, which the HRCP chairperson bluntly disputed by saying “The residents of Khuzdar have told us that the number of dead bodies uncovered is much higher than 15”! So, could there be a possible correlation between the Pakistan army placing the Total mass graves site off-limits to visitors and the number of corpses there suddenly dropping from three digits to just 17?
What followed was even weirder. A judicial commission headed by Justice Noor Muhammad Maskanzai of Balochistan High Court concluded that “The commission recorded the statements of 38 witnesses. No one recorded a statement against the army, secret agencies, and the government. They did not accuse them of being involved in this heinous crime. On the contrary, there is enough evidence to suggest that the army, spy agencies, and the government were not involved in this incident.”
Under normal circumstances, it would be improper to doubt the competence or integrity of a judicial commission, but in this case, there are two good reasons for doing so. One, it’s apparent that the Pakistan army and intelligence agencies were given a clean-chit only because “No one recorded a statement against the army, secret agencies, and the government.” Two, while the commission mentioned that “there is enough evidence to suggest that the army, spy agencies, and the government were not involved in this incident,” details of the same haven’t been revealed in the inquiry report. No wonder the HRCP chairperson dismissed the findings of the commission, saying that it was “just another” judicial report!
Some feel that the Khuzdar mass graves incident relates to 2014 and since then things have improved. However, such persons need to think again, because just two years ago, the then Director-General [DG] of Pakistan army’s media wing Inter-Services Public Relations [ISPR] Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor actually went as far as accepting and even justifying enforced disappearances. When asked by senior journalist Hamid Mir of Geo TV about enforced disappearances in Balochistan, DGISPR replied, “We don’t want any person to go missing but where there is a war, you have to do a number of [undesirable] things. It is said that everything is fair in love and war. War is ruthless”!
When the Pakistan army considers itself to be at “war” its own countrymen in Balochistan, before speaking to Baloch insurgents it is all the more imperative for Prime Minister Imran Khan to first talk with Rawalpindi. Needless to say, for any meaningful dialogue, Pakistan army has to end its reign of terror in Balochistan – because Islamabad talking peace while Rawalpindi continues disappearing Balochi people just doesn’t make any sense at all.
https://www.eurasiareview.com/13072021-before-balochi-insurgents-imran-khan-needs-to-talk-to-army-oped/
#Pakistan's Another attempt of deception
By Rindani Gutt
Pakistani Prime Minister, Imran Khan announced his carrot initiative yesterday in Gwadar coastal city saying that he is considering talking with the “Baloch insurgents” in Balochistan, “the government would pay attention to Balochistan because when the province progressed and there was peace, Balochistan’s people would “understand that Pakistan is also theirs. And in line with PM’s announcement, Fawad Chaudhary, the Federal Minister for Information said that they’re going to determine the agenda for dialogue with Baloch nationalists added that they have also broken the Indian network in Balochistan with great success”.
Both Imran Khan and his media minister Fawad Chaudary say that “India is involved in Balochistan’s unrest”. In the same breath, they also say that Baloch people are aggrieved because previous governments neglected Balochistan. However, both have failed to tell Baloch and the world as well who should be blamed for Balochistan’s insurgency – India for its involvement or the Pakistani state for neglecting Balochistan?
At the same time, Army Chief of Pakistan Gen Qamar thundered with “stick” on Tuesday during a so-called National Workshop Balochistan held at the General Headquarters of Pakistan army saying that “security forces would remain steadfast to defeat elements against the province’s stability while terming “peace and prosperity in Balochistan as “the bedrock of Pakistan’s progress”.
The bedrock of Pakistan’s progress in Balochistan is the shabby condition of Turbat city of Balochistan where the Pakistan Navy’s second Headquarters are located. This city of Turbat is also divisional headquarters of three big districts including Gwadar, Kech and Punjgor districts inhabited by 2.5 million people. Despite being the second largest city of Balochistan after Quetta, Turbat city, apart from having a borrowed electricity supply from Iran which now cut off, has no sewerage system, no clean water system, no proper hospital, no internet system and municipality service!
So, what made Imran Khan announce such a step to talk with Baloch insurgents? If we see all these hallow announcements of Imran Khan in the context of current geopolitics of the region and the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, we find that Pakistan military establishment is trying to ward off or pre-empt the possible foreign interventions in occupied Balochistan by making it appear that Balochistan’s insurgency is a local issue and it can be resolved by internal efforts. Besides that, they’ll also attempt to draw a wedge between pro-freedom leaders of different organizations. Anwer Sajjidi, the chief editor of Inthekhab Akhbar, has already started that Kare –Khair- the noble task.
There is no buyer of Imran Khan’s offer of dialogue among Baloch insurgents, even those Baloch who’re still sticking with Pakistani politics for democratic rights don’t take seriously Imran Khan’s words for meaningful dialogue, let alone the armed insurgents who have taken on a gigantic task of dislodging Pakistan army from Balochistan and restore the lost sovereignty of the Baloch nation. They believe that the current government of Imran Khan is a selected stooge of a powerful army and used for eye washing and deception
The relationship between Pakistan and Baloch pro-independent forces is fraught with distrust. Pakistani rulers – always dominated by Punjabi army generals – have always sought to deceive, intimidate and subjugate Baloch patriots into submission one way or another over the last 73 years; while the pro independent Baloch forces resisting all Pakistani attempts of deception, intimidation and subjugation have never relented in their attempts to restore their lost sovereignty over their homeland Balochistan.
Those Baloch who several times explored the democratic avenue of struggle with public mandates for equal status in the federal system within Pakistani framework after losing Balochistan’s independence to Pakistani aggression, miserably exhausted parliamentary character of politics in the face of intrigues of dominant Punjabi ultra-nationalism and concluded that Pakistani rulers can only understand the language of ‘power of power’, so they picked up arms and take to the rigid mountains of Balochistan for resistance.
The current indigenous Baloch armed Insurgency, for the liberation of Balochistan, initiated by Hyrbyair Marri in 1996, has registered the fact that this insurgency has the general public support, otherwise, given the Pakistan army’s disproportionate aggression against the Baloch public in the form of collective punishment in a blanket media blackout, it would have vanished away a long time ago.
The Baloch insurgents from rigid mountains of Kohlu Kahan to far plunged Mand tehsil have engaged almost 300,000 Pakistan army troops and paramilitary forces in the vast terrace of Balochistan for prolonged guerrilla warfare for almost 23 years. This war has over-stretched Pakistani forces across Balochistan which’s visible signs show that Pakistani forces’ war morale is fairly low in occupied Balochistan. A video clip of a recent attack on the Pakistan army shows how demoralized Pakistan army troops are when the Baloch insurgents run over a mountain top army outpost and capture it without any resistance from the Pakistani army! So it’s fair to say that Baloch patriots are still not in a hurry to rush for a fruitless dialogue with Pakistani rulers as the Baloch insurgents are in a better position for sustaining their struggle for independence of their motherland, Balochistan.
https://balochwarna.com/2021/07/07/another-attempt-of-deception/
Pakistan seizes textbook for printing Malala’s picture in list of important personalities
The Punjab Curriculum & Textbook Board also confiscated a book published by Oxford University Press for printing Malala's picture alongside that of military officer Maj Aziz Bhatti.
https://theprint.in/world/pakistan-seizes-textbook-for-printing-malalas-picture-in-list-of-important-personalities/695346/
Bilawal Bhutto will not go to Washington during US visit: top PPP leader
Bhutto arrived in New York today after he departed for the country on Sunday. His visit generated accusations from the PTI that the PPP leader was seeking a "backdoor deal" from Washington.
The PPP had shot down the allegations, lashing out at the "puppet government" for creating a hue and cry over the PPP leader's personal visit.
After landing in New York, the PPP chairperson refused to speak to the media, saying he is on a "personal visit" to the US.
"When I come here next, in September, I will then speak to the press," he said.
"Bilawal Bhutto will not go to Washington during his visit," clarified PPP-USA President Khalid Awan.
The PPP responded back to Gill's statements, accusing the "puppet government" of being worried about Bhutto's visit for no reason.
"Fawad Chaudhry, Shahbaz Gill and Farrukh Habib are also worried that their leader Imran Khan cannot go to the US without diplomatic immunity because of pending cases in the USA's courts,” PPP Parliamentarians’ Secretary Shazia Marri had said in response to Gill's press conference.
Marri had said Bhutto had hope in the strength in the people of Pakistan and it has been proven how General Elections 2018 were stolen from the PPP by creating obstacles in the party's path.
She had said that it is also on record that those who stole the PPP's mandate have been admitting that opponents of the PPP have been brought to power through rigging in elections.
https://www.geo.tv/latest/359595-bilawal-bhutto-will-not-visit-washington-during-us-visit-ppp
Monday, July 12, 2021
What to learn from China?
WHEN Prime Minister Imran Khan categorically endorsed China’s line on Uighur Muslims he succumbed to political expediency: “Because of our extreme proximity and relationship with China”, he said, “we actually accept the Chinese version.” A savvier politician facing the Chinese media might have tried a little hemming and hawing rather than dispense with truth, human rights and Muslim solidarity. Still, one must not be too harsh on the PM; any country which owes its life to a powerful patron has little leeway.
Much loved by some but feared by others, China today is an economic superpower. Geopolitics changed in 2017 when its GNP shot above that of the US. But what accounts for its phenomenal rise and ferocious progress? Equally, one may ask: why has Pakistan been on external life support from 1947 onward and barely limped along? The difference cries out for an explanation.
Max Weber, the 19th-century German sociologist, would have an answer. Since his pioneering work, social scientists know economic growth goes hand-in-hand with a society’s collective worldview and culture. Through data-driven research, Weber explained why Protestants and Calvinists had far outpaced Catholics in generating wealth and industrialising Europe. He concluded that progress-friendly cultures demand belief in rationality, rule of law, planning, punctuality, deferred gratification, and expectations of reward in this life rather than the next.
Certainly not how minorities should be treated! But there’s much else that China can teach Pakistan.
Were he alive today, how would Weber see China in relation to Pakistan? First, China’s worldview is — like that of 19th-century Protestants — entirely future-focused and this-worldly. Notwithstanding the pride Chinese people take in their ancient science and civilisation, there is no deep nostalgia and no calls for Ertugrul-like men on horseback to resurrect some ancient kingdom. Whether for good or bad, and whether under Mao’s revolutionary communism or under Xi Jinping’s capitalistic communism, the Chinese are a plain, hard-headed lot.
This attitude sets the tone for education, both in school and university. Knowing that universities are the engines of progress, China is super-careful about who gets admitted. At the level of language, reasoning and math skills, Chinese students are expected to know everything that American students learn — but better. Today’s gaokao — the cheating-free university entrance exam — is a carryover from the rigorous exam system (keju) of ancient China’s civil service.
Reputed to be the toughest in the world, gaokao beats even that for various IITs (Indian Institute of Technology). Unfortunately, educated in a memorisation-heavy culture steeped in religious matters, most Pakistani university professors — including those who are HEC certified and with hundreds of research publications — would not clear Chinese university entrance exams.
Second, a reborn Weber would see China clearly defining its national interest with economic advancement being at the very top. As a rationalist-materialist country China aims at becoming the world leader in space exploration, brain science, quantum computers, electric cars, biopharmaceuticals, renewable energy, etc. Five-year plans are followed to the letter; there is no empty chatter or arbitrary wish lists.
At the next level of priority is politics. To reunite with Taiwan, China rattles its sabres from time to time. Nevertheless, China-Taiwan economic links are strong. Taiwanese companies have invested about $60 billion in China, and one million Taiwanese people live in China with many running Taiwanese factories. The Chinese political leadership keeps its military in check. There is no history of Kargil-like dead-end adventures and the military stays clear of trade matters. The warrior ethic is firmly subordinated to the capitalist ethic.
In Pakistan’s case, warriors define the national interest. Googling ‘national interest’, I found occurrences in speeches, university theses and in National Defence University publications. All such references were security and India related. In this single-minded approach, Pakistan-India trade remains hostage to Kashmir being resolved on Pakistan’s terms. Nowhere to be found is a plan for where the country hopes to be 20-30 years from now. No one takes the Planning Commission of Pakistan seriously.
Third, Weber would confirm that strong work ethics leads to high labour productivity, the backbone of economic growth. Although he knew only of Protestant-Calvinist workers and capitalists, the qualities of diligence, discipline, responsibility, punctuality and honesty of the skilled industrial workforce extends into the cultures of China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea etc.
In contrast, Pakistan’s labour productivity is appallingly low — less than half of China’s. Many economists and businessmen have pointed out that producing an item in high-wage China is cheaper than in low-wage Pakistan. Poor productivity owes to poor worker skills and general dissatisfaction. Exploitative employers pay minimum wages, ignore principles of fairness and disallow grievance mechanisms. But the ethics of workers are also low. Few take pride in or enjoy work, are diligent, or take initiatives. Like our parliamentarians and professors, most are shirkers who need to be reminded of their duties.
These poor habits start from Pakistani schools where kids are forced to focus on exam techniques and taught just enough to get by. Cheating is tolerated. Some parents — including those who emphasise religious rituals — encourage their children to cheat as a way to get ahead. But, at a still deeper level, quality education for all is impossible given extreme wealth disparities.
In China such disparities had been evened up by Mao’s communism. Although huge excesses happened in the Cultural Revolution, education was universalised and hard work celebrated. China is reaping dividends from its communist past. Pakistan never saw any such evening-up. Leaders of the Pakistan Movement — Jinnah and Allama Iqbal (the post-1930 Iqbal) included — were staunchly anti-communist. Some were big landlords who saw danger in educating their serfs. Education was a low priority in 1947 and remains low.
Curiously, the country that Pakistan’s founders feared and disliked most (after Russia) is now Pakistan’s closest ally. It does bash its Muslims; the evidence is irrefutable. Yet — other than how religious minorities should be handled — China has much to teach Pakistan. Among the most important lessons is creating a skilled workforce, giving dignity to labor, distributing wealth and public resources reasonably, emphasizing birth control, and encouraging a mindset oriented to the future rather than the past. If Pakistan wants to break the crutches of foreign dependence, that’s the way to go.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1634259/what-to-learn-from-china
Decades of Mental Conditioning Responsible for Anti-Minority Hostility in Pakistan: Speakers
Speakers at a workshop said policies in the past decades were responsible for the progressive radicalization of society. Decades of mental conditioning through education, ideological indoctrination, and other means have led to faith-based polarization and anti-minority hostility in Pakistan. In the contemporary environment, members of minority religious groups find it hard to live in peace with equal rights and dignity. Even constitutional safeguards and other legal protections have done little to ensure equality of citizenship for all, the speakers added.
Social researcher and author of ‘Radicalization in Pakistan’, Safdar Hussain Sial, said the discrimination against religious minorities is widespread and systematic and includes economic exclusion. The minorities often lack equal access to employment opportunities which is a key factor behind the immense economic disparity across different religious groups in Pakistan. In certain cases, members of minority communities are denied the critical identity or citizenship documents which, among other things, cut them off from the job market, Sial said.
The anti-minority sentiments are further aggravated by the weaponization of certain laws such as those criminalizing blasphemy or targeting a particular religious group. The blasphemy law has been misused against the non-Muslim and Muslim communities alike, leading to many incidents of mob violence, Safdar Sial said, adding that in such a scenario the role of youth in creating a more tolerant and peaceful society is crucial.
During the workshop, the minority issue was also put into regional perspective by security analyst and director Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), Muhammad Amir Rana, who revealed that around 65,000 Rohingya Muslims have been living in desperate conditions in Karachi for decades. Stressing the significance of citizenship, Amir Rana said depriving an individual of citizenship is depriving them of fundamental rights and basic social services such as health and education. The Rohingya community continues to languish as stateless people in Pakistan, he added.
Organized by the Islamabad-based think tank, Pak Institute for Peace Studies, the two-day educational and training workshop was part of the nationwide workshops for the promotion of interfaith harmony among the Pakistani youth. University students from across Balochistan participated in the workshop and exchanged thoughts around the theme of interfaith harmony. The participants were also given quick training in effective use of social media tools by senior journalist and social media activist, Sabookh Syed. The Pakistani youth can use the power of social media to support peace and harmony, and oppose discrimination against minorities, Syed said.
https://www.balochistanvoices.com/2021/06/decades-of-mental-conditioning-responsible-for-anti-minority-hostility-in-pakistan-speakers/
Pakistan’s Burgeoning Population: Challenge or Opportunity
Muhammad Bilal
Pakistan has a population of 220 million and is woefully behind on almost all development indicators. Our population comprises 65% of youth with limited opportunities to achieve their full potential. Ideally, we should have used the demographic power to our advantage, but lack of investment in education and the inability of the state to produce economic opportunities through the development of the manufacturing sector, the youth bulge has become a liability, which can be a serious threat to the country’s security. Unfortunately, we are not only failing our youth but destroying our youth. How do we expect to change the course of this country when we have ignored the biggest segment of our population i.e. youth.
11th July is celebrated as International Population Day and is a great reminder for us to do course correction by using our youth to change the course of Pakistan future by investing in our youth to make them high quality human beings — a critical area for the development of a country’s economic base. Historically, burgeoning population growth has been a cause of destabilization in the least developed countries because young minds, if not engaged in a constructive and purposeful activity are susceptible to extreme behaviors. A study conducted by Population Action International shows that about 80% of the world’s civil conflicts since the 1970s have occurred in countries with young, fast-growing populations.
Balochistan Rural Support Programme (BRSP) recognizes the gravity of this situation, therefore ensures engagement of youth in all its programmes. BRSP has a holistic approach towards youth empowerment through skills enhancement, civic engagement, sports activities, accelerated learning programmes, provision of assets for the establishment of small-scale enterprises, the establishment of Naukri ya karobar centers to link them with employers and digital hubs to give them access to technology. BRSP provided employable skills to overall 6,103 youth in Balochistan. Additionally, 13,265 youth of Madaris were enrolled in Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) to bridge the gap between informal and formal education.
BRSP with the financial support of PATRIP Foundation German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO) repaired and renovated classrooms, established computer labs, libraries, WASH facilities, residential rooms of Madaris in different districts which benefitted 96,338 students. Additionally, 5,686 students from communities, educational institutions schools were taken on exposure visits to different educational institutes in Pakistan to exchange of ideas, learn best practices and interact with students from across the country. BRSP also organized 11,521 different recreational activities engaging 149,775 youth to promote, peace, harmony, and social cohesion.
A larger workforce is quite imperative for state development as demonstrated by China which raised herself from the rubbles of civil war. The most populous country in the world is surprisingly one of the largest growing economies because China was able to put its population to good use. China has the advantage that others lack, an incredibly skilled human resource that has been the lynchpin of their astronomical economic growth.
Those who believe that population impedes progress are gravely mistaken. If population stops a country’s growth, then Vatican City should have been the richest and China, the poorest. What we need to learn is how to utilize our population to its optimum level, China has already provided the blueprint for other populous countries to follow suit.
https://www.balochistanvoices.com/2021/07/pakistans-burgeoning-population-challenge-or-opportunity/
#Pakistan #PPP - Bilawal Bhutto arrives in New York to kickstart seven-day US visit
Chairman of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari reached New York on a week-long visit on Sunday, Dunya News reported. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was received at the airport by PPP’s United States president Khalid Awan and other leaders. According to details, Chairman PPP will hold a key meetings in New York and Washington while Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah is already in the US. Aseefa Bhutto will likely lead the campaign for the Azad Kashmir election, which will be held on July 25, in absence of her brother Bilawal.
https://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/610200-Bilawal-Bhutto-reaches-New-York.
Sunday, July 11, 2021
The longest war: America’s war in Afghanistan is ending in crushing defeat
“I want to talk about happy things, man!” protested President Joe Biden in early July, when reporters asked him about the imminent withdrawal of the last American forces from Afghanistan, expected sometime in the next few weeks. No wonder he wants to change the subject: America has been fighting in Afghanistan for 20 years. It has spent more than $2trn on the war. It has lost thousands of its own troops and seen the death of tens of thousands of Afghans—soldiers and civilians alike. Now America is calling an end to the whole sorry adventure, with almost nothing to show for it.The consequences of the conflict for Afghans, already catastrophic, are likely to get worse.
True, al-Qaeda, which sparked the war by planning the 9/11 attacks from Afghanistan, is no longer much of a force in the country, although it has not been eliminated entirely. But that is about as far as it goes. Other anti-American terror groups, including a branch of Islamic State, continue to operate in Afghanistan. The zealots of the Taliban, who harboured Osama bin Laden and were overthrown by American-backed forces after 9/11, have made a horrifying comeback. They are in complete control of about half the country and threaten to conquer the rest. The democratic, pro-Western government fostered by so much American blood and money is corrupt, widely reviled and in steady retreat.In theory, the Taliban and the American-backed government are negotiating a peace accord, whereby the insurgents lay down their arms and participate instead in a redesigned political system. In the best-case scenario, strong American support for the government, both financial and military (in the form of continuing air strikes on the Taliban), coupled with immense pressure on the insurgents’ friends, such as Pakistan, might succeed in producing some form of power-sharing agreement. But even if that were to happen—and the chances are low—it would be a depressing spectacle. The Taliban would insist on moving backwards in the direction of the brutal theocracy they imposed during their previous stint in power, when they confined women to their homes, stopped girls from going to school and meted out harsh punishments for sins such as wearing the wrong clothes or listening to the wrong music. More likely than any deal, however, is that the Taliban try to use their victories on the battlefield to topple the government by force. They have already overrun much of the countryside, with government units mostly restricted to cities and towns. Demoralised government troops are abandoning their posts. This week over 1,000 of them fled from the north-eastern province of Badakhshan to neighbouring Tajikistan. The Taliban have not yet managed to capture and hold any cities, and may lack the manpower to do so in lots of places at once. They may prefer to throttle the government slowly rather than attack it head on. But the momentum is clearly on their side. At the very least, the civil war is likely to intensify, as the Taliban press their advantage and the government fights for its life. Other countries—China, India, Iran, Russia and Pakistan—will seek to fill the vacuum left by America. Some will funnel money and weapons to friendly warlords. The result will be yet more bloodshed and destruction, in a country that has suffered constant warfare for more than 40 years. Those who worry about possible reprisals against the locals who worked as translators for the Americans are missing the big picture: America is abandoning an entire country of almost 40m people to a grisly fate. It did not have to be this way. For the past six years fewer than 10,000 American troops, plus a similar number from other nato countries, have propped up the Afghan army enough to maintain the status quo. American casualties had dropped to almost nothing. The war, which used to rile voters, had become a political irrelevance in America. Since becoming president, Mr Biden has focused, rightly, on the threats posed by China and Russia. But the American deployment in Afghanistan had grown so small that it did not really interfere with that. The new American administration views the long stalemate as proof that there is no point remaining in Afghanistan. But for the Afghans whom it protected from the Taliban, the stalemate was precious. There will be a long debate about how much the withdrawal saps America’s credibility and prestige. For all its wealth and military might, America failed not only to create a strong, self-sufficient Afghan state, but also to defeat a determined insurgency. What is more, America is no longer prepared to put its weight behind its supposed ally, the Afghan government, to the surprise and dismay of many Afghan officials. Hostile regimes in places like China and Russia will have taken note—as will America’s friends. That does not make Afghanistan a second Vietnam. For one thing, the Afghan war was never really the Pentagon’s or the nation’s focus. American troops were on the ground far longer in Afghanistan than they were in Vietnam, but far fewer of them died. Other events, from the war in Iraq to the global financial crisis, always seemed more important than what was happening in Kandahar. And American politicians and pundits have agonised over whether to stay or go for so long that, now the withdrawal has finally arrived, it has lost its power to shock. To the extent that outsiders see it as a sign of American weakness, that weakness has been evident for a long time. Unhappy things Shocking or not, though, the withdrawal is nonetheless a calamity for the people of Afghanistan. In 2001 many hoped that America might end their 20-year-old civil war and free them from a stifling, doctrinaire theocracy. For a time, it looked as though that might happen. But today the lives of ordinary Afghans are more insecure than ever: civilian casualties were almost 30% higher last year than in 2001, when the American deployment began, according to estimates from the un and academics. The economy is no bigger than it was a decade ago. And the mullahs are not only at the gates of Kabul; their assassins are inside, targeting Shias, secularists, women with important jobs—anyone who offends their blinkered worldview. America was never going to solve all Afghanistan’s problems, but to leave the country back at square one is a sobering failure. ■
https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/07/10/americas-longest-war-is-ending-in-crushing-defeat
#Pakistan - Muzzling dissent?
Mubasher Bukhari
@BukhariMubasher
A provincial assembly has passed a bill providing for summary trials of journalists, bureaucrats.The provincial assembly recently passed the Punjab Privileges (Amendment) Act 2021, sending a wave of concern among journalists, bureaucrats and the civil society. Media activists, press clubs and unions of journalists have since been protesting against this law, calling it a conspiracy against the freedom of expression.The passage of the law and the later conciliatory statements by the speaker indicate that the legislation was prepared and passed in haste and without any serious deliberation.Makhdoom Usman Mehmood of the Pakistan Peoples Party moved the bill as a private member. It also carried the names of some Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz members as sponsors. The bill was passed unanimously despite not being featured on the order of the day. Press clubs and unions of journalists, including the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) and other bodies have strongly criticised the bill. Pakistan Press Foundation secretary Owais Aslam Ali says, “The law is an attempt to make the media a puppet. Already, the media in Pakistan is under pressure. There are so many state institutions being used to control the media. In such a situation, this bill was not needed. Now, any journalist who reports news about any member of the Punjab Assembly can be arrested and punished by the speaker or a committee.” “It is shocking that a PPP member tabled the bill after the PPP introduced the Protection of Journalists Bill 2021 in the Sindh Assembly to protect newspersons and their sources.” Clause 1 of the schedule, given at the end of the bill states: “Using criminal force to, or obstructing, assaulting, threatening or insulting any Member or an Officer of the Assembly in the discharge of their official duty may lead to six months’ imprisonment or a Rs 10,000 fine or both.” Talking to The News on Sunday, Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, an MPA and PML-N Punjab vice-president said PA officials were included after some media people exchanged harsh words with some of them. “The clause has been amended and assembly officials have been omitted from it,” he said. Clause 2 of the schedule reads: “Contravention of the provisions of the Rules of Procedure of Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, 1997, will incur a Rs 10,000 fine.” Clause 3 of the schedule says, “Breach of any of the privileges as provided in Section 16, or Section 17 or Section 18, as the case may be. It may lead to imprisonment of either description for three months, or a fine of ten thousand rupees, or both.” This clause indirectly targets the media and the bureaucracy. Coming to the media related clauses, the schedule in its Clause 6 reads: “Willfully publishing a false or perverted report of a debate or proceedings of the Assembly or a Committee or willfully misrepresenting a speech made by a Member before the Assembly or a Committee may lead to imprisonment for three months or a Rs 10,000 fine or both.” As a result, writing and publishing a commentary about PA’s proceedings will be a challenge. Clause 7 says, “Willfully publishing a report of a debate or proceedings of the Assembly or a Committee the publication of which has been prohibited or expunged by the Presiding Officer may amount to three months’ imprisonment or a fine of Rs 10,000 or both.” The restriction is apparently pointless as PA proceedings frequently go on air live. The speaker then expunges parts of it after they have been broadcast/telecast. The relevant news persons are sensitive to the rules in any case so that newspapers never publish the expunged remarks. Following protests by journalists’ bodies, Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi issued a notification omitting entries 6, 7 and 10 of the Act. The notification says the speaker exercised powers conferred upon him under Section 21 of the PunabPrivileges Act 1972. However, constitutional experts say the speaker cannot abrogate any entry or clause without the approval of the House. Entry 8 says, “Casting or publishing any reflection upon the character or conduct of the Presiding Officer or any imputation of partiality against him in the discharge of his duties may lead to imprisonment of either description for three months, or a fine of twenty thousand rupees, or both.” This is ridiculous as almost every presiding officer faces the accusation of being partial. Apparently, this entry is meant to be used against opposition members. Entry 9 of the schedule says, “Making or publishing a maliciously false, scandalous, defamatory or derogatory statement concerning any Member in respect of his conduct as a Member or an Officer of the Assembly will lead to imprisonment of either description for three months, or a fine of ten thousand rupees, or both.” Given that the law of libel empowers every citizen to file a defamation case against anybody, this entry was totally unnecessary. To stopping the media from educating the people about what’s cooking in the PA in terms of legislation or budgetary documents, there is Entry 10 of the schedule. It reads: “Printing of a copy of any Act or Ordinance or of any report, paper, minutes or notes of proceedings of the Assembly or a Committee, which purports to have been printed by or under the authority of the Assembly or any Committee but which in fact has not been so printed or the tendering in evidence of any such copy as aforesaid will lead to imprisonment of either description for three months, or a fine of ten thousand rupees, or both.” This entry puts paid to all investigative journalism. The law seems to have been made to further empower the speaker. Entry 12 reads: “Willful failure or refusal to obey any order of the Judicial Committee under this Act, or any order of the Presiding Officer or any Member or Officer of the Assembly which is duly made under this Act will lead to imprisonment of either description for three months, or a fine of ten thousand rupees, or both.” The law empowers the Sergeant-at-Arms to arrest any person to prevent them from acting in any manner in breach of privileges within the precincts of the assembly. The arrests can be made without any warrant, at any place within the “precincts of the Assembly”, that has been defined as the assembly’s courtyard, hall, lobbies, press galleries, rooms etc. The law also allows for the use of “reasonable force as may be necessary” when making the arrests. Now, the speaker “can in writing direct the arrest and detention in custody” of a journalist, bureaucrat and/ or any lawmaker. The law further empowers the speaker to form a Judicial Committee of the assembly to try offences and award punishments and the sentence passed by the committee that will enjoy magisterial powers. Following protests by journalists, Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi issued a notification on July 4. The notice says, “The Entries 6, 7 and 10 shall be omitted and the schedule will be renumbered.” The notification states that the speaker exercised powers conferred upon him under Section 21 of the Punjab Privileges Act 1972. Constitutional experts say that the speaker cannot abrogate any entry or clause from a law without approval of the House. In a media statement, Elahi said he held journalists in great esteem. He said the clauses that had sparked controversy, had been removed from the bill. However, journalists are not happy. Most of them see the action as an eyewash. MPA Khan said, “We wanted better working in standing committees. We wanted a law in this regard. The bill was tabled and passed unanimously. The PML-N raised questions on the media-related clauses before anybody including the media did.” “Now the objectionable clauses, including those about privilege of the assembly officials have been removed. If somebody publishes a concocted story against any of the legislators what can be done against them?.” Abid Saqi, a senior lawyer and human rights activists, says, “The bill clashes with Article 8 of the Constitution of Pakistan. Article 8 of the constitution of Pakistan reads: ‘Laws inconsistent with or in derogation of fundamental rights to be void. (1) Any law, or any custom or usage having the force of law, in so far as it is inconsistent with the rights conferred by this Chapter, shall, to the extent of such inconsistency, be void.’” Saqi says the law should be abrogated by those who passed it. Else, a court will nullify it if somebody files a petition. https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/861836-muzzling-dissent
Pakistan's Islamic body that said man can ‘lightly beat’ wife halts legislation on Domestic Violence Bill
In Pakistan, a bill aimed at protecting women, children, the elderly, and other vulnerable populations from domestic abuse has uncovered flaws and divided sentiments.
The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) paused legislation on the Domestic Violence Bill in 2020 on Friday, stating that the Islamic constitutional authority must evaluate the bill and report back to the Pakistan government.
After the bill was brought before the National Assembly in November 2020, the CII considered it (NA). Following its passage in the Senate, the bill sparked outrage among lawmakers, political leaders, religious scholars, and opinion-makers, including Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Amir Sirajul Haq, Senator Mushtaq Ahmad, and Jamiat Ulema-e Islam of Fazal-ur-Rehman (JUI-F) Senator Atta-ur-Rehman. Following public pressure, Prime Minister Imran Khan's Parliamentary Affairs Advisor, Babar Awan, publicly met Speaker of the National Assembly Asad Qaiser and requested that the bill be referred to the CII. Babar Awan wrote a letter on behalf of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was also informed of the bill's' 'un-Islamic aspects. ' In the letter, Awan draws attention to various contents and definitions in the bill. According to a report in Dawn, the letter notes: "Most importantly, it is being highlighted that the bill contravenes the Islamic [injunctions] and way of life as enshrined in the responsibility of the state in Article 31 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan". What is the proposed Pakistan's Domestic Violence Bill? The bill demands harsh penalties for all sorts of domestic violence. Any act of domestic abuse is punishable by a maximum of three years in prison and a minimum of six months in prison, according to the law. Furthermore, the offender may face fines ranging from Rs20,000 to Rs1,000,000. ‘Lightly beating’ wife permissible In 2016, the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) advocated allowing a husband to ‘lightly' beat his wife if he feels it is necessary, as well as requiring women to breastfeed their children for two years. In the same year, the constitutional council ruled that the Punjab Assembly and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government's women's protection bills, which criminalised all types of violence against women, were "un-Islamic."They expressed concerns about several aspects of the law. According to The News International, the CII's judgement was finally given to the Human Rights Ministry in the third week of June, after the bill sparked controversy following its passing in the Senate.
https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistans-islamic-body-that-said-man-can-lightly-beat-wife-halts-legislation-on-domestic-violence-bill-397103
Pakistan braces for fourth Covid wave as fresh infections witness three-fold rise
According to the country’s ministry of national health services, 1,980 people tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, as against 663 on June 21.Pakistan is bracing for what has been described as the country’s fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic, with the number of fresh daily Covid-19 cases registering a three-fold rise over the corresponding figures from just three weeks ago. The country’s ministry of national health services on Sunday put the number of those who tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours at 1,980, while the number of those who succumbed to the viral disease in the same duration was recorded at 27. In contrast, three weeks ago, on June 21, the new daily caseload stood at just 663. In another concerning development, the positivity rate crossed 4 per cent for the first time since May 31 when it was at 4.05 per cent. According to the health ministry, Pakistan’s confirmed tally of Covid-19 infections has reached 9,73,824 of which 22,582 cases have resulted in deaths. The official data also shows that 9,13,203 people have recovered from the infection, while more than 2,100 people are still in a critical condition. Health experts have attributed this sudden uptick in cases to the reopening of the business and tourism sectors and have urged the government to announce a lockdown so that the festival of Eid al-Adha can be observed in accordance with pandemic-related restrictions. The government has also come under fire for holding board examinations of secondary and higher secondary students, despite warnings from Opposition parties, and protests by students. Going ahead with the examinations, health experts have warned, could lead to a further spike in fresh daily infections. However, according to reports, the Pakistan government is banking on its vaccination drive to prevent any further surge in Covid-19 cases. The government says it has administered more than 19 million doses of anti-Covid vaccines and has been urging people to get themselves inoculated at the earliest.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/pakistan-braces-for-fourth-covid-wave-as-fresh-infections-witness-three-fold-rise-101626002461560.html
قوم کو امن، چین اور خوشحالی کے ساتھ مساوی مواقع والے معاشرے میں تبدیل کرنے کے لیئے وسائل اور آبادی میں توازن انتہائی اہم ہے، چیئرمین پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی بلاول بھٹو زرداری
پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی کے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا ہے کہ قوم کو امن، چین اور خوشحالی کے ساتھ مساوی مواقع والے معاشرے میں تبدیل کرنے کے لیئے وسائل اور آبادی میں توازن انتھائی اہم ہے۔ میڈیا سیل بلاول ہاؤس کی جانب سے جاری کردہ بیان کے مطابق پی پی پی چیئرمین نے آبادی کا عالمی دن منانے پر پاکستان کی عوام کو مبارکباد دی ہے۔ رواں سال کی تھیم: Rights and Choices are the Answer: Whether baby boom or bust, the solution to shifting fertility rates lies in prioritising all people’s reproductive health and rights. آبادی سے منسلک معاملات کا ذکر کرتے ہوئے پی پی پی چیئرمین نے کہا کہ ایک جانب وہ ممالک ہیں جہاں فرٹیلٹی ریٹ کم ہے۔ ان ممالک میں برزگ شہریوں کی آبادی بہت ہے۔
دوسری جانب بہت سارے ترقی پذیر ممالک ہیں، جہاں فرٹیلٹی ریٹ زیادہ ہونے کے باعث انہیں ایک چیلنج جیسی صورتحال کا سامنا ہے۔ اس کا مطلب یہ ہے کہ وہاں دوسروں پر انحصار کرنے والی آبادی یعنی نوعمر اور نوجوان افراد کی تعداد بہت زیادہ ہے۔ یہ صورتحال ملک میں بیروزگاری، تعلیم اور صحت کی سہولیات کے فقدان جیسے مسائل کو جنم دیتی ہے۔ پی پی پی چیئرمین نے نشاندہی کرتے ہوئے کہ کہ پاکستان کا شمار ان ممالک میں ہوتا ہے، جہاں فرٹلٹی ریٹ بہت زیادہ ہے اور مانع حمل طریقوں کا استعمال بہت کم ہے، جس کا نتیجہ آبادی میں اضافے کی شکل میں نکلتا ہے۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ 2017ع کی آدمشماری کے نتائج (گو کہ متنازعہ ہیں) سے واضح ہوا ہے کہ پاکستان کی آبادی 208 ملین سے زیادہ افراد پر مشتمل ہے، جو سالانہ 2.4 فیصد سے بڑھ رہی ہے۔ اس ضمن میں ایک اہم عنصر یہ بھی ہے کہ 100 شادی شدہ خواتین میں سے صرف 34 فیصد خواتین مانع حمل تدابیر اختیار کر رہی ہے۔ انہوں نے مزید کہا کہ 18 فیصد مزید خواتین مانع حمل تدابیر اختیار کرنا چاہتی ہیں، لیکن انہیں ایسی سروسز تک رسائی حاصل نہیں ہے۔
پی پی پی چیئرمین نے کہا کہ گو کہ، پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی اور صوبہ سندھ میں اس کی حکومت کو آدمشماری کے نتائج پر شدید تحفظات ہیں، لیکن جہاں تک آبادی میں توازن لانے کا معاملہ ہے تو ملکی سطح پر ہم فرٹیلٹی اور خاندانی منصوبہ بندی کے سلسلے میں اٹھائے جانے والے اقدام پر تعاون کر رہے ہیں۔ بلاول بھٹو زرداری ن ے کہا کہ پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی ایسے اقدامات سے کمٹڈ ہے، جیسا کہ مشترکہ مفادات کونسل (سی سی آئی) کی سفارشات کے تحت وفاقی و صوبائی سطح پر ٹاسک فورسز کا قیام؛ خاندانی منصوبہ بندی اور تولیدی صحت کی خدمات تک آبادی کی رسائی کو یقینی بنانا؛ مالی معاونت؛ نئی قانون سازی کرنا؛ ایڈووکیسی اور کمیونیکیشن کے سلسلے میں اقدام اٹھانا، نصاب اور تربیت پر مبنی تعلیم دینا؛ محفوظ مانع حمل اشیاء کو یقینی بنانا؛ اور رائے عامہ ہموار کرنے والوں اور علماء کرام کی حمایت کرنا شامل ہے۔
پی پی پی چیئرمین نے کہا کہ یہ دیکھ کر افسوس ہوتا ہے کہ سپریم کورٹ کے ازخود نوٹس کے تحت حکم کے باوجود، جس کی توثیق بعد ازاں سی سی آئی بھی کرچکا ہے، سلیکٹڈ وزیراعظم پاپولیشن کے متعلق ٹاسک فورس کی صدارت سے گریزاں ہے۔ ٹاسک فورس کی ہونے والے چاروں اجلاسوں کی صدارت صدر مملکت نے کی۔ یوں، وسائل اور عملدرآمد کے متعلق سی سی آئی کی سفارشات پر من و عن عملدرآمد ممکن نہیں ہوسکا ہے۔پاپولیشن فنڈ کے لیئے وفاقی حکومت کی جانب سے 10 ارب روپئے مختص کییئے جانے تھے، جس میں سے تاحال صرف ایک ارب روپے رکھے جا سکے ہیں۔
چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی اور اس کی سندھ میں حکومت آبادی میں توازن اور زچہ و بچہ کی صحت کے سلسلے میں صفِ اول سے قائدانہ کردار ادا کر رہی ہیں۔ وزیر اعلی سندھ آبادی کے متعلق ایک ملٹی سیکٹورل ٹاسک فورس کی سربراہی کرتے ہیں۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ سندھ ملک کا وہ پہلا صوبہ تھا، جس نے 2015ع میں فیملی پلاننگ کے سلسلے میں اپنا کوسٹڈ امپلیمنشن پلان (سی آئی پی) تیار کیا، جو 2012ع میں لندن سمٹ کے اعلامیئے گلوبل ایف پی 2020 انیشیٹو کے تحت تھا۔ سی آئی پی پر عملدرآمد جارہی ہے اور اب اسے سسٹینایبل ڈولپمنٹ گولز (ایس ڈی جی) اور ایف پی 2030 گلوبل ایجنڈا کا حصہ بنا دیا گیا ہے۔ انہوں نے وزیراعظم شہید محترمہ بینظیر بھٹو کی جانب سے متعارف کردہ لیڈی ہیلتھ ورکرز پروگرام کا حوالہ دے کت قوم کو پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی کے آبادی کو کنٹرول کرنے کے متعلق موقف اور ضرورتمند خواتین کی مدد کرنے کو یاد دلاتے ہوئے کہا کہ اب اس افرادی قوت کا فوکس ایک بار پھر خاندانی منصوبہ بندی پر مرکوز کیا گیا ہے، جبکہ سابق صدر آصف علی زرداری کی زیرِ قیادت تاریخی 18 ویں آئینی ترمیم کے بعد اب صحت اور بھبودِ آبادی کے محکمے باضابطہ مربوط و فعال ہیں۔ پی پی پی چیئرمین نے کہا کہ اس کے بعد صوبہ سندھ نے اپنے محکمہ بھبود آبادی کی بجٹ میں 8 گنا سے بھی زیادہ اضافہ کیا ہے۔ دیہی اور دور دراز علاقوں میں خواتین کی فیملی پلاننگ اور تولیدی صحت کی خدمات تک رسائی ہوئی ہے اور اس تعداد میں 10 لاکھ سے زائد صارفین کا اضافہ ہوا ہے، یوں مانع حمل تدابیر اختیار کرنے والی خواتین کی سالانہ تعداد بھی دوگنی ہوئی ہے۔
پاکستان ڈیموگرافک اینڈ ہیلتھ سروے کے مطابق گذشتہ پانچ سالوں کے دوران سندھ میں ایف پی میں 4 فیصد اضافہ ہوا ہے۔ پی پی پی چیئرمین نے حکومتِ سندھ کی جانب سے منظور کردہ ترقی پسند قوانین جیسا کہ ریپروڈکٹو ہیلتھ رائٹس ایکٹ 2019، چائلڈ میرج ریسٹرینٹ ایکٹ 2013 اور انسدادِ گھریلو تشدد کو سراہتے ہوئے کہا کہ ازدواجی مشاورت کے بل پر بھی کام کیا جا رہا ہے۔ چیئرمین پیپلز پارٹی بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے قوم کو یقین دہانی کراتے ہوئے کہا کہ پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی خواتین کو بااختیار بنانے، صنفی مساوات، اور انفارمڈ چوائسز کے حقوق اور نوعمر و نوجوانوں کے حقوق سے کمٹڈ ہے اور جب وہ منتخب ہوکر حکومت میں آئے گی تو ایسی اصلاحات کو پورے ملک میں متعارف کروائے گی۔
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/25253/
Saturday, July 10, 2021
OPINION: - The Ascension of Bernie Sanders
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/10/opinion/bernie-sanders-interview-maureen-dowd.html
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