e-Newsletter
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I – Women & Politics
Two PPP MPAs only Candidates for Direct Election to NA Seats
On 15th of July 2007, it was reported that only two female MPAs out of the 13 from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have applied for National Assembly seats in direct elections instead of reserved seats.
Punjab Information Secretary Farzana Raja and Lahore Women Wing (LWW) Secretary General Faiza Malik have applied for National Assembly seats, leaving it to the party leaders to accommodate LWW President Sajida Mir, Naila Sarwar or any other suitable candidate in the reserved seats. Both of them were elected on reserved seats in the current assembly.
Out of the 14 PPP MPAs, Embesat Khan left the party in hopes of being appointed Minister or Adviser with the PML, but was not given either position. The remaining 13 were Ms Nishat Afza, Ms Saghira Islam, Justice (r) Talat Yaqoob, Ms Azma Bokhari, Ms Samina Naveed, Ms Faiza Ahmed, Ms Farzana Raja, Ms Noorun Nisa Malik, Ms Najmi Saleem, Ms Sabiha Begum, Ms Saima Bokhari, Ms Memoona Nabeel and Ms Azra Bano.
Syeda Abida Hussain will be the party’s candidate from Jhang against Federal Kashmir Affairs Minister Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat.
First Female President for India
Pratibha Patil is to become India's first woman president after winning a comprehensive election victory. Mrs Patil, 72, won nearly two-thirds of votes cast in state assemblies and in India's Parliament. She was backed by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, but was mocked by opponents and by some sections of India's media.
The former Governor of the Northern Indian State of Rajasthan described her win as "a victory of the people". Mrs Patil's supporters say her election to the largely ceremonial role will be a boost to millions of Indian women. The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder, in Delhi, says that while some see her victory as an important step towards gender equality in India, many view it as only a symbolic gesture. Millions of women in India face discrimination and poverty often linked to age-old traditions which require the parents of a bride to pay a large dowry to the family of her eventual husband. Mrs Patil will succeed A P J Abdul Kalam, a popular missile scientist, as president.
II – Women & Laws
India Grapples with First bill to Stop Sex Harassment
India ’s Government is grappling to come up with the first ever legislation aimed at stopping sexual harassment and provide minimum protection to women joining the workforce of its booming economy.
A draft law set to go before Parliament when it resumes next month aims to put an end to everything from dirty jokes to physical abuse, but is already being criticized by some as too flimsy and by others as open to abuse. The draft brands “gestures of a sexual nature whether verbal, textual, physical, graphic or electronic” as “unwelcome conduct,” but it applies only to women working in the organized sector. “Finally, this bill will empower Indian working women to fight back injustices they have been suffering for decades,” said Jaya Arunachalam, a prominent Indian feminist. But she added that “89 percent of 270 million workers in the unorganized sector are women who have no protection at all from exploitation and sexual oppression.” The draft only covers factories, hotels, airlines, textile mills, parts of the farm sector and offices. Arunachalam, who heads the 700,000 Working Women’s Forum, said the draft needed more teeth.
Still, for those women a law would be welcome news, as discrimination and harassment in offices are seen as rife. In a 2005 case, Indian air force pilot Anjali Gupta was court-martialled for misconduct after she accused three superiors of sexually harassing her - a year after three trainees were also sacked when they leveled similar charges. And a 2005 survey by the Confederation of Indian Industries reported only four percent of women in the organized sector held senior management positions. The draft offers victims leave from work, transfers if they wish and compensation from money deducted from the salaries of their tormentors.
III – Women & Economics
Balochistan – Female Employment Trends
Working women in Balochistan face a number of problems that range from societal attitudes and lack of institutional support to religious extremism.
The attitude of men can be gauged from a 2002 study carried out by the University of Balochistan which found that the majority of male respondents opined that the environment in public offices is not conducive for women. Although social and economic indicators over the last 10 years indicate positive trends in female education and their participation in the workforce, traditional societal structures keep pushing them back into pigeonholes deemed appropriate. These issues become even more acute in Quetta which remains tribal in its outlook. Indeed social scientists in the city say that families in the province do not consider women’s education very important,; the higher dropout rate of girl students as compared to boys is an indication of this.
No wonder then that when the newly built Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University advertised for its first batch of teachers in 2004,, 22 women applied but of them 20 were Punjabi and two were from Hazara. In fact this reflect the pattern of employment in the province where non-Baloch women settled in Balochistan are willing to work as they are not bound by tribal norms and regulations; yet even this is not palatable to the conservative Baloch as they view it as another sign of the non-Baloch ‘stealing’ their jobs.
A Gender and Governance Study by the Women’s Studies Centre at the University of Balochistan validates that during the year 2001, 550 posts of grade 16 to 20 were announced for women in the Province, 532 were short listed as eligible (of around 1000 that applied), 247 were recommended and 01 positions remained vacant. Though these figures relate to employment opportunities in the public sector, these are significant and reflective of the overall situation, as contribution of the private sector is ‘negligible’. Private and telecom firms have come up but these offer very few opportunities for women.
IV – Women & HR
Funds to be Sought for Women’s Shelter Homes
The Ministry of Women’s Development will seek funds from the Government for hiring more staff to run the affairs of Women Centers, especially those with shelter homes, in an efficient manner. A proposal had been prepared in this regard. Among the 25 Women Centres established around the country to facilitate women in distress 19 are functional while only two in Islamabad and Lahore provide for shelter homes. The remaining six would become functional this fiscal year. At these homes, survivors of domestic violence can stay for an unlimited period.
The shelter homes also provide for capacity building and skill development of victims with the help of NGOs besides arranging education of their children. An official stated that the Government plans to establish 111 such facilities in every district with the objective of protecting women against violence of all kind and eliminate discrimination against them beside providing temporary shelter, medical and legal aid to the victims.
V – Books/Articles/Reports on Gender
Title On the Margins: Violence Against Women with Disabilities.
Research Report Written for the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation
Author Naidu, E., Haffejee, S., Vetten, L. & Hargreaves, S.
Publication Date April 2005
Publisher The Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation
Short Summary Why are South African women with disabilities more vulnerable to violence than non-disabled women and experience it differently? To what extent do service providers recognise and respond to their needs? This report from a small-scale exploratory research project conducted in 2001 makes visible the nature and forms of violence against women with disabilities, their particular vulnerabilities to violence, and the barriers they confront accessing assistance. It finds that although both disabled and non-disabled women are subject to gender-based violence, women with disabilities have particular economic, social and psychological vulnerabilities to abuse. They are not only more vulnerable, but experience particular forms of abuse which are not yet fully understood and encapsulated in conventional definitions of gender-based violence, linked to their specific type of disability. Because of stigma, and social isolation, women with disabilities may endure violence for longer periods of time and are less able to escape abusive caregivers. Service providers, both government and non-government, do not have an adequate understanding of the experiences and needs of women with disabilities, and often deliver inadequate and inappropriate support. To transform their services providers should conceive of women with disabilities as citizens with rights and entitlements, rather than dependents in need of charity and special care.
Complete Document http://www.csvr.org.za/papers/papdisab.htm
Democracy Watch |
I Presidential Elections
1. Musharraf’s Popularity
IRI Survey – Musharraf Support Plummets : The latest poll, conducted by the Washington-based International Republican Institute, found dissatisfaction with the President has surged this year — with 63 per cent of respondents calling for him to quit — along with a strong rise in support for his political rivals.
The poll also showed a rising sense of insecurity in the country, and widespread concern that religious extremism was a serious problem. The poll found 72 per cent of respondents did not support President Musharraf's decision in March to suspend Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry.
General Musharraf’s approval rating — those respondents who thought he was doing a good job — slipped to 34 per cent in June from 54 per cent in February, the poll said. His disapproval rate rose to 49 per cent in June from 26 per cent in February. One-third of respondents said they supported him being re-elected, down from half in February. Opposition to his re-election rose to 64 per cent in June from 40 per cent in February.
The poll was based on interviews with 4,000 randomly selected adults in cities and villages across Pakistan The institute gave a margin of error of plus or minus 1.58 percentage points for the poll, which was conducted between mid-June and early July.
A Brussels-based think tank, the International Crisis Group, said in its latest report on Pakistan that the end of President Musharraf's government was ‘a matter of time’, but that he ‘is showing a dangerous determination to cling to power at all costs’. The group’s Asia Director, Bob Templer said that if the President tries to rig the elections or proclaims emergency rule, it could lead to street demonstrations and violent clashes with the military, the report warned.
The New York Times in its editorial headlined ‘The General in His Labyrinth’ stated that America needs to maintain friendly relations with Pakistan, which is why it should “disentangle itself from the sinking fortunes of General Pervez Musharraf — a blundering and increasingly unpopular military dictator and a halfhearted strategic ally of the United States.” The newspaper says that General Musharraf has done “far less than he promised – and far less than is needed” in the fight against the Taliban. “It’s not clear which side his intelligence services are rooting for, while Taliban and Qaeda fighters continue to find shelter and support on Pakistan’s side of the Afghan border … Meanwhile, Washington continues to uncritically support the General’s highhanded rule.” The editorial compares the situation in Pakistan to that in Iran under the Shah and to Pakistan under some of General Musharraf’s predecessors.
Leading South Asia expert Stephen P Cohen told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during a hearing on Pakistan on 25 th July that President Pervez Musharraf is “personally moderate but is strategically indecisive and is in political decline” and in the last year or so he has “systematically alienated most segments of Pakistani society and infuriated his friends, both at home and abroad,” Cohen, Head of the South Asia Programme at Brookings, and author of two books on Pakistan, said that President Musharraf has led Pakistan by exiling the leading political opposition, co-opting some of the most corrupt elements of Pakistani society and aligning with the Islamists. His survival strategy was to meet external pressure from the US, China, and India with minimal concessions.
Cohen predicted that Musharraf will stay on only if he allies with the centrist political forces in Pakistan. If he continues to stumble, mass protests will make his rule impossible. If he accommodates the centrist opposition parties he should be able to stay on, though without his uniform. While Musharraf has a low opinion of civilian leaders, especially exiled former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, other generals understand that their dilemma is that they cannot alone govern a complex society such as Pakistan.
Ms. Farzana Shaikh in her article “ Is Musharraf playing with Fire?” comments that Musharraf’s actions in power have set Pakistan dangerously off course. Its now faces its worst crisis since the secession Bangladesh in 1971. She says that President Musharraf is in a bind. Amid the bloody devastation caused by his decision to storm the Red Mosque in Islamabad, he will be seeking desperately to salvage his reputation. The badly battered military ruler of Pakistan needs to be seen as a bastion against extremism if he is to win support from his Western allies, especially the United States. She points out that Musharraf’s confused handling of the Red Mosque crisis is likely to be central to his own demise. First, he laid siege to it and issued an ultimatum to the radicals inside “to surrender or die”. Then he suddenly announced he was ready to negotiate to save hundreds of women and children held hostage inside the mosque. However, the mediators in these negotiations were hardly neutral players:
In the end of her artcle, Ms. Farzana analyzes that the question now is whether Musharraf’s strategy will pay off. He is heir to a well-established legacy of close cooperation between Islamist groups and a military that has ruled the country for more than half its history. Even if, in time, the Islamists are defeated, they are unlikely to go down without a fight. The cost to Musharraf could be incalculable.
2. Re-Election of the President
European Parliament Urges Re-election by New Assemblies : It was reported on 13 July that the European Parliament has sounded a warning to President Musharraf through a 19-point resolution to desist from getting himself re-elected from the outgoing parliament and also asked him to give up his army post. The relevant clauses of the resolution said: “(The European Parliament)urges the government of Pakistan to return to democratic government by holding free, fair and democratic elections by the end of the year and warns against the imposition of emergency rule or other measures to suppress freedom of speech, association, assembly or movement and encourages President Musharraf to respect the existing Constitution by allowing the new assemblies to hold presidential elections and by relinquishing his post of army chief, which he had previously agreed to do in an undertaking to the EU.
The resolution says that a clear message should be conveyed to President Musharraf that a transition to civilian rule by strengthening democratic institutions and processes was the only acceptable way out of the current crisis. The resolution urged the armed forces of Pakistan to allow free and fair elections, including the possibility for exiled political leaders to return to Pakistan and stand for office, and called for measures to be taken to limit the influence of the military and other armed groups on the political and democratic processes. It also expressed concern about the neutrality of the caretaker government.
Qazi’s Petition and Musharraf’s Rule: Some legal experts say that the petition filed by Muthidda Majlis—e-Amal (MMA) Chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad in the Supreme Court may deprive the President General Pervez Musharraf of both the offices and bring an end to the military rule in Pakistan. The petition challenges Musharraf’s tenure as Army Chief as well as some of the constitutional actions. Munir A. Malik, President of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) said that Musharraf should have resigned as Chief of Army Staff before October 15, 2005 to become eligible for the presidential elections, according to article 43 of the Constitution. Senator Dr. Khalid Ranjha, senior advocate said that Musharraf could continue as President beyond article 43 if Supreme Court orders Musharraf to doff his uniform, it would have to declare article 41 *7) as unconstitutional. He said that this would be considered as re-writing the Constitution and the apex court could not do this.
Advance News of August
The federal cabinet on August 1 st endorsed President General Pervez Musharraf’s political interactions for lessening the political tension in the country. The cabinet, which met with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in the chair, also lent its full support to President Musharraf in his re-election attempts.
II General Elections
1. Electoral Rolls/Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)
Rs. 1.78b Allocated to Election Commission
A meager amount of Rs. 1.78 billion has been allocated by the Federal Government to the ECP for 2007-08 which is generally believed as an election year in the country. This shows that for the current year, an increase of Rs. 400 million has been made as compared with the last year allocations of Rs. 1.3 billion.
The sources said that the ECP would have to seek supplementary grants during the current fiscal year if the General Elections are going to be held in the country.
ECP gets 3 million Applications for Inclusion of Names in Voter Lists
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has received three million applications for inclusion of names in the computerized electoral rolls. A spokesman for the ECP said the applications would be adjudicated upon by the revising authorities by July 28. He said names of 52 million eligible voters were included in the draft computerized electoral rolls during the process of house-to-house enumeration and the total number of eligible voters would go up to at least 55 million after inclusion of about three million voters in the final voters’ lists to be published by the end of September.
Observers, however, believe that even the addition of names of three million voters would fail to address the concerns over the disenfranchising of millions of voters as it would still be 17 million short of the number of eligible voters in 2002. They say a large number of people would have attained the age of 18 after 2002 to become an eligible voter and the number should have gone up instead of being slashed.
The ECP spokesman clarified that after the publication of the final electoral rolls and before the issuance of the schedule for the conduct of General Elections, any person whose name does not appear in the final voters’ lists can apply for inclusion of his name, which will entitle him to cast vote in the forthcoming General Elections. The spokesman did not say as to why the computerized voters’ lists were not put on the website, as had been demanded by various political leaders.
Apex Court asks EC to register all Voters
The Supreme Court has instructed the Election Commission of Pakistan to ensure the registration of the names of all eligible voters in the electoral rolls through a fresh and comprehensive scheme by convening a special meeting of the commission. The ECP should inform the President that the condition of the Computerized National Identity Cards for registration in the electoral rolls is not only against the Constitution but also contrary to earlier orders of the Supreme Court. In her petition, Ms Bhutto had accused the government of committing ‘institutionalized fraud’ with the nation by deleting over 22 million voters from the electoral rolls.
The lawyers contended that Article 51(2) of the Constitution, Section 6 of the Electoral Rolls Act, 1973, National Registration Act and Section 35 of the Representation of Peoples Act, 1976, ensured the right to vote to every Pakistani of the age of 18 years. No statute imposed any precondition of having CNIC for registration in electoral rolls but the EC amended Rule 3 of the electoral rolls and imposed the condition of producing CNIC for registration as voters in the list against the spirit of the Constitution, law and judgments of superior courts. In 1989, he recalled, the Lahore High Court had annulled the condition of producing NIC for casting vote, which had been upheld by a 12-member bench of the Supreme Court.
The Chief Justice directed the commission to evolve a mechanism to ensure inclusion of missing names in the voters’ lists and sought a detailed report from the EC on Aug 10.
Advance News of August
Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has approved the schedule of door-to-doer enumeration to register the anmes of people in the voter lists who could not be enrolled as voters during the enrolment process of Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs). Decision to this effect was taken on August 1 st under the Chairmanship of Chief Election Commissioner Justice (Retd) Qazi Muhammad Farooq.
The CEC discussed with the members the methodology for implementing the Order of the Apex Court and approved schedule of entering names of all such persons who could not be enrolled as voters because they do not posses CNICs.
2. Political Parties’ News
PPP Gives Deadline for Power Sharing Deal
The high command of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has given the Establishment a tentative deadline of August to finalize a power sharing formula with the PPP after the forthcoming elections. The sources privy to the developments of the PPP-Establishment talks told that the PPP had given the Establishment a deadline of August to reach a deal, otherwise the PPP would have to opt for other alternatives. The PPP's top leadership asked the negotiators of the Establishment that the time for the forthcoming elections is coming close and the PPP has not yet been informed about the progress on its demands for a deal with President General Musharraf about a formula for sharing power after the upcoming polls.
MQM decides to stick with Government
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has postponed the general workers meeting scheduled to be held at the end of July to take a final decision on whether to continue supporting the government or not. Party sources said that MQM leader Altaf Hussain had postponed the meeting because of the situation in the country, and had decided that MQM would remain with the government and support President Pervez Musharraf in combating terrorism. MQM faced severe criticism from opposition parties and the general public after the May 12 Karachi shootings in which more than 40 people were killed and scores were injured. Because of the criticism, the party had decided to leave the government because it had failed to protect MQM from the scrutiny. However the government had asked the party leadership not to take any such action. Altaf Hussain had then asked the central leadership of the party to call a meeting of all office-bearers and MQM workers from across the country and asked for suggestions on the issue.
Qazi Resigns from National Assembly
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) President and Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Qazi Hussain Ahmad resigned from his National Assembly seat on July 23. Qazi’s Personal Assistant Attaur Rehman submitted the resignation to the NA Secretariat. Qazi was elected from NA-5, Nowshera. In his resignation letter, Qazi said he did not want to continue as a member of Parliament which is being bypassed and ignored to impose will of an individual. “All decisions of national importance are made outside the Parliament by a single person.” The MMA leader said that General Musharraf had promised the nation that he would not hold his Army chief post after December 31, 2004 but he did not fulfill his promise made to 150 million people of Pakistan.
He said President Musharraf openly violated the Constitution and his commitment by keeping both the posts of the President and the chief of Army staff after December 31, 2004. Qazi said the operations at Lal Masjid and in Bajaur, Balochistan and Waziristan had widened the gulf between the people and the Army. “Blood of innocent people including children, girl and boy students were mercilessly shed during these operations,” he said.
Cracks Deepen within MMA
The conflict between Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) President Qazi Hussain Ahmad and religious alliance's General Secretary Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman has entered into a critical phase as majority of the heads of the component parties of MMA not happy with the resignation of Qazi Hussain Ahmad. It is further learnt that the heads of the component parties of the religious party alliance have already lodged their complaints with Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman about the resignation of Qazi Hussain Ahmad without taking the alliance into confidence. However, Maulana instead of taking direct action for this individual attempt decided to probe the matter through proper channel. In this regard when Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman was contacted on phone he said that MMA has asked the Jamat-e-Islami (JI) to explain why and how Qazi Hussain Ahmad made this decision on his own.
The MMA leaders are already seriously considering over the option of submitting resignations not only from the National Assembly but also from the Provincial Assemblies but the MMA just wanted to come out of the assemblies at some suitable time. Resignations in individual capacity not the solution to the problems, said the insiders. They are of the view that owing to the ongoing rift between Qazi Hussain Ahmad and Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman the future of MMA is in danger as Qazi Hussain Ahmad resignation from the NA was also the part of his protest and distrust over the MMA that delaying the resignation issue.
ANP and PkMAP Form Alliance
The Awami National Party (ANP) and the Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) on July 25 announced the formation of a new alliance called Pakhtoonkhwah National Democratic Alliance (PNDA) with Senator Asfandyar Wali Khan, President of the ANP, as is its chairman. The announcement of the formation of the alliance was made by PNDA leaders Asfandyar Wali Khan and Mehmood Khan Achakzai at a news briefing after their meeting at the Parliament Lodges.
The new alliance leaders demanded of the government to form a separate province comprising Pukhtun-majority parts of Balochistan and NWFP with a new name of Pakhtoonkhwah and Pashto as its official language.
The two leaders also announced the formation a convening committee of the alliance comprising five senior members of the two parties and tasked it with framing manifesto and motto of the new alliance.
3. Musharraf-- BB Deal
Latest Analysis by The News:
While the presidency has partially cleared the air about General Pervez Musharraf's meeting with former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in Abu Dhabi, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chief is at a loss what to say about it.
The Presidential Spokesman's well thought-out declaration is that "indirect contacts" took place (between Musharraf and Benazir) during his recent visit to the Untied Arab Emirates (UAE). He stated that indirect contacts have existed between the Presidency and political parties, including the PPP, for a long time. If the assertion, the first-ever after the much-hyped Musharraf-Bhutto meeting, is taken at its face value, the President and the former premier did not meet one-on-one or with aides; rather, they conversed through intermediaries.
The complete guest list of the feast hosted by the UAE President in Musharraf's honour that Benazir also attended and especially flew into Abu Dhabi for it is not known. However, what is known is that Inter-Services Intelligence Chief Lt-Gen Ashfaq Kiyani accompanied the President during his visits to the UAE and Saudi Arabia. On the other hand, Rehman Malik, former Additional Director General of the FIA, was in the company of Benazir from London to Abu Dhabi and back.
Therefore, it is supposed, given the Presidency's statement about indirect contacts, that the ISI chief might have discussed with Benazir, in the words of the spokesman, the “fight against militancy, extremism and terrorism and holding of free and fair general elections” and conveyed his deliberations to the president sitting nearby. He might then have gone back to her. And this is how the indirect contacts were held. What, however, cannot be believed is that Gen Kiyani would have spoken to Rehman Malik for communicating the president’s views on these issues to Benazir, and then Malik told the ISI chief about her response for conveying it to the president then and there.
In-between Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UAE, who too attended the feast as per the protocol, might also have worked as a messenger between the president and PPP chairperson as part of the “indirect contacts”. In view of the presidency's declaration, it is quite possible that top UAE leaders, present on the occasion, also worked as “indirect contacts” between Musharraf and Benazir.
4. Nominations
PPP Denies Party Ticket to Khar
The PPP leadership has refused to give a party ticket to Malik Ghulam Mustafa Khar for the General Elections 2007 in a meeting. The special meeting held to consider Khar and Aitzaz for party tickets, postponed the decision regarding the latter’s nomination. Aitzaz, candidate from NA-124 ( Lahore), is being tipped as a prospective nomination, despite party’s concerns, because of his growing popularity in the masses for leading the CJ’s cause in the Supreme Court. The decision for his nomination would be taken along with other tickets for Lahore chapter. However, the decision regarding Khar highlighted a serious gulf between Khar and the PPP top leadership. The decision came following strong statements by Khar advising PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto to counterweigh her statements on national issues with the sentiments of party workers and the public.
PPP Decides Candidates from Gujranwala and Faisalabad
Senior leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), who gathered in London for the parliamentary board meeting to finalize candidates for the elections, discussed aspiring candidates for Gujranwala and Faisalabad divisions on July 26.
PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto has already approved party tickets for all sitting MNAs and MPAs. Raja Riaz, Ejaz Virk, Maj (R) Sajjad Akbar, Rana Farooq, Nawab Sher Waseer, Wajid Mustafa, Khizer Abbas, Peerzada Ashraf, Rana Farooq, Raza Ghumman and several others were also shortlisted from Faisalabad. Since the sitting MPAs will be given party tickets, Raja Riaz, who is also trying for an MNA slot, might contest for two seats. Eiaz Shahid, Rana Aftab, Khalid Mehmood Wattoo, Jehanzeb Imtiaz Gill, Faizullah Kamoka, Malik Asghar Ali Qaiser and Dr Asad Moazzam have already been finalised, and a few seats might be filled after adjustments with other parties. From Jhang, Syeda Abida Hussain and her daughter Syeda Sughra Imam will be the party’s candidates for the national and provincial assemblies, while Ali Hassan Qazi and Syed Hassan Murtaza were assured party tickets for the Punjab Assembly. Rana Ataullah and Pir Inayat Shah are also trying for MNA slots, but will be given MPA tickets if not the former. In Toba Tek Singh, Hafeezullah Ishaq, Khalid Kharal, Haji Ishaq were finalised for MNA slots, while Mian Rafiq, was finalised for an MPA slot along with several others. The meeting also shortlisted party candidates from Gujranwala, according to which MNA Imtiaz Safdar Warriach, Imranullah, Abdullah Virk, Sardar Tariq Gujjar, Aslam Lone or his son, Dr Zafar, Khawaja Saleh, Aasma Shahnawaz, Ahmed Tarar, Nawabzada Ghazanfar Gul, Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Chaudhry Rehman Naseer, Zafarullah Tarar, Maj (r) Zulfikar Gondal, Raja Amer Khan, Tariq Rajput, Sahibzada Syed Murtaza, Sultan Ghumman or his nephew, Ghulam Abbas, Chaudhry Akbar, Khalid Chaudhry, Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, Ijaz Samma, Muhammad Ashraf Kamboh, Lala Shakeelur Rehman, Chaudhry Zahid Pervaiz, Mian Saud Dar and Chaudhry Muhammad Shabbir Mehr were also finalised for party tickets. A few changes are expected in both MNA and MPA candidates in the division.
PPP Drafts Tentative Sindh Candidates List
The Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP), during its London meeting, has drafted a tentative list of candidates for Sindh in which many PPP big wigs and recommended persons have been accommodated and others have been excluded.
The tentative list includes Manzoor Wassan and his relatives as possible PPP nominees in the elections for the national and the provincial assemblies from Khairpur. Interestingly, Nafeesa Shah former Khairpur Nazim and daughter of PPP Provincial President Qaim Ali Shah has not been approved as a possible candidates. The PPP’s Khairpur based members are unhappy with the exclusion.
Some of the candidates named in the tentative list include: Nasarullah Baloch and Jam Saifullah Dharejo, both MPAs from Sukkur, Pir Mazhar ul Haq his nominee, Pir Gulham Jillani and Murad Shah, and Sikander Shoro were named as possible candidates to contest from the Dadu and Jamshoro constituencies. Interestingly, PPP’s leadership has not called it a final list because of intra-PPP differences that could discourage many diehard workers. PPP officials were informed that the list can be amended before the announcement of the elections schedule.
Sindh PPP MPAs Denied for Anti-Party Vote
The Pakistan Peoples’ Party Parliamentarian has not issued tickets to the candidates who have violated party disciplines by voting for anti-PPP candidates in the Senate elections held during the current tenure. The candidates who were denied tickets are: Nawaz Chandio, Masood Tariq Arian and Ahmad Ali Shah, Qambar Laghari and Sajid Banbhan.
5. All Parties’ Conference (APC)
The opposition’s All Parties Conference (APC) was held on July 7 and 8, 2007 at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel, London. It was attended by 37 opposition parties The meeting adopted the declaration called “The APC Declaration, 2007.” Following are some of the points of declaration:
1) Carry on the struggle within and outside Parliament for the restoration of the 1973 Constitution as on the October 12, 1999, before the military coup with the provisions of joint electorate, minorities and women reserved seats on closed party list in Parliament, the lowering of the voting age, and the increase in seats in Parliament. The Legal Framework Order 2000 and the Seventeenth Constitution Amendment shall be repealed.
2) The APC demands the immediate resignation of General Musharraf to pave way for holding of fair and free elections under a neutral Caretaker Government in the country. The APC is of the view no fair and free election is possible under General Musharraf. If an attempt is made to hold rigged election, as is likely, it further resolves that it shall prevent the rigging of the electoral process at all costs through a coordinated democratic popular movement.
3) To strongly resist the election by the incumbent assemblies of General Musharraf for the office of the President of Pakistan through a consensus collective action including the option of resignations from Parliament and the Provincial Assemblies.
4) To jointly struggle for:
- The formation of a Caretaker Government of national consensus, in consultation with the opposition parties to hold free, fair and honest elections. Its members will not contest the elections.
- The appointment of aneutral Chief Election Commissioner and members of the election commission in consultation with the opposition parties.
- The dissolution of the local governments three months prior to the holding of the general elections.
- The Caretaker Government of national consensus shall appoint officers with no political affiliation in the Election Commission, federal, provincial, and district governments.
- Repeal of all discriminatory election laws , to ensure even playing fields and the implementation of fair election proposals.
- Implementation of the jointly agreed criteria for holding of fair and free elections as in the annexure.
- To keep under review the steps being taken to ensure free, fair and honest elections and to collectively through consensus take any decision, which may include a boycott of elections in the extreme case at the appropriate time.
- To firmly resist collectively the machinations of the regime to postpone the general elections by imposing emergency or under any other pretext.
5) To struggle collectively for the removal of dictatorship from Pakistan and confine the role of the armed forces to that prescribed in the Constitution of 1973. It demands immediate withdrawal of military personal from all civilian departments and posts. It demands closure of the political cells of all the military, security and intelligence agencies.
6) The APC demands in Balochistan are the following:
- The army operation against innocent people of Balochistan is stopped immediately. That all political workers and leaders be released immediately. The construction of cantonments and the deployment of police instead of the levies are stopped. The practice of enforced abductions should be stopped immediately.
- The APC further resolves that the army operation against innocent people of tribal areas is stopped immediately. Tribal areas should be cleared of all outside elements, pressures, and influences.
7) To review the current quantum of provincial autonomy and to develop a national consensus on the basis of federal principle to remove grievances of smaller provinces through a consensus.
8) To ensure the return of Benazir Bhutto and Mohammed Nawaz Sharif and will resist any attempt on the part of the regime to prevent or take into custody the popular leadership on their return.
9) We demand that the state stop with immediate effectthe kidnapping of its citizens, and release immediately all those kidnapped by or through the state. In case of any substantive offence to charge them before a competent court of jurisdiction, allowing defence counsel of their choice and access to family members. It should release all political prisoners including Javed Hashmi, Akhtar Mengal, Afaq Ahmad, Amir Khan, Allama Shabbir Hashmi, Mian Aslam and others.
10) We reject the construction of new GHQ in Islamabad because a country mired with poverty, unemployment and illiteracy can’t afford such mega housing and real estate project costing over $4 billion in market value.
11) We demand the immediate withdrawal of the presidential reference and the reinstatement of the Chief Justice of Pakistan. We further pledge to carry on the movement for the independence of the judiciary while wholeheartedly supporting the legal fraternity and civil society in its struggle for rule of law.
12) We reject thePEMRA Ordinance dated June 4, 2007, while assuring all forms of the media in Pakistan of our fullest support in their struggle for freedom of media and reaffirm our commitment to the freedom of expression.
13) The APC holds General Musharraf, the Sindh Governor and the Provincial Government, and the MQM responsible for the carnage carried out in Karachi on May 12, 2007, and demands an independent judicial enquiry by a judge of the Supreme Court to ascertain and identify the persons involved.
14) The APC condemns recent acts of terrorism in UK. It further resolves to write a joint memorandum to the UK Government for initiating necessary legal proceedings against MQM Chief Altaf Hussain for his alleged role in incidents of terrorism in Pakistan.
15) The APC resolves that independent and sovereign foreign policy based on national interests should be pursued. The solution of Kashmir dispute should be found according to wishes and aspirations of the people of Jammu
PPP Issues Dissenting Note
As the APC adopted a declaration in London, the PPP on July 9 came out with a two-point dissenting note on it regarding the re-election of President Pervez Musharraf. PPP spokesman
Farhatullah Babar said that while agreeing with the APC declaration, the PPP dissented on paragraph 3 (b) relating to the strategy of the opposition if Musharraf seeks re-election from the current assemblies. The paragraph 3 (b) of London declaration stated that all parties strongly resist the re-election of Musharraf by the incumbent assemblies through all means including the resignations from the Parliament and Provincial Assemblies. Reaffirming that it opposed Presidential re-election from the present assemblies as well as opposed a President in uniform, the PPP said that strategy of the opposition should be determined in a separate meeting of the APC after the MMA resigns from the government or if the Election Commission announces schedule of presidential election from the current assemblies.
It was the same clause in the declaration that delayed its announcement as the PPP showed its reservation over the issue of resigning from the assemblies. The PPP was of the view that the MMA should resign first from the Balochistan government to show its commitment to the joint cause of the opposition.
6. Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD)
ARD Splits into Two Alliances
Component parties of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) have split into two groups after the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Wednesday rejected a proposal to launch a joint struggle against the Government with the MMA. Four parties of the ARD - PDP, Istaqlal Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (Sahibzada Fazl Karim) and Tehrik-e-Insaaf have joined hands with Mian Nawaz Sharif's PML-N, while seven parties - Islamic Front, Jamiat Ulema Hadith, Pakistan National Christian Democratic Party, Shia Political Party, PML (Qasim), Muttahida Ulema Forum and PPP formed a combined bloc. The split came as Benazir Bhutto declined to launch a joint struggle against the Government with MMA.
The new alliance named All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) comprising MMA, PML-N, PONM, Istaqlal Party and Tehrik-e-Insaaf has made Raja Zafarul Haq as its convener.
ARD on the Verge of Collapse
Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) is on the verge of dissolution and currently passing through its 'honeymoon period', and the fate of the alliance is expected to meet its logical end at the time of re-election of President General Musharraf from the incumbent assemblies.
The life of ARD virtually came to an end the day All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) was formed at PML-N convened All Parties Conference (APC) in London.
The differences between the major partners of the alliance, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had surfaced in December 2006 when PML-N patron-in-chief Nawaz Sharif announced to convene an APC of opposition parties without the consent of PPP's high command. However, PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto stated that she did not oppose the idea of Nawaz Sharif to keep intact the Alliance. Terming the Mutahidda Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) the 'B-team' of the military-backed government, Benazir Bhutto refused to attend the moot and later announced a PPP's delegation for participation in the APC. PPP Chairperson demanded of the MMA to resign from the Balochistan's coalition government to establish itself a real opposition as the religious amalgam on one hand enjoying the perks and privileges of the government in Balochistan and NWFP and on the other wanted to form a grand opposition alliance from the stage of APC. She also said that she warned Nawaz not to fall in the trap of the MMA, which was trying to use the ARD as a bargaining chip to get its share in power after the forthcoming elections.
Benazir Bhutto also emphasized on PML-N leadership that they should wait for the right time to convene the APC as the time has not come to call such a moot. While, Nawaz Sharif stated that he had got prior agreement of Benazir for convening the APC but she on one or another reason had not ensure her participation in the moot that caused delay in holding the conference that damaged the cause of combined opposition to restore real democracy in Pakistan. PML-N patron-in-chief too claimed that to keep the ARD intact, he kept his temper low and made repeated efforts to convince PPP Chairperson to attend the moot for giving a sign of unity to the masses back home.
The major reason of differences between PPP and PML-N was the APC finally held on July 7 and 8 in London, which was chaired by Nawaz Sharif instead of Makhdoom Amin Fahim who is Chairman of ARD and that was the first indication of Alliance's expected disintegration. The second jolt to ARD was formation of APDM without the consent of PPP as the PPP leadership said that formation of any such alliance was not on the agenda of the APC.
The latest dent in the ARD surfaced when PML-N patron-in-chief Nawaz Sharif said in an interview, if PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto binds to Charter of Democracy (CoD), she might had not stated that after the Chief Justice of Pakistan's (CJP) reinstatement, her party's deal with Musharraf would be dangerous.
Expressed his reservations about the recent growing contacts between PPP Chairperson and the government, he said that PPP had not only violated the charter but also started negotiations with President General Musharraf. Nawaz Sharif said, "It is natural to express suspicions about Ms Bhutto following her absence in the APC." However, he declined to comment on the future of ARD but vowed to work on the platform of APDM.
While, Benazir Bhutto talking to a TV channel said that she did not want to confront with Nawaz Sharif, adding that CoD was inked to end the role of army in politics, however it was not a constitutional document. ARD Chief and PPP's Vice Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim said in an interview that all the parties included in the ARD were unanimously agreed on the restoration of democracy. He said that both PPP and PML-N wanted to support each other for the restoration of true democracy in the country. He said, "If Mr Nawaz Sharif wants to run a campaign for the restoration of democracy from the stage of APDM, we have best wishes for him".
Governance at Large |
Restoration of CJP – Supreme Court Verdict
On July 20, the 13 judge panel from Supreme Court of Pakistan hearing on the case unanimously reinstated the Chief Justice. In a second part of the verdict, the Supreme Court, 10-3, threw out the reference against the Chief Justice filed by President Pervez Musharraf, calling it illegal. In addition Supreme court of Pakistan abolished the law that could send a judge on forced leave, 10-3. This law is not a part of the constitution of Pakistan now. The verdict was seen as a landmark decision which would change the course of judicial history of Pakistan. Cheers from lawyers who have led mass protests against Musharraf reverberated around the high-roofed Supreme Court chamber after a grim-faced presiding Judge Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday announced that Chaudhry's suspension was "illegal" and set aside the charges against him.
President’s spokesman, Rashid Qureshi, said that the President respects the decision of the Supreme Court and the President has stated earlier that any judgment the Supreme Court arrives at will be honored, respected and adhered to.
Before the verdict, on 17 July, a bomb was detonated at a rally held in support of the Chief Justice's efforts against the President. Fifteen people were killed and many were injured as the attack ripped through the Pakistan People's Party reception camp. While the government maintained that it was a suicide bomber, Mr Chaudhry's supporters accused the intelligence agencies of planting the bomb. Independent forensic experts also cast doubt on the involvement of a suicide bomber.
Lal Masjid – Operation Silence
The Government decided on July 3 rd to launch an operation against Lal Masjid in Islamabad to enforce the writ of the state, after clashes between students of madrassas affiliated with the mosque and security forces claimed 12 lives. This decision was taken in a three-hour meeting chaired by President General Pervez Musharraf at his camp office in Rawalpindi, It was decided that the Lal Masjid administration would be given a brief ultimatum to surrender and vacate the mosque and its allied madrassas.
Several hundred students surrendered to the Government as security forces surrounded the mosque complex and announced amnesty for those who laid down their arms’.
Lal Masjid chief cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz was arrested on July 4 as he tried escape from the mosque complex in a burqa, officials said. His wife Ume Hassan, principal of Jamia Hafsa, was also arrested.
President General Pervez Musharraf on July 5 approved a plan to extend a general amnesty to about 100 militants still holed up inside Lal Masjid, provided they lay down their weapons and surrender to the security forces.
On July 10, Abdul Rashid Ghazi, Deputy Chief Cleric of Lal Masjid, was among dozens killed as Pakistan Army commandos stormed the mosque compound after a weeklong standoff with militant students. More than 50 militants and nine soldiers were killed in the 15-hour offensive.
The Supreme Court (SC) on 23 rd July directed the government to submit next week a comprehensive report before it regarding the Lal Masjid operation and ordered the Adiyala Jail superintendent to present complete record of mosque detainees. A three-member bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar and Justice Muhammad Nawaz Abbasi, while hearing a suo moto case, took strong notice of showing irreverence to the Holy Qur'aan in Lal Masjid and detaining students in shackles and fetters in the Adiyala Jail.
The Consultation on Draft Summary of the
Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper-IIA consultative workshop on the draft summary of PRSP-II held on July 17, 2007 in Islamabad. This was the continuation of the series of consultative workshops held over the past one and a half years to solicit public opinion on various dimensions of the second generation poverty reduction strategy of the Government. The deliberations of the workshop will revolve around the following themes:
• Ensuring a Demographic Dividend
• Crafting a Competitive Advantage.
• Financial Sector Deepening and Economic Development
Advisor to Prime Minister on Finance Dr. Salman Shah, however, clarified that the government was non-committal for taking the elected parliament and political parties into confidence on much awaited PRSP-II document on the basis of which Islamabad will seek multi-billion dollar loans from the multilateral and bilateral creditors during next three years.
When Dr. Salman Shah was asked whether the government was considering consultation with the political parties on PRSP-II, which envisaged plans for the next three years, he said that the government unmet and everyone has a right to present views in it. The PRSP-II, he said, has outlined 7 pillars for moving ahead and it can be enhanced up to 10 keeping in view the ongoing consultation process.
During the first presentation, Mr. Arthur Bayhun, CEO Competitive Support Fund (CSF) said that they had proposed the Government at the highest level to establish Specialized Economic Zones (SEZs) in order to overcome the menance of poverty. He identified certain sectors such a horticulture, motorcycle industry and fishing for taking advantage. Renowned Economist Dr. A. R. Kemal said that the authorities should come up with the exact allocation required for providing technical education to the unskilled work force in Pakistan. He also said that if the Privatisation leads to monopolies and cartels then it should be clear what sort of regulations required to achieve benefits of free market economy. In the second session, Dr. Zeba Sathar said that improvement in education for women is imperative to bring down fertility rate. Distance to health facility by residence and income levels need to improve access to rural and poor population.
Lahore Microfinance Sector Grows by 25pc
According to a study titled “The Dynamics of Microfinance Expansion in Lahore”, Pakistan while having 20 million potential microfinance clients is considered among the biggest markets of the world, whereas the center of it is Lahore that witnessed 25 per cent growth in microfinance in just three months. However, the microcredit provision is expanding rapidly in the district, the total market coverage remained at 13 per cent.
The research jointly conducted by ShoreBank International Limited and Pakistan Microfinance Network (PMN) aimed at depicting the behavior of the microfinance institutions (MFIs) and their clients in the country. The report was funded by a USAID sponsored project “Widening Harmonized Access to Microfinance,” the UK Department for International Development and Financial Sector Strengthening Programme, a project of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
Following are few findings and recommendations of the report:
- The paper observes that despite a low, though rapidly increasing penetration of microfinance in Lahore, many resident microfinance providers (MFPs) are feeling competitive pressure that is likely to intensify over the coming years. Microfinance outreach in Lahore, according to the report, stood at about 90,000 active clients in June 2006 and by September 2006, this count had reached about 112,547 active clients, showing 25 percent growth within three months.
- As the microfinance sector gears up to expand at the national level, the Lahore market offers a valuable opportunity to study the dynamics of microfinance expansion in an urban market and to forecast the likely impact on the sector at the macro-level, should similar dynamics arise in other areas of the country.
- The study also reveals that rapid microfinance expansion in Lahore has led to a number of benefits including speedier outreach; new products; push within all MFPs toward more client-responsive processes and service delivery; as well as a sense of competition amongst the MFPs that is translating into lower transaction and opportunity costs for most existing borrowers.
- The study recommends to the individual MFPs three areas of action included focusing on expanding into untapped markets in order to offset the competitive pressure arising from the geographic overlapping of microfinance operations. Secondly, they should invest in more effective marketing capabilities to improve people awareness of access to financial services. And lastly, the MFPs ought to institute stronger internal control systems to maintain organizational efficiency and sustainability during the upcoming period of rapid expansion.
- The report also recommends to the collective microfinance industry to build industry-wide information sharing systems for supplementing MFPs’ internal control systems and to balance the increase in risk as clients discover increased opportunities for parallel borrowing from multiple organizations.
The State of Pakistan’s Children 2006
Report by SPARCThe State of Pakistan's Children 2006 gives a dismal and gloomy picture of the situation of children in Pakistan. Following are few facts highlighted in the report:
- Pakistan has the highest maternal and infant mortality rate in the south Asia, and an estimated 10 million children are toiling away their childhood to supplement the family's income.
- About 6.463 million children do not go to school, which is the second largest number of such children in a country.
- The number of street children is growing with almost 25,000 on the streets in Karachi alone, and almost four children are sexually abused daily.
- Speaking at the Launch of the SPARC's annual report The State of Pakistan's Children 2006 at Holiday Inn, Islamabad on June 20, Executive Director Mr Qindeel Shujaat said, "We should accept the fact that we have failed our children. Sadly the way government moves is not great.
- From the prevailing conditions it is clear that Pakistan is not only lagging behind in achieving all its Millennium Development Goals, Education For All targets and other international commitments, but it is far from ever achieving those targets which would go a long way in giving children a fair chance to become healthy, educated and productive citizens of Pakistan.
- According to the recovery minute from EPI disease, Diarrhea and Acute Respiratory Infection. Infant mortality in Pakistan is the highest among SAARC countries. Moreover, the infant mortality rate at present stands at 70 deaths per 1,000 live births. Children born with low birth weight exceed 19 percent. 38 per cent of under-fives are victims of malnutrition and 13 percent face wasting i.e. severely underweight. Complete eradication of Polio still remains a challenge due to the resistance and rumors spread by the clerics in the Northern areas. And each year, major health concerns almost remain the same. During the year 2006 too, Polio, Malnutrition, Measles, Malaria, HIV and AIDS, withering breastfeeding, waterborne diseases and Hepatitis remain major challenges in context of child health. The health budget allocated during 2004-05 was Rs. 38 billion. For 2005-06, it was slightly increased to Rs. 40 billion. For 2006-07, the budget put aside for health is Rs.52 billion. While under utilization of funds also pushes the process backwards.
- Education in Pakistan suffers from the worst forms of negligence, indifference and apathy, the report said. According to the figures quoted by UNESCO almost 50 million adult population in
- Pakistan is illiterate, while the drop out rate in primary schools is the highest in the world again 50%. An estimated 25 million children are not going to school and approximately 10 million are in child labor. About 20% children go to private English medium schools. Almost, three quarters of the remaining child population study in public schools.
Speaking on the state of juvenile justice in Pakistan SPARC`s Founder, Executive Director and now member of Board of Directors Mr. Anees Jillani said "child should not be stigmatized. He needs counseling, education, recreation and not confinement. When we are talking about juvenile justice we are not talking of big money. Only we need is principle understanding and compassion". SPARC demands to upgrade the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 7 to 12 years.
Public Safety Commissions Strengthened
The Police Order (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2007, issued on 29 July declared the federal capital Islamabad as ‘Capital City District’ while all the four provincial capitals being the metropolis, would be City Districts. The Government has further strengthened the role of Public Safety Commissions (PSC) in the Police Order 2007. Total autonomy of the Federal and Provincial Police Officers in operational, administrative and financial matters was ensured in the Police Order (PO).
Regarding the supervision of Police by the appropriate authorities, the order said, “Government through policy, oversight and guidance and, in case of a Province, it shall be exercised by the Chief Minister through the Chief Secretary and the Provincial Home Department, while ensuring total autonomy of the Provincial Police Officer in operational, administrative and financial matters and, in case of Federal Capital, such supervision shall be exercised by the Ministry of Interior, Government of Pakistan”. The Provincial Government may, with the approval of the Federal Government, repatriate, or the Federal Government may, on its own accord, recall, a Provincial Police Officer.
The Provincial Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission may, for reasons to be recorded in writing, recommend to the Provincial Government for repatriation of the Provincial Police Officer before the expiry of his term of office and the Provincial Government may thereupon move the Federal Government for his repatriation in accordance with clause (2).
The District Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission shall exercise the powers and perform the following functions including those relating to complaints against the police officers serving in the District, except the Head of District Police, the PO said, maintaining, approve an annual Local Policing Plan prepared by the Head of District Police in coordination with the Zila Nazim setting out the arrangements for policing during the year.
Under the Ordinance the PSC would direct the Head of District Police in writing, where the District Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission has reasons to believe that the in-charge of the police station has unjustifiably refused or avoided to register the First Information Report, to conduct an inquiry into the matter and cause the registration of the First Information Report under section 154 of the Code, if any cognisable case is made out from the allegations of the complainant and report to the District Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission within forty-eight hours the action taken by him and direct the Head of District Police in writing to enquire into a complaint of neglect in general or by a functionary of a District Police in particular, and take appropriate action and report within the specified period.
The PSC could require, on a complaint of excess committed by any member of Federal Law Enforcement Agency or civil armed forces acting in aid of the district police, the appropriate authority of the concerned department in writing to take remedial action and report within a specified period and if no action is taken by the concerned authority, a reference may be made by the District Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission to the head of concerned organization or the Federal Police Complaints Authority for appropriate action.
The Commission is authorized to take cognizance of cases of Police neglect, excess, abuse of authority and conduct prejudicial to public interest against Head of District Police and police officers not serving in a District - on a complaint from an aggrieved person in writing supported by an affidavit; or on a report from a District Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission; or on a reference from the Government; or (iv) on its own accord; inquire into the complaint either by itself or through any Government officer not below the Basic Pay Scale 19 and on the basis of findings of the inquiry.
The Commission would file the complaint, if the charges are not proved; or refer the matter to the concerned Head of General Police Area for departmental action and report back; or order the registration of a criminal case under the relevant provisions of Pakistan Penal Code (Act V of 1860), this Order or any other law for the time being in force; and report, to the Chief Minister, where the Commission is not satisfied with the action taken by the Head of General Police Area in cases referred to in sub-paragraph (I) and make appropriate recommendations in this behalf; and recommend disciplinary action against an inquiry officer for wilful neglect or mishandling of an inquiry.
Provinces and Governance Issues
NFC award: Sindh Loses Rs300bn in Five Years
Sindh contributes revenue worth Rs500 billion to the Federal Government every year, which amounts to 68 per cent of the Federal Government’s budget. Despite this significant input, the Province receives just Rs100 billion against its minimum requirement of Rs300 billion for the implementation of development schemes. Over the past five years, the Province of Sindh has been deprived of Rs300 billion because of the inordinate delay in the announcement of the National Finance Commission (NFC) award. The decision has been pending since 2002 when the validity of the 6th NFC award expired.
Given that this is an Election year, the NFC award issue was raised in the general discussion during the Sindh Assembly’s 2007 budget session. The leaders of the joint opposition termed the presentation of the budget without the NFC award “illegal and unconstitutional”, and cited clauses four and five of Article 160 of the Constitution in support of their arguments. Former Chief Minister and Parliamentarian Syed Qaim Ali Shah says that the amended clause four of Article 160 of the Constitution empowered President General Pervez Musharraf to announce an award only on the basis of the commission’s recommendations. Therefore, he argues, the NFC award as announced by General Musharraf stood in violation of the Constitution since the commission had not made any recommendations. Members of the opposition are of the view that despite generating significant revenue, Sindh is being offered peanuts by the Federal Government. They allege that the major share of the divisible federal pool goes to the Punjab since the award takes population as its basic criterion. An estimated 50 per cent of the province’s population lives below the poverty line.
Rs 4.3bn Sanctioned for NWFP Security
President General Pervez Musharraf has sanctioned Rs 4.3 billion for purchasing security equipment for the NWFP police and other law enforcement agencies to increase their counter terrorism capability - particularly in the restive Swat valley. NWFP Information Minister Asif Iqbal Daudzai told that NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani had requested for the funds. He said peace was restored in Swat valley after the grand jirga had held meetings with local religious and militant leaders. The Minister ruled out possibility of an immediate military action in the valley. He said the provinces could not purchase weapons and other equipment without the Federal Government’s assent. About 7,000 bullet proof jackets, 20 armoured personnel carriers (APCs), 6,000 AK-47 assault rifles and 1,000 rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) had been purchased from the Presidential fund and more weapons would be bought by mid-August.
MQM Prepares Provincial Autonomy Package
The Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) has prepared a package of constitutional amendments, seeking greater provincial autonomy and abolition of the concurrent list but at the same time restricting the President’s authority to proclaim emergency and making appointment of high court judges or proceeding against them.
The package excludes the role of the Chief Justice of Pakistan in the appointment of high court judges and also restricts the Auditor-General of Pakistan from extending his authority to the provinces. It demands the creation of a provincial judicial council to try the high court judges and seeks the creation of a provincial auditor-general to audit provincial accounts.
The President’s power to appoint the Chief Election Commissioner in his discretion is also sought to be amended for the purpose of making it mandatory for the President to make this appointment in consultation with the chief justice of Pakistan.
The package restricts Parliament to legislate on provincial matters and limits the Federal Government’s executive authority in matters of the provinces. The Council of Common Interest is recommended to be reconstituted, while a new body with the name of Inter-Provincial Council is suggested to be set up for greater harmony among the provinces and between the provinces and the Federation in relation to different policies and projects. However, it seeks the abolition of the National Economic Council (NEC).
NWFP – Committee on Provincial Autonomy Tables Proposals
The NWFP cabinet’s committee on Provincial autonomy in its meeting tabled various proposals to ensure maximum legal, constitutional, administrative and financial autonomy for the federating units. Presided over by NWFP Minister for Education, Maulana Fazle Ali Haqqani, who is also chairman of the committee, the meeting besides provincial ministers, Inayatullah Khan and Asif Iqbal Daudzai was also attended by administrative secretaries and the advocate general of the NWFP. The committee directed the quarters concerned to compile the recommendations of the committee and prepare a comprehensive amendment draft for approval of the cabinet. Chairman of the committee appreciated the participants’ keen interest in the important issue of provincial autonomy.
Geo-Political Dynamics
I – South Asia
Pak-Afghan Border Sealed at Chaman Crossing
Pakistan on July 17 sealed off its border with Afghanistan at Chaman point after security forces arrested two suspected militants late Monday night while trying to sneak into Spin Boldak, the capital of the Pukhtoon-majority Kandahar province of Afghanistan, Daily Times has learnt. The transit passes issued to Pakistanis and Afghan nationals to cross over to Afghanistan had also been cancelled. However, there would be no bar on the UN staff to move across the border. Preliminary investigations disclosed that the two suspected militants from Swat were to meet a 17-member group of Taliban to implement a plan to kill security officials in different areas of NWFP and smuggle in a sizable quantity of explosives. The 17-member group also includes two high-value targets carrying head money announced by the US government. The names of the two suspected militants were not disclosed for security reasons.
Sensitive equipment and closed-circuit cameras had also been installed at Chaman point to check the cross-border movement of militants, who might disrupt peace and stability in the country, particularly in NWFP, by carrying out terrorists/suicide attacks. The Government had earlier put in place a computerized data system at Chaman point for cross-border movement of Pakistani and Afghan nationals, especially the traders. Meanwhile, the interior ministry had directed the NWFP police to utilize all available resources for protection of troops deployed in the restive Swat Valley to crack down on the militants backed by Tehreek-i-Nifaze Shariat-i-Mohammadi (TNSM). The district police officers (DPOs) of Nowshera, Mardan, Peshawar and Swat have also been directed to cordon off the roads and areas during the movement of military convoys for Swat and Malakand areas. Security has been tightened further in Peshawar, Nowshera, Risalpur and Mardan cantonments and police have been deployed at sensitive installations to guard against any untoward incident.
Line of Control (LoC) can Become Symbol of Peace, says Singh
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on July 15 announced his quest for a historic reconciliation with Pakistan for peace and cooperation in Kashmir, including a joint sharing of its water and land resources for the region’s benefit on both sides of the Line of Control. The Prime Minister, who was on a day-long visit to Jammu, told college students there that the time is ripe for such a pact with Pakistan and between the culturally and politically diverse peoples of Jammu and Kashmir. He said that the younger people `without any bitter memories, and full of hope and energy, are the ones who can lead this process of change. His dialogue with Pakistan seeks to end the bitter legacy of the last 60 years, and begin a new chapter in bilateral relations. The comments appeared to be timed to ease the difficulties for President General Pervez Musharraf with extremists. He further said that we would like the people of Jammu and Kashmir to be free from all fears about their future.
Indian cabinet Approves N-pact with US
India 's cabinet approved a bilateral agreement for civilian nuclear trade with the United States on July 25 but the landmark deal still faces hurdles before it can be finalized. The deal aims to give India access to US nuclear fuel and equipment for the first time in 30 years to help meet its soaring energy needs, even though it has stayed out of non-proliferation pacts and tested nuclear weapons.
First agreed in principle two years ago, it is seen as a symbol of the new strategic relationship between the once-estranged democracies. The framework deal was approved by the US Congress last December.
But the two governments managed to agree on a bilateral pact needed to govern nuclear trade only last week, after several rounds of negotiations over New Delhi's objections to what it said were new conditions. Details of the bilateral pact have not been made public.
Taliban Growing Stronger in Afghanistan: UK report
A report by Britain’s Parliament has found that the British-led NATO force in Afghanistan does not have enough troops to carry out its mission and the Taliban show worrying signs of growing stronger.
The report, by the House of Commons Defence Committee, highlighted a series of concerns, from a lack of training for Afghan police and armed forces to an unclear policy on eradicating the country’s vast opium poppy fields. But the chief preoccupation was a lack of support from other NATO countries to provide more troops to the 36,000-strong ISAF mission and evidence that violence, including Iraq-style suicide bombings, was growing as Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked insurgents expand their sphere of influence outwards from the south.
While praising the commitment of Britain’s 7,100 troops to the overall mission, the report’s authors added: “The Ministry of Defence asserts that the Taliban insurgency does not pose a strategic threat to Afghanistan (but) violence seems to be increasing and spreading to the previously more peaceful provinces in the north and west... and the capital.
The Government cautiously welcomed the report, saying it also wanted to see more NATO support, while the opposition called it a “severe indictment” of current policy. In their analysis, the report’s 18 authors said a lack of trust between Afghans and British-led troops was hurting other efforts, including the need to eradicate poppy fields, which now account for 30 per cent of Afghanistan’s economic output. The report said that the opium poppy cultivation has expanded rapidly over the past year, from 104,000 hectares in 2005 to 165,000 hectares in 2006, with the absence of a clear policy on how to tackle it making it ever more difficult to rein it in.
II – Pak-US Relations
US Offered Air Support, Supporting Fire to Pakistan
The US military has offered to provide air support and “supporting fires” for Pakistani military operations against Al Qaeda, but in the past has been rebuffed. General Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, disclosed the offer of US military and intelligence assistance on 20 July in a meeting in Schweinfurt, Germany with family members of US troops. Pace’s comments were first reported by a CNN correspondent traveling with the general. Defence officials on 23 July confirmed his remarks but said the offer was not new, but rather of a longstanding character. A defence official who was present at the meeting in Germany said Pace talked about US military and intelligence assistance to Pakistan in the context of a long relationship with President Pervez Musharraf. “He did say ‘kinetic’. He also said ‘intel sharing”.
US Bill could Destabilise Relations, says Musharraf
President General Pervez Musharraf has urged the United States to review the bill linking aid for Pakistan to progress in cracking down on Al-Qaeda and other militants and said that the bill could destabilise the long-term strategic partnership between the two countries. Strongly rejecting the remarks of US authorities and news about direct US strike in the tribal areas, President Musharraf clarified that the Pakistan Army had the ability and was equipped with modern military means to deal with the situation.
The President expressed these while talking to US Ambassador-designate Anne W Patterson who presented her credentials to him here at the Presidency on July 31. The President observed that Pakistan values its relations with the United States in various fields. However, Pakistan has reservations on the bill passed by Congress. The US Administration should review it. No other country like Pakistan has rendered sacrifices in war against terrorism. President Musharraf asked the United States to expedite the pace of work on economic development zone in the tribal areas of the country. He said the Pak-Afghan border had been sealed to prevent the illegal movement of terrorists.
The Ambassador also conveyed the message of US President George W Bush to the president, renewing the pledges of strong and concrete relations and strategic partnership between two countries. President Bush lauded the role of Pakistan in war against terrorism and stressed the need for more intensified collaboration between the two countries in this respect, according to the message. Matters of mutual interest, war against terrorism, the bill passed by US Congress linking aid for Pakistan to progress in cracking down militants and reservation of Pakistan on it, regional scenario and border matters were discussed during the meeting that lasted 45 minutes.
III – Middle East
US Opposition to Iraq war Record High
According to a new USA Today and Gallup poll, the opposition to the Iraq war has climbed to a record high and President George W Bush’s approval rating dropped to a new low amid growing dissent from members of his own Republican party over his war strategy,
USA Today reported on July 10 that Bush’s approval dropped to 29 percent in the poll down from 33 percent in early June, One in five Americans said the increase in US forces in Iraq this year had made the situation there better while half said it had made no difference. More than seven in 10 Americans favor withdrawing nearly all US troops from Iraq by April. More than half, 55 percent, said Congress should wait to hear an assessment from General David Petraeus before developing new Iraq policy. Sixty-two percent of those polled said the US made a mistake in sending troops to Iraq, marking the first time that number has topped 60pc. The poll also showed support for Bush slipping among Republicans who gave him a 68 percent rating, down from an average 92 percent in his first term and 82 percent earlier in his second.
Iran , US Agree on New Panel on Iraq
The US Ambassador to Iraq said on 24 July that Iran and the US agreed to set up a panel to help improve security in Iraq. Mr. Ryan Crocker said that details of the new committee, including when it would meet and who would attend, will be worked out in the next few days. “If the Iranians are prepared to line their practice up with their policy and use this forum as a means of doing so, then we want to see if that is what will happen.
Relations between the two countries have worsened by the detention in Iraq by US forces of at least five Iranian officials whom Tehran insists are diplomats, but Washington says are covert operatives of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard. Iran in turn has detained four US-Iranians accused of espionage and harming national security by being linked to alleged US efforts to topple Iran’s clerical authorities.