The FIA seems to be following a pattern of harassment. Mallick’s arrest echoes the circumstances of another media professional’s arrest last year, Asad Ali Toor, who was also taken into custody when appearing before the FIA. 

The criminal complaint (First Information Report) against Mallick was registered by the FIA Cyber Crime Reporting Center Karachi under Sections 16, 20, and 26-A of the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Amendment Act 2025.

As per the FIR, an inquiry was registered, and a report was received regarding Raftar’s YouTube channel. The FIR alleged that the channel was “involved in running [a] campaign for posting anti-state videos targeting the dignitaries mentioned in violation on YouTube channel.” Mallick was stated as the “handler” of the channel. 

The FIR stated that during the inquiry, initial technical analysis of the YouTube channel had shown that Mallick was involved in “generating and disseminating posts and videos related to anti-state consist of fake news and public incitement agenda.” It stated that this was causing harm to the reputation of “public institutes on an international level which acts on his part constitute the commission of offence.” Based on this, a case had been registered against Mallick, and its investigation had been taken up. 

Speaking to PPF, Mallick’s daughter, Haneen Mallick, said that FIA officials forcefully entered the Raftar office without providing any explanation. She claimed they harassed her father and his team and verbally summoned him to appear at the FIA office at 1 pm the next day.

“My father went to the FIA office exactly at the time they told him, but he was made to wait until 5 pm,” she said. “Later, he was informed that he was being arrested. By 8 PM, when we still had no information, some of his friends visited the FIA office and were briefly shown an FIR — too quickly to read — before being told that he was arrested under PECA charges for allegedly producing anti-state content.”

Haneen noted that in November 2024, the FIA had issued two notices accusing Mallick of an “anti-state campaign on social media.” She said Mallick attended all related hearings and secured bail from the Sindh High Court in December.

A post on X from Mallick’s account stated: “I don’t know what crime my father is being accused of — because there isn’t one. He is a journalist who believes in truth, in holding power accountable, in giving a voice to the people. Is that now a crime? Is free journalism something to be punished?”

According to a post shared by Raftar on X, FIA officials on March 19 had visited the Raftar office “without prior notice,” harassed the team, and “verbally summoned” Mallick to their office for a hearing on March 20 at 1 pm. As per the outlet, Mallick appeared before the FIA, and after being made to wait for hours, he was arrested at 6 pm.

“We are deeply concerned by this blatant intimidation of independent journalism. Raftar stands for truth, accountability, and the right to report freely without fear. The lack of transparency in this situation raises serious questions about press freedom and the targeting of independent voices. We demand immediate clarity on Mr. Mallick’s arrest and call for the protection of journalists and media professionals from unjust harassment,” the outlet stated on X.

According to FIA Cybercrime Reporting Centre Additional Director Shahzad Haider, there was inquiry launched against Mallick three months ago, Dawn reported. The official alleged that Mallick was “formally arrested” after the inquiry was completed.

A remand request to the Judicial Magistrate Karachi East court requested police remand of Mallick till April 3. A handwritten order stated that remand had been granted for four days (till March 25). 

In November 2024, Mallick received a notice from the FIA Cyber Crime Circle in Islamabad. The notice accused him of propagating anti-state content on social media and summoned him for an inquiry in Islamabad on November 20. He faced challenges, including being stopped from a flight to Doha and being detained at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport for five and a half hours.

Mallick’s arrest has been widely condemned.

In a statement, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) said that Mallick’s arrest was a “blatant attempt to stifle free speech and intimidate journalists who dare to criticize those in power.”

Demanding Mallick’s release and a transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his arrest, in a joint statement, PFUJ President Afzal Butt and Secretary General Arshad Ansari stated: “It is imperative that the government reins in agencies like the FIA, which have a history of overstepping their authority and suppressing dissenting voices.”

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) demanded his immediate release and called for a transparent investigation into the matter.

“The government must check the overreach of agencies such as the @FIA_Agency and uphold the right to freedom of expression as enshrined in Article 19 of the Constitution,” HRCP stated.

In a post shared on X, Karachi Press Club President Fazil Jamili condemned the arrest and stated: “His arrest reinforces our apprehension that this draconian law will be used to silence journalists and stifle journalism in the country. He should be released immediately.”

Photo Source: Farhan Mallick Linkedin

Alburo was on his way home to Guihulngan City in La Libertad, Negros Oriental — located in the Visayas, one of three geographical divisions of the Philippines — when he was shot by two men riding a motorcycle around 3:05 a.m. on December 28, 2018, according to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP).

PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali “has condemned the murder of Gabriel Alburo and called on the authorities to immediately and independently investigate the killing of radio announcer and hold those responsible for his murder.”

Alburo recently resumed broadcasting over community radio station 94.5 dyJL FM in Guihulgan and was running for councilor as an independent, NUJP reported.

Alburo’s killing is the 13th recorded under the Duterte administration since he took office in 2016.

Other cases of journalist killings in 2018:

• Radio broadcaster Joey Llana of 92.3 FM Home Radio Legazpi was on his way to work when he was ambushed by five unidentified armed men on July 20, 2018 in Brgy. Penafrancia, Daraga.
• Publisher and writer Dennis Denora of Trends and Times was killed in an ambush by unidentified armed men on June 7, 2018 in Panabo City, Davao del Norte.
• Radio broadcaster Carlos Matas of dxCA was gunned down in Brgy. Nuburan on May 12, 2018 in Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur.
• Broadcaster Edmund Sestoso of dyGB 91.7 FM Power 91 was shot by an unidentified gunman on April 30 and died a day after in Dumaguete City.

In 2018, the Philippines ranked 133 out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders. Aside from journalist killings, constant intimidation and harassment, notably by the Duterte administration, are among the other challenges confronting  the Philippine press. This has been demonstrated by the multiple tax evasion cases lodged against online news website Rappler and its CEO Maria Ressa.

A composite report produced by the Freedom for Media, Freedom for All Network, which is composed of Philippine-based organizations Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, NUJP, Philippine Press Institute, MindaNews, and Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, shows that in the first 28 months of the Duterte presidency, between 1 July 2016 and 31  October 2018, there were 99 recorded cases of attacks and threats against the Philippine press.

Last year the Philippines, ranked fifth, also made the annual Global Impunity Index of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, with 40 unresolved cases of journalist murders as of August 2018.

To date the killing of 32 journalists and media workers during the gruesome Ampatuan massacre — which claimed a total of 58 victims — in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao, on 23 November 2009 remain unresolved.

Southeast Asian Press Alliance 

The PTA told the Supreme Court on Saturday that YouTube was blocked because it was not possible to remove or block an offensive video from the website without blocking the entire site.

In a report, submitted to the court through PTA Direc­tor Law Mohammad Khur­ram Siddiqui, the regulator claimed that it was simply complying with the SC order of Sept 17 2012, where it had “direct[ed] the Chair­man PTA to immediately block the offending material”.

The update claimed that at the time, it was not possible to block access to the ‘Innocence of Muslims’ clip — that caused an uproar in the Muslim world — without blocking the website’s IP address, which meant cutting all access to YouTube.

The Supreme Court is currently hearing a petition, moved by Barrister Zafarullah Khan, seeking the unbanning of the popular video-sharing website.

The PTA report conceded that Google, which owns YouTube, had launched a version of the site localised specifically for Pakistan on Jan 12, 2016. However, since the PTA’s ban on the site remains in place, most Internet users in the country have not been able to access youtube.com.pk without using secure (https) protocols or VPNs/proxies.

PTA said that Google and PTA had both verified that this version of the website does not contain any known copies of the offending material. Nevertheless, if any copy appeared on the website in the future, Google has “provided an online web process through which requests for blocking access [to] the offending material can be made by PTA to Google directly and Google/YouTube will accordingly restrict access to the said offending material for users within Pakistan”.

After the launch of the localised website, there was no reason to block YouTube’s IP anymore, the report stated, adding that the website “may now be accessed by Internet users in Pakistan”.

PTA has yet to issue a formal notification regarding the unbanning of YouTube.

Dawn

Related News
Dawn: YouTube ban
Business Recorder: Plea filed in SC: PTA seeks removal of ban on YouTube
The Nation: PTA approaches SC against ban on YouTube

They said that conflict reporting was a specialised field, but unfortunately, in Pakistan no training is given to working journalists to cover such incidents.

Speaking at the seminar on “Crisis/conflict management and media communication plan” Maj Gen (r) Athar Abbas said that International Federation of Journalists has issued code of conduct and a charter of duties for covering in conflict situation but the media organisations do not bother to educate, train or provide any protective equipment to their field staff.

He also said that lack of editorial control on live coverage of conflict situations on electronic media was also a reason for excessive coverage of terrorists activities.

Brig (r) Shaukat Qadir said that lack of credibility of the government in the eyes of the masses creates a vacuum and various banned organisations take advantage of such situations. He was of the opinion that the government and the concerned agencies should acknowledge their limitations to the general public so that the people are mentally prepared for any situation.

He said that as a nation we have heroes in war against terrorism including 15 year old boy Aitzaz Hassan and DSP Chaudhry Aslam but they were not given due coverage.

Shaukat Qadir said that policy makers should share changes in national policies on strategic issues, as by doing so media would at least understand the state policy even if it does not agree with it.

National Press Club President, Shahryar Khan, said that first of all there were little opportunities for training for journalists, but unfortunately, new entrants in the field were least interested in getting training.

He said that if a journalist gets injured in an accident and applies for a leave, he is sent home by the proprietors. He said that out of 42 journalists killed during war on terror, perpetrators were brought to the book in only one case.

Pakistan Today

IrshadMastoi, who was associated with Online International News Network and ARY News was shot dead in Quetta on August 28, 2014.

Among those honored were photojournalist James Foley, a freelancer who had reported for GlobalPost, Agence France-Presse and other outlets from Afghanistan, Libya and Syria, and Steven Sotloff, an American-Israeli journalist who had worked for Time and the Christian Science Monitor.

With the 14 names, the memorial will recognise a total of 2,271 reporters, photographers, broadcasters and news executives from around the world, dating back to 1837.

“It is right, and just, that we pause today in our busy lives to remember what these journalists did, and why they did it,” Peter Prichard, chief executive officer of the Newseum, said at a ceremony at the news media museum.

John Foley, father of James Foley, said his son and Sotloff suffered “horrific deaths” but that John “left his mark as a wonderful human being attempting to defend our right to know, one person at a time.”

“For the first time in the Newseum’s seven year history in Washington, the “Today’s Front Pages” exhibit was blacked out for the day to raise awareness of the threats journalists face.

Gene Policinski, chief operating officer of the Newseum Institute, said the memorial is a way to acknowledge the journalists’ sacrifices.

The 11 men and three women honoured represent the more than 80 journalists who died while covering the news in 2014, according to the Newseum.

Keynote speaker Kathy Gannon of the Associated Press underscored the dangers faced by journalists as she recalled the death of AP colleague AnjaNiedringhaus, killed in an attack in Afghanistan that left Gannon injured.

“As journalists, we join this profession because we are curious. We who go off to conflict areas are satisfying that curiosity to understand the why and how of war, and most especially, the who of those caught in the middle, the people,” she said.

The other journalists recognized were Yusuf Ahmed Abukar of Radio Ergo and Mustaqbal Radio, killed in Somalia; Muftah Bu Zeid of Brnieq, killed in Libya; Simone Camilli of the Associated Press, killed in Gaza; Michel du Cille of The Washington Post, who died in Liberia; Rubylita Garcia of Remate and dwA, killed in the Philippines; Nils Horner of Sveriges Radio, killed in Afghanistan; freelancer Camille Lepage, killed in Central African Republic; Pablo Medina of ABC Color, killed in Paraguay; and freelancer Luke Somers, killed in Yemen.

Foley was kidnapped in November 2012 in northern Syria.

Last year, militants from the self-styled “Islamic State” triggered worldwide revulsion by releasing video footage of his murder, which they declared was to avenge US air strikes against their group.

Sotloff’s horrific killing was shown in a video which emerged just days after Foley was murdered in near identical circumstances.

Dawn

Throughout the years of my life I have gained interest in various career fields — law, medicine and even government office — but it has all come down to one passion, writing. I believe that becoming a journalist is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. My obsession with journalism has inspired me to believe in the many lifelong goals I am able to accomplish. As a member of the media, some of the top questions I receive from my students is how I got to be where I am today and whether I recommend pursuing journalism as a profession. This seemed so sincere that I decided to answer through my write up to help other young, aspiring journalists.

We all have heard that the pen is mightier than the sword. Even today, the younger generation is attracted to journalism even though the United Nations has ranked Pakistan as the second-most dangerous country in the world for journalists. Moreover, the Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent international body working for press freedom, ranked it as the most dangerous in both 2010 and 2011. Reporters without Borders, another independent body, consistently ranks Pakistan in its top 10 most hazardous places for journalists.

Since 2000, more than 90 journalists have been killed in Pakistan and hardly any of these cases have been solved. Most journalists dying in the pursuit of their profession are Pakistani citizens rather than foreign correspondents and their killers have not been held to account. At least eight journalists were killed in the country in 2012 alone, including four in the month of May. That is a high percentage considering that in a country of 200 million people there are only 18,000 journalists.

I see the attack on journalists as an attack not just on individuals but an attack on freedom of expression and therefore an attack on civil society and the very state itself. In a multi-national, multi-linguist, multi-sectarian, multi-religious, multi-ethnic state it is important that journalists are safe so that all these political pluralisms can be heard and can assert their stake in the fragile state. I have a strong belief that without a safe media and protected journalists, it is not just the media at threat but entire society. My media students always fill me with positivity when they say they want to change the fabric of society with their true and sincere reporting; I appreciate their courage and spirit but they are not aware about how they can do this.

People generally feel that journalism is all about writing or making it to the television screen. But it is not in reality; it is about reading and, most importantly, the ability to express one’s thoughts on varied topics. Journalism is for people who are ready to explore various opportunities 24/7 without the constraints of a cultural upbringing and gender, and are also ready to go beyond geographical boundaries.

Furthermore, Journalism is a highly responsible job and highly interesting at the same time. If someone is looking for a career in journalism, they should have a presentable and confident personality, along with the ability to write and present information accurately and concisely. Other essential requirements that highlight a good journalist are: an inquisitive bent of mind, good writing and communication skills, ability to differentiate between fact and fiction, tact, intelligence, awareness and interest in current affairs. Most importantly, one must be capable of handling unforeseen situations efficiently. If you are talented and hard working, a career in journalism is for you. With the growing importance of media today, opportunities in the field are numerous and the job is also demanding and exhilarating at the same time.

While talking to a student of media studies at the University of South Asia, Ali HaiderGilani said, “Journalism is one of the very prominent professions in the 20th century but presently we are hearing that journalists are being warned, called or picked up by the government and security agents for highlighting any issue. Even bloggers, tweeters, citizen journalists and freelance writers who are not actually in the field of journalism by profession but just write to get the truth out, have been told that they are being watched. As a young journalist that is really frightening for me and my other fellows who want to pursue a career in the field of journalism.”

Journalists, wherever they go, are honoured. They are treated as men of real calibre. However, before deciding to become a journalist, one should consider all the pros and cons. You still want to break into journalism? By all means but do get your preferences right. If you want to do something good for people and pursue ethical journalism, learn the ropes in a professional environment before sending your resumé to a mainstream Pakistani media house because you will get a job, a salary if you are lucky, but you will not learn.

The News

Conflict attracts instant global attention. Over the years, the Pakistani audience has consumed unbearably hard news. This consumption has traumatised the audience and has led everyone to evaluate every issue in the prism of conflict. Being a fertile source of news, ‘conflict’ easily attracts the attention of journalists. Despite hazards attached with conflict reporting, journalists risk their lives in order to cover conflicts. Often untrained novice journalists, not well-versed with the sensitivities of conflict reporting, may become enamoured by the idea of doing an exciting job, pretending to be in the middle of an action movie. This might lead to the failure to maintain balance between their right to life and access to information.

While filing news stories, emotive words like ‘genocide’, ‘tragedy’, ‘assassination’ and ‘massacre’ are used unconsciously. More heed needs to be paid towards this aspect along with making effort to avoiding the use of demonising adjectives like ‘vicious’, ‘cruel’, ‘brutal’ and ‘barbaric’.

Johan Galtung coined the term ‘Peace Journalism’ in the 1970s. Peace journalism advocates peace and hence amplifies the dividends of peace. It focuses on analysing conflict situations. It is also sometimes described as ‘solutions journalism’ or ‘constructive journalism’. The proponents of peace journalism argue that peace journalists should be part of the solution to the problem at hand instead of being part of the problem. Hence, such journalists should not only be seen as reporters but also as peacemakers.

Peace journalists look into issues like the cost of conflicts, as well as their physical and psychological consequences. Theoretically, journalists are supposed to be against war, but in reality, during conflicts, they may be pushed into taking sides. Those who opt to be idealists in such a scenario often face violent consequences. Ideally, peace journalists should be striving to highlight the sufferings of the communities caught in conflict, as well as the grievances of the perpetrators.

The long spell of conflict in Afghanistan attracted many Pakistani journalists to switch over to conflict reporting. There have been instances when conflict reporters seem to have inflicted more harm than the actual consequences of physical forms of terrorism. Unconsciously, they have safeguarded the interests of extremist forces. Primarily journalists from the tribal areas covered the conflict during the Afghan war as well as in the post-9/11 scenario. There were many who lacked professional capacity and so remained confined to transmitting information to those who knew the art of information processing and news-making. The majority of conflict reporters from Fata basically underwent on-the-job training.

Pakistani universities are yet to impart knowledge and skills regarding conflict reporting and peace journalism in an effective manner. Over the years, journalists have lost lives, have been kidnapped or have faced assaults, but there has never been any systematic effort, either on the part of the academia or law-enforcement agencies to carry out assessments and determine the mistakes that journalists may have committed. This task was primarily left to international NGOs working for freedom of press. Our universities and media groups should make efforts towards developing ‘peace journalists’: those who report on conflicts in a manner that educates the audience regarding the importance of peace. Further, there is a dire need to tailor a code of ethics and security protocols that must be observed by conflict reporters.

Owing to certain reasons, conflict reporters are often sandwiched between state and non-state actors. It is important for journalists to understand the meaning of national interest, as well as the motives of extremists. The media should realise that states cannot afford to give unbridled freedom. Sometimes conflict reporters unintentionally exceed their journalistic limits and end up intruding into the orbit of national security. To ensure clarity, the state should develop a communication strategy with input from the media and candidly share the meanings and limitations of national security.

A professional conflict reporter knows the value of symbolic language and the precautions that should be adopted while dealing with non-state actors. Journalists should desist from giving the impression that they are siding with one particular extremist group or the other. This is one flaw where reporters end up presenting an affair as a conflict between two parties and hence fail to identify the hidden players. There is no doubt that it is important to cover news-worthy events, however, the demands of objectivity should not be compromised in this endeavour. In developed democracies, media often opts for self-regulation but even this requires a soft and effective regulatory role by the state.

Peace journalism uncovers the gloomy side of the picture and explains all angles of a story. Its main aim is to promote peace, hence editors and reporters must always opt for a balanced approach. However, attainment of the ideals of peace journalism requires an effective gate-keeping function, especially when it comes to the live coverage of terror attacks. This aspect is often compromised.

In our context, the media primarily informs us about ‘what happened’ but fails to educate the audience about ‘who’ was responsible? Why something happened? Where the terrorists were trained? Where did they hunt for ‘talent’? How the common folk can contribute towards peace-making? We shielded the world at the cost of 60,000 innocent souls, but our media failed to apprise the global community regarding the price we paid for global peace.

Our media needs to correct the prevailing negative perception that hard news or negativity alone helps to multiply its ratings. It should realise that it may end up earning more dividends from peace journalism than all the time it spends shuttling between the boundaries of conflicts.

Express Tribune

Journalist and writer Rahman has written a book about the journalists’ movement of 1977-1978. The book titled ‘Sab se Bari Jang‘ was launched on Saturday at the Arts Council of Pakistan. Many eminent journalists were present at the event.

According to Rahman’s wife and journalist, Mehnaz Rahman, the book was written on the importance of ‘freedom of speech’.

She went on to describe the hardships the couple faced together in the wake of 1977 movement. “We were asked to leave our house after the police came looking for Ahfaz, who wasn’t home,” she said. She added that during the movement for journalists’ freedom, male and female journalists alike were arrested. “Even the women journalists went on a hunger strike.”

The writer has fought cancer while writing this book, said Mehnaz. According to her, this book is also an example of how to fight for your life.

“All the journalists and the people of Pakistan should thank him for fighting for freedom of speech in 1977 and for writing this book,” said the editor of Roznama Express, Tahir Najmi. Talking about the movement, he said the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) had no funds at that time. “The movement only stood firm because of its motivational members.”

Talking to The Express Tribune, the writer said the struggle of 1977 was not only for the freedom of press; it was a fight against military dictatorship. He said that during General Zia ul Haq’s era, democratic rights were usurped, freedom of expression was gagged and censorship was imposed by the authorities.

According to Rahman, the then union of journalists decided to challenge the tyranny. “Hundreds of journalists were arrested and were sentenced to jail by military courts for periods of six months to a year,” said Rahman, recalling how five journalists were given five lashes each.

Talking about his book, the writer said that it is about the unique war of the journalist community, which was small in number but had fought for their rights and compelled the martial law authorities to surrender.

“I have written this book to narrate how the journalists of today are losing integrity,” said Rahman. According to him, in 1977, the then union of journalists had a devoted leadership and a constitution based on democratic values. He added that his book reminds the newcomers in the field of journalism that they must live with integrity and work hard against the corrupt elements of society.

Rahman has been the president of PFUJ. During the movement of 1977, he was the secretary-general of the union. Currently, he is the magazine editor of Roznama Express.

Giving a message to those stepping into the world of journalism, Rahman advised them to read. According to him, one can only increase information and vocabulary through reading. “An armless man cannot fight for his survival and the arms of a journalist are his words — words that he derives from more and more study,” he said.

Express Tribune

Moreover, the country contains large amounts of luxury hotels and great sights. This culturally rich nation has many small villages and big cities which show their uniqueness with the presence of the colorful dresses and age-old traditions. This is the reason why amount of people throughout holidays or other vacant periods visits the nation with an aim to expertise eye-appealing views and places.

This cannot be too adequate to tell you why people from the world come here to get pleasure from their vacations by way of several destinations which are a blend of exceptional beauty and cultural intrigue. Right here, you’ll also be able to find lovely lakes and wonderfully crafted Great Wall of China. There are lots of well-known and highly visited places in China. Here are some of them:
Tianchi Lake is observed as the country significant tourist destination. If you are on your China holiday tours, you ought to not miss the opportunity to possess a look of this piece of heaven which can soothe your eyes with an excellent viewing experience of grassland alpine lakes and glaciated forests when you stand at the bank of the lake.

The Great Wall in China is one of the popular ancient constructions exactly where tourists are get benefited with experiencing the beauty of this historical symbol.

76-year-old Muhammad Nazir, a resident of Village Harrar-Uggoki, applied for his CNIC. The NADRA officials issued him CNIC under his name Muhammad Nazir, gender female and his husband’s name as Suraya Bibi.

Talking to the newsmen, Nazir said, “Though the NADRA has changed his sex at his old age, but no one from NADRA getting responsibility of this.” He said that he had become a ‘football’ between the NADRA offices in Sialkot, Lahore and Islamabad in his old age for getting corrected this NADRA officials’ blunder, but he still remains unable to correct this faulty CNIC. He urged NADRA Chairman to take notice for the early redressal of his grievance. When contacted, the senior officials in NADRA Sialkot termed this fault as a “human error”. They showed their inability regarding the correction of this mistake.

They said that the only NADRA higher officials in Lahore and Islamabad were eligible to correct this mistake.
Source: The Nation
Date:12/2/2011

TRADITIONAL Muslim set-ups place many restrictions on women. They cannot even venture out of their homes; most are required to restrict themselves to performing household chores only. Few Muslim women take up public roles; fewer still participate in outdoor events.

All this is being done in the name of Islam by the self-styled guardians of social norms. However, if we cast a glance on the early history of Islam we find women taking part in various events alongside men. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had from Hazrat Khadija four daughters and brought them up as model women who participated in his revolution.

IslamÂ’s was not only a spiritual but also a social revolution. It empowered women and gave them equal rights which was unthinkable at that time. Women played at best a secondary role in any civilisation in the seventh century CE. However, Islam raised their status and assigned them an equal role in all worldly affairs along with men. Many women, like Umm-i-Ammara, even took part in various battles which the Prophet had to fight. In the Battle of Uhud, Umm-i-Ammara took the attack of a sword on her arm and saved the life of the Prophet.

Hazrat Fatima, as all Muslims agree, was indeed very close to her father, and thus Muslims highly revere her. She too was brought up by the Prophet enshrining the highest values of Islam. Her sons, Imam Hasan and Husain, were equally loved. Her daughter, Hazrat Zainab, played a pivotal role in the aftermath of the battle of Karbala. Bibi Shehar Banu was the daughter of Kisra, the King of Persia who was defeated by the Muslims, and Hazrat Ali married her to his son, Husain.

Shaher Banu also faced the tragic events at Karbala very bravely and sacrificed her two sons, Ali Akbar and Ali Asghar, in the way of Allah. It is important to note that when Imam Husain was leaving Makkah for Kufa (Iraq) in response to the letters he had received from many important citizens of Kufa to lead them in their fight against Yazid (who had usurped khilafat in violation of the condition laid down by Imam Hasan while abdicating in favour of Ameer Muawiyah), Imam Husain was advised by his well-wishers not to take his family along to Kufa. It was feared the people of Kufa might betray him.

However, despite the risks, Imam Husain turned down the advice and took along all his family members, including women and children. He knew that the women, who included his wife, his sisters and daughters, would play a very important role even if he had to fight against Yazid’s forces in or near Kufa. The people of Kufa did betray him even though they were the ones who had invited him to lead them in a fight against Yazid’s tyranny.

Yazid stood for all that was against Islamic norms. Not only was his lifestyle against that of the Prophet (PBUH) and his companions he also tried to destroy the institution of khilafat by introducing monarchy. This was totally against the revolutionary spirit of the political system introduced by Islam. Husain perhaps knew, before he left for Kufa, what was in store and he deliberately took women along with him to show to the world that women could also play a role in saving the Islamic way of life.

The women of the Karbala tragedy did play a role which was no less significant than that of the male companions of the Imam.

The Imam was right: his women played a pivotal role, particularly the Imam’s sister, Hazrat Zainab. After the martyrdom of Husain and his colleagues, Imam Zainul Abidin and all women and children were arrested and taken to Damascus on camelback via Kufa. Bibi Zainab, a brave and bold woman, addressed Muslims everywhere along the way, exposing Yazid and his evil actions and un-Islamic acts.

Bibi Zainab and the Imam’s entire family were kept in prison in Damascus. When they were brought to Yazid’s court, Zainab eloquently spoke in front of Yazid’s courtiers and thoroughly exposed him. She never shied from her mission, so much so that he had to release her and the Imam’s entire family. They were sent back to Madina with their security being ensured.

Syeda Zainab’s role was exemplary. It showed how bold Muslim women were and how they played a key role in consolidating Islamic teachings. Today, despite so much progress and the spread of education, so many Muslim women are suppressed. In Saudi Arabia, for example, even a woman’s voice is considered ‘awrah i.e. so that it should not be heard in public; and here was Zainab from the Imam’s family who became a public speaker to save Islamic values.

Zainab was the eldest among the women of the Imam’s family, including Imam Zainul Abidin who was very unwell at the time.

The leadership of the family thus fell to Zainab, and she proved to be more than what was expected of her. Today, women have to learn much from her example and leadership qualities. Her public role in the Karbala saga has much to teach us.

It is wrong to think, as many Muslim men do, that women are weak and cannot achieve much in the public domain. Hazrat Zainab’s role is a wake-up call for those who feel that women are fit only for domestic chores and nothing beyond the confines of a house.
Source: Dawn
Date:12/2/2011

November 25th, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, passed almost without a whimper in Pakistan.

At a time when we are endlessly discussing the latest political gimmick, the absence of any airtime given to the large-scale lack of such a fundamental right – the protection of women against violence – is simply shameful. How can we discuss issues of national security and development, when we cannot even protect over half of our population?

This day is celebrated on November 25th because on this day, in 1960, three sisters, the Mirabel sisters, were gunned down by unknown assailants in the Dominican Republic due to their opposition to the then Dominican dictator, Rafael Trujillo. Therefore, to honour these heroic women, the United Nations General Assembly in 1999 designated this day as the day for the elimination of violence against women.

In our own country, there have been numerous Mirabel sisters, who have suffered abuse, victimisation, torture and even death. At the domestic level, abuse of women is rife. Forced marriages are still a form of torture prevalent throughout the country.

Women are not considered ‘sound’ enough to make marital decisions for themselves and so a decision is made for them. This practice has been so common among Pakistani migrants to the United Kingdom that a Forced Marriages (Civil Protection) Act was enacted in 2007 by Westminster to give state protection to women who have suffered such abuse. Unfortunately, even though Pakistan is the source of almost all these forced marriages, we still have to enact a law along these lines.

That said, in recent years, Pakistan has made great strides in at least providing legal safeguards to women. The Protection of Women (Criminal Laws Amendment) Act 2006, the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act 2009, and the Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act 2010, have given legal support to prevent and address abuses against women, but these measures only go so far. As seen, the Protection of Women Act was immediately challenged in the Sharia Court and, even with the existence of these acts on the statute book, the real problem of enforcement remains.

Pakistan is a country where the writ of the state is fast shrinking. In such an environment, the protection of women in legal terms is simply not enough – the society needs to change. At the very basic level, women need to be treated equally – the absence of such equality is the root cause of abuse against women. The start of this equality begins at home.

Recently, I was taken aback when in a household a teenage boy refused to make tea since it was a ‘girls’ job and had to be done by his sister. Similarly, another teenage boy abused his sister for standing in the doorway and looking out, when he himself had just spent hours playing cricket outside. These incidents were not about old-fashioned, conservative people, but reflected the norms prevalent even in our urban, middle classes. Hitting a woman for not making tea or for looking outside, is not too far off in this scenario.

Let us also not forget that the violence is not only physical and sexual, but also psychological. Verbally berating a woman because she is easier to target, taking away opportunities from her, domesticating her and not considering her opinion – are all ways of psychological torture which inhibit the freedom and development of women and lead to a deeply fractured society.

The United Nations estimates that nearly 70 per cent of women in the world suffer from some form of violence during their lifetime; in Pakistan perhaps the percentage is even higher. The time has come that we, at least, take a stand to stop all kinds of violence against women in our own households. December 10th is International Human Rights Day and most organisations resolve to take some ‘action’ during the 14 days from November 25th to protect women: what ‘action’ will you take?
Source: The Express Tribune
Date:12/2/2011

The Daily Times editorial pages on Wednesday, November 23 provided fragrant herbs of thought. I always look forward to reading the gentle musings of Mehboob Qadir.

He writes in a manner recognisable to those dwelling within the military chain of command. Restrained strength borne under the burden of rank is a writing signature recognisable to military officers.

The editorial, ‘‘Peace’ with the Taliban?’ and the column, ‘Bread is bread and women are women’ by Dr Maqsood Jafri present as literary companions. The editor encourages us to cast a glance towards the past and consider the Taliban’s history of governance with regards to societal health. We are reminded of the active denial of educational and workplace opportunities for girls and women who were at an age of maturity. The piece by Dr Jafri is pigeonholed as analysis. But it reads more like a poetic song in defence of women and their honoured position in society. His words resemble the string of pearls that make up the couplets of a Persian or Urdu ghazal (a form of Urdu poetry).

The acumen required to cook up a daily ‘a la carte’ menu of options for hungry readers of an editorial page is an acquired skill. I remain humbly grateful for my contribution. As a female journalist who cares deeply about women and little girls, let me add to the fragrant potpourri of thought regarding the world according to the Taliban. History will soon be repeated.

Kabul fell to the Taliban in September of 1996. Taliban leader Mullah Omar wasted little time instituting policy changes, which allowed bullying manhood to masquerade as patriarchal strength. The anchoring ayat (Quranic verse) on male and female relationships can be found in the Quran, 2:228. The final portion of the ayat reads well from a small book in my personal library.

It is compiled and edited by Dr Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hillali, PhD (Berlin) and Dr Muhammad Muhsin Khan: “…And they (women) have rights (over their husbands as regards living expenses, etc) similar (to those of their husbands) over them (as regards obedience and respect, etc.) to what is reasonable, but men have a degree (of responsibility) over them….” (Interpretation of the Meanings of the Noble Qur’an in the English Language, a summarised version of At-Tabari, Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir with comments from Sahih Al-Bukhari). The majority of people grasp a reasonable expectation of behaviour between the adult sexes. And it is also likely that none would deny that with greater responsibility comes greater authority. Hence, the husband with greater responsibility is graced with authority via the complementary and supportive role of his wife.

The Taliban interpreted reasonable authority to include the collapse of the national healthcare system, collapse of the government sector and collapse of educational institutions. Removing professional women from the government and healthcare sectors was mean-spirited enough. Sending female teachers home and denying little girls education was an act of irrationality. Painting street level windows so that women could not view the outside world was a barbaric act.

But denying women the pleasure of sitting on their balconies marked the ‘pious’ Taliban as the biggest fakes of all. They were mighty mujahideen (Muslim warriors engaged in jihad) who could take a city. But, at the end of the day, they could not control their own base desires and lust. The women of Kabul and the women within areas of control under the leadership of Mullah Omar now faced an indefinite lock-up.

Milestones by Sayyid Qutb has this to say regarding Islamic society: “According to our unvarying definition of civilisation, the Islamic society is not just an entity of the past, to be studied in history, but it is a demand of the present and a hope of the future. Mankind can be dignified, today or tomorrow, by striving toward this noble civilisation, by pulling itself out of the abyss of jahiliyyah into which it is falling. This is true not only for the industrially and economically developed nations but also for the backward nations.”

Other documented (and videotaped) acts of piety by the Taliban include cutting off women’s noses and beating pregnant women who dared lift their veils to relieve nausea in the side alleys of Kabul. A bit of bone-breaking activities against the more beautiful sex has also been documented. The Taliban support state-mandated violence against women.

Michael Gruber is the author of The Good Son. His novel presents us with an anti-hero scenario. Theo Laghari is a man born in Punjab, the product of a marriage between a Pakistani father and an American mother. Theo is a man who can justify women having their noses cut off because they show their faces in public. The bizarre terrain of his mind carefully ponders hazy moral equivalencies for morally reprehensible acts.

He is able to justify violence against women in the name of tribal tradition. This is a man whom the liberal leftist, crazed social anthropologist and ordinary idiot will embrace. They identify with the carefully crafted tale of Theo Laghari in the same manner that other individuals will defend the logic of the Taliban. But who rises up to defend the powerless? Who is willing to state the obvious? The age of ignorance has risen from the ash heap of history again.

It matters not to me that the Taliban leader Mullah Omar waves about what he claims to be the cloak of the Prophet. That is deceptive stagecraft. It matters not that the Taliban consider Afghanistan the embryonic hope for a glorious caliphate. They will abort their own baby. What really, really matters – what I give a hoot about – is the women.

Families are meant to be like the qidra (a Palestinian rice dish) spices of Gaza. The Taliban work to discard the essential and needed spice of womanhood from the public square. A primary feature within a Talibanesque landscape in Afghanistan is one of women as mechanical butterflies. They will be kept within their little wire cages. The men and boys will roam the streets, with utter freedom.
Source: Daily Times
Date:12/2/2011

CPO Bilal Siddique Kamyana said the warning would be followed up by strict action against police officials found guilty of harassing relatives of suspects during raids and at police stations.

He said several complaints had been received at his office accusing the police of unethical behaviour during investigation of criminal cases. He said the officials responsible for such behaviour would not be allowed to malign the reputation of the entire department.

He directed the station house officers to ensure that the relatives of the suspects were not mistreated. He also warned the police against use of illegal measures such as detaining people without court warrants and keeping relatives of suspects’ hostage at police lockups in order to pressure the latter into surrendering themselves.
Source: The Express Tribune
Date:12/2/2011

Accused Ali Murad Shar strangled his 29-year-old wife Fatima Shar and fled.

On information, the police reached the spot and took the body to the Civil Hospital of Ghotki which had been lying there for three hours but nobody of the Shar community or relative Ali Murad Shar reached there to collect the body.

The woman, who belonged to the Bagri community, had embraced Islam 10 years ago and married Ali Murad Shar after renaming as Fatima Shar.

When nobody from in-laws of Fatima reached the hospital, many members of the Bagri community including Gajjan Shar, father of Fatima, reached the hospital and insisted to take the body, but they were refused.

Later, the body was handed over to Pesh Imam of the mosque of Ghotki police station Muhammad Akram Chachar, asking to burry her according to Islamic tradition. She was laid to rest at the Kot Bullo graveyard.

An FIR has been registered against accused Ali Murad Shar at the Ghotki police station.
Source: Dawn
Date:12/2/2011

Locals say Ghulam Fatima had recently converted to Islam only to be able to marry Ali Murad, who brutally murdered her in a marketplace town and managed to escape.
Source: The News
Date:12/2/2011

Seven people, including the convener of the jirga, Hafiz Siddique Samejo, former district president of the PML-N, have been nominated in the FIR.

The jirga was convened to settle a dispute which emerged after a free will marriage between Mst Amna Samejo and Abid Kolachi two months ago.

The marriage had solemnised in the court of District and Session Judge Ghotki.

After hearing both the sides, the jirga had slapped a fine of Rs1million on Abid Kolachi besides directing the Kolachis to hand over a girl for marriage to Samejos. The jirga was held in the village of Rahimo Wali in Ghotki on Thursday.

Disagreeing with the jirga verdict, Ms Amna reached at the police station and lodged an FIR in which she nominated seven people. Police have not arrested anyone till the filing of this report.

Apprehending that they might be killed in retaliation, both Abid and Amna have vanished from their villages.
Source: Dawn
Date:12/2/2011

Four out of every five women in Pakistan face some form of domestic abuse, says a strategic paper.

According to the paper, 80 per cent of Pakistani women experience domestic violence, while one in every three faces some form of violence such as rape, honour killing, immolation, acid attack and verbal or psychological abuse.

Women in Pakistan not only face gender discrimination by society but also laws are made to subjugate them.

If the government is really serious about granting women’s rights, it should pass a bill against domestic violence immediately to protect women from various forms of violence.

ASMA AKHTAR
Apsor, Turbat
Source: Dawn
Date:12/1/2011

The social activist was addressing the audience at an event focused on the UN’s ‘International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women’ organised by the US consulate at Marriot Hotel.

National Commission on the Status of Women Chairperson Anis Haroon explained that, under the ordinance, hundreds of women were imprisoned on unsubstantial rape and adultery charges. When the Women Protection Act brought about amendments to it in 2006, not a single woman was arrested on zina (fornication) charges.

According to Haroon, land ownership disputes are one of the causes of violence against women. “It’s a cultural practice not to give inheritance rights to women,” she explained, “where there is less land holding, there is less violence.” She went on to speak on legislations on the rights of women, adding that the bill against harassment at the workplace has prompted several complaints from victims working in banks or private institutions.

She was, however, disappointed with the fate of the bill against domestic violence, which lapsed in the senate. “A major attack came from Islamist ideologists, who believe that this violence should not be recognised as it will increase the rate of divorce.”

As for the rights of divorced women, Justice (retired) Majida Rizvi had an interesting suggestion. She said that a divorced woman, who does not work, should be paid a lump-sum amount of money for the services she rendered at home. “If she has not contributed outside, then her contributions at home should be acknowledged.”

Middle Eastern laws for woman are better than those in Pakistan, observed human rights activist and lawyer, Iqbal Haider.

“I was shocked to find out that the UAE, (despite) being an orthodox country, has better laws,” he said. “Maintenance is granted for one year, and not three months, as compared to Pakistan.” If a man harasses a woman in a marketplace, then he can be arrested right then and there.

According to Justice (retired) Nasir Aslam Zahid, in 2003 and 2004, over half of the women in prisons were there because of the Hudood Ordinance. Now, no new prisoners have been brought in since the amendment in 2006. However, with the success of the amendments, people should not stop struggling to repeal the Hudood Ordinance, he said.

For his part, US Consul-General William J Martin felt that it was shocking that, even in the 21st century, one in three women around the world experience some form of gender-based violence in their lifetime. “Women’s participation in society is a mark of development and social enlightenment,” he said. “We all have to speak out against brutality to women, and will not tolerate their exclusion from society.”

Even women in the assembly are not safe, said MPA Humaira Alwani. They are harassed by their male counterparts, something she has experienced many times when trying to speak about her resolutions.

She also spoke of how victims of violence often want to fight but their families settle the matter with compensation. She cited the case of an acid burn victim, Maria Shah, as an example who maintained that the man who attacked her should not be pardoned till the day she died. Her family, however, felt that Rs500,000 were forgiveness enough.
Source: The Express Tribune
Date:12/1/2011

LAHORE: A Baloch couple that entered into a marriage contract against the will of their families has appealed to authorities to help save their lives and rescue the man’s kidnapped sister from the possession of their parents.

The couple, Fahad Amin (Jam Baloch) and wife Shahnila Naz (Kuriai Balach), both 28 years of age, residents of Khanpur area, while addressing a press conference and later talking to Daily Times said that their families had become their enemies and that their lives were in danger as they had ‘violated’ the family code of “marrying with the Quran”.

“In my family, women are seldom married. My aunts have touched the seventieth year of their live, but are still unmarried and live in their brothers’ homes to serve their children. Half of our female family members are ‘married with the Quran’. Their lives are miserable as they are treated worse than the servants and bring up the children and look after the animals,” Shahnila said, bursting into tears.

Giving details of their marriage, the couple said that Fahad Amin’s family had been requesting Shahnila’s hand in marriage for the last four years, but her parents kept refusing. “One night my parents came in the room with my four brothers and some close relatives, asked me to sit on the bed and opened the holy Quran in front of me. They put a dopata on my head and asked me to accept a marriage with the Quran. I refused and ran away from home, contacted Fahad and eloped with him to save our lives,” Shahnila told Daily Times. “We managed to go to court and get our marriage registered.”

“The phenomenon is not a new one in our family as most of the female members of my family are married to the Quran. Perhaps they find good female maids this way,” she continued.

She went on to say that her family had kidnapped her sister-in-law and were holding her in exchange for herself. “I am pregnant and would certainly be killed if I returned,” she said.

“We request every soul to please help save our lives and to the authorities to rescue my sister-in-law so that all our lives can be saved, “ the couple appealed.

They alleged that though they had contacted human rights organisations, none of them had agreed to provide them with shelter. The couple also alleged that an influential MNA in the area was helping Shahnila’s parents and was pressurising Fahad’s family.

Later, a terrified Shahnila refused to leave the press club premises in fear of an attempt on her life. She demanded that the authorities provide them with security.

“If my sister-in-law is not recovered, I am afraid my husband would have no option but to divorce me which would result in several deaths – mine, my unborn child’s, my husband’s and many others,” she said.
Source: Daily Times
Date:12/1/2011

The campaign’s underlying belief is that personal attitudinal change becomes agent for social change.

In Pakistan the campaign is functional with its core group, provincial and district partners and presently has over 440,000 Change Makers (persons who pledge not to commit any violence against women) across the country.

The campaign was launched in South Asia in 2004.

Since that time it has signed up 3.7 million people across 6 countries to the campaign, its change makers, through its campaign partners or Allies.

The campaign’s goal is to reduce the social acceptance of violence against women and the generation of mass social movement, which will create a climate in which violence against women is not tolerated.

Violence against women is a technical term used to collectively refer to violent acts that are primarily or exclusively committed against women.

According to an estimate, as many as 70 percent of the total womenfolk in Pakistan experience domestic violence.

This violence can range from beatings, to sexual torture, to broken bones and very serious injury caused by pouring of acid or burning the victim alive.

Women and children are often in great danger in the places where they should be safest within their families.

For many, ‘home’ is where they face a regime of terror and violence at the hands of somebody close to them – somebody they should be able to trust.

Those victimised suffer physically and psychologically.

They are unable to make their own decisions.

According to the statistics for the first six months of this year, 123 women were raped in southern Punjab, while another 46 were gang raped.

A total of 158 women were murdered, while 58 were killed in the name of ‘honour’; 621 were kidnapped, and 65 committed suicide.

“There have been at least 27 recorded cases of acid throwing and stove burning in the province,” Anthony added.

“A total of 152 were beaten, 20 reported harassment and seven were sold in ‘midnight auctions.

Violence against women – both intimate partner violence and sexual violence against women are major public health problems and violations of women’s human rights.

The report said over 90 percent of the respondents in change makers’ circles of influence reported having made some kind of change in relation to their own attitudes and behaviour as a result of their contacts with the change makers.

November 30th has been globally declared as “International ‘We Can’ Day to End All Violence Against Women” and was marked with Launching of a book ‘Measuring Change’ by Suzanne Williams.

Book Launching was followed by the ‘We Can’ Global Declaration, released in 14 countries across the globe.

The book draws upon the consolidated regional report and some of the country reports of the 2010 Assessment of Phase II of the We Can Campaign in 15 countries- Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lank.

It focuses on those findings from Assessment, which offer most insight into the results of the campaign’s efforts.

It accepted that while the evidence of impact of the campaign was localised and fairly small-scale, the community changes can be seen as step towards changing wider gender norms.
Source: Business Recorder
Date:12/1/2011

Police said there was lasting enmity between the groups of Muhammad Panah Mahar and Ghulam Qadir Mahar over a Karo Kari issue. This enmity, the police said, resulted in clashes between the groups time and again and so far claimed the lives of eight people, while the law and order situation of the area remained disturbed.
Source: The News
Date:12/1/2011

The WLEP envisions the “creation of a peaceful society in which women are equal partners in development and progress,” said Managing Director SEF Professor Anita Ghulam, who also chaired the event.

She stressed the need to create the social and economic conditions needed to include the largely marginalised groups, especially women, in the educational system.

A women’s rights activist Dr Habiba Hasan lauded Professor Ghulam’s tireless effort for women’s empowerment in the country, and claimed that WLEP aimed at bringing “change in the mindsets of the people”.

The WLEP’s curriculum has been implemented across all Women Literacy and Empowerment Centres, which addresses many of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), including primary health, early childhood education and women empowerment through education and vocational skills.

Assessment papers were conducted by the WLEP in 23 centres and the students clearing the basic literacy criterion were awarded primary level certificates which would enable them to get enrolled in secondary schools.

SEF Programme Adviser Professor Rehana Mughni threw light upon the unique teaching techniques employed by the WLEF team where the subjects are being taught with a cultural context.

This is an effort at the development of issue-based resource materials for educating women learners.

Coordinator WLEP Zeenat Raza said that the programme biggest achievement was the creation of job opportunities at the grassroots level for many women.

Manager SEF Musarrat Palijo gave a brief overview of sexual harassment laws enacted in 2010, adding that it was essential that women knew their workplace rights.

An informal question and answer session took place in the end and was followed by the distribution of awards to the learners and facilitators.

The event was attended by over 200 participants, including non-governmental organisations, school administrators, civil society members, government officials, media personnel, educationists and representatives from the corporate sector.
Source: The News
Date:12/1/2011

The conference on gender-based violence, organised by the US Consulate General, Karachi, had prominent speakers representing different aspects of the law. They, apart from discussing inefficacy of the law in certain areas, candidly touched upon several issues that usually compromise the life of women and stoke perpetual violence against them.

The panellists said that the state must own up to such issues and take them seriously.

Humera Alwani, a PPP MPA, said that there were a lot of cases she was working on at the moment. However, when it came to the support of the men in the assembly, “we are not taken seriously by our peers and are discouraged while speaking out”.

Giving an example, she spoke of a girl named Maria Shah, a lady health worker (LHW), who died of burns at a hospital. Apparently, a man threw acid on her face because she refused to accept his marriage proposal. Though she received 34 percent burns which need not be fatal, the case got into a quagmire because of the threats the family received in pursuing the case.

Alwani said that such cases did not come to the fore because families easily accepted blood money and the case was never spoken of again.

The Anti-Women Practices Bill was the only subject that garnered a lot of positive comments from the panellists, with the focus of discussion being legislation pertaining to women.

Justice (retd) Majida Rizvi said that before blaming anything else one must look at the law, which is full of flaws, and “is compoundable at any stage, leaving no room for punishment at all”.

The laws, for instance Qasas and Diyaat (blood money) in the Hudood Ordinance, usually prepare the ground to plot violence. “Mindset, feudal system, and vested interests are some of the reasons why women are targeted mostly,” she added.

Although the Hudood Ordinance has been amended over the years, it “needs to be repealed now”, remarked Rizvi, “as it puts women in a very compromising situation”.

As most of the women are not financially dependant, ownership of any type of property is the root cause of violence against them, Anees Haroon, Chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), said.

Giving a presentation on the status of women, Haroon said that violence of any sort did not affect upper or middle class women. “All those women languishing in jails are poor.”

It is not all bleak though, she added. Giving a few examples of achievement, she said that the Balochistan Assembly recently submitted a bill on domestic violence through lawmakers. At the same time, many other small but significant changes are also on the way.

“Massive amendments” have been made in the Zina Ordinance. Earlier, a husband or a brother could easily file an FIR against a wife or sister under the Hudood Ordinance. “But now they need four eyewitnesses to do that.”

On domestic violence, she said that the law needed to be clear. After that it is only a question of implementation.

Iqbal Haider, a senior advocate of the Supreme Court, said that of all the countries he visited he found the UAE better in terms of laws for women. “If a woman needs to file for a divorce there, the proceedings are completed within six weeks and half of the husband’s salary is given as a financial grant. Meanwhile, here a simple Khula drags on for a long time.”

US Consul-General William Martin said that it was up to us to stand up and speak out against violence of any kind. Calling it a global scourge, he said that prevention, protection and prosecution were essential to combating domestic violence.
Source: The News
Date:12/1/2011

For a brief journey, the chief minister boarded one of the new CNG buses run by the Lahore Transport Company (LTC). He was accompanied by the LTC chairman and some commuters.

Passengers acknowledged the chief minister’s initiative for starting the new bus service in the provincial metropolis which needed urgent improvements in the public transport sector.

Appreciating comfortable travel in the new bus, the people urged the chief minister to increase the number of buses on various busy routes of the city.

The chief minister assured them that steps were being taken for increasing buses during coming months.
Source: Dawn
Date:12/1/2011

They also urged the media personnel to highlight the issues related to underage marriages and describe these as a crime and violation of basic human rights.

The media workshop on child marriages was organised by the Rahnuma—Family Planning Association of Pakistan (FPAP) here at a local hotel.

Media persons, family planning experts, parliamentarians and government officials attended the workshop and advocated enhancing the minimum age limit for marriage.

They also supported the demand for increasing the maximum punishment for child marriages from one month of imprisonment and Rs1,000 fine under the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929, calling for introduction of more effective laws against underage marriages. Sindh Assembly Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza supported the demand that more effective laws should be enacted against domestic violence, child marriages, and other crimes against women, urging the media to play its role in creating awareness on these burning issues.

She claimed that the government had passed several legislations to protect women while several resolutions were also passed despite restrictions from some hidden hands. Social activist and former bureaucrat Mehtab Akbar Rashdi praised the Sindhi media for raising and highlighting the issues facing women in interior Sindh.

She also urged the mainstream media to follow the Sindhi press in highlighting the plight of women in the province.

Syed Kamal Shah, Chief Executive Officer of the Rahnuma-FPAP, urged all the influential segments of society, especially the media, to give proper attention to issue of child marriage, due to which both infant and maternal mortality rates were highest in Pakistan.
Source: The News
Date:11/30/2011

Khalid Arain, the Chairman of All Pakistan Cable Operators Association (APCOA) announced a phase-wise shut down of foreign news channels that he said were are fuelling “anti-Pakistan” sentiments worldwide. He said BBC blocked in the in the first phase and that Fox News, Sky News and CNN would be shutdown in the next phase. He announced this in a press conference at Press Club Lahore, the capital city of Punjab province on 29 November, 2011.

Arain announced to shut all the international transmissions damaging Pakistan’s image through biased news coverage. “We want to send them a strong message to stop this. If they don’t stop this, then it is our right to stop them,” Arain said.

Arain demanded of the information ministry and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to revoke the landing rights of all channels airing anti-Pakistan propaganda.

The decision of Cable Operators Association to block BBC World News follows an uproar in Pakistan over a Nato air strike on Saturday, November 26, 2011, that killed 26 Pakistani troops in Mohmand Agency, near the Afghan border.
Source: Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)
Date:11/30/2011

Why can we not see the helpless agony of the girl child in our society? In some areas, a male child is regarded as more valuable to the family and girls are often denied many rights, including the right to life, work, marriage, property and so on. And by being married off early or forced to stay at home and help with domestic chores, girls are often denied their right to education and all the advantages that come from it such as an awareness of all their other basic rights.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), adopted in 1989 and by now ratified by most countries of the world, provides an agenda for action in identifying enduring forms of inequality and discrimination against girls, abolishing practices and traditions detrimental to the fulfilment of their rights and defining an effective strategy to promote and protect those rights.

However, implementation is necessary to ensure positive changes in the region so far. Other than the CRC, the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is the most extensive and widely ratified international agreement promoting the rights of girls and women.

In some cases, where a decision has to be made about which child to send to school, it is commonly seen that parents decide to invest in their sons’ education rather than their daughters’. Such decisions arise from the perception that after marriage a girl does not contribute towards earning an income for the family and therefore her education is not considered a worthy cause to invest in.

I believe that education is the tool that can help break the pattern of gender discrimination and bring a much needed change for women in developing countries like ours. For decades, Pakistan has not given any particular importance to investing in education, especially girls’ education. Through equal opportunities women can contribute more effectively to the progress of their societies and can enable them to stand up to other discriminatory practices such as inequality, child labour, sexual exploitation, forced marriages and so on.

SAHIAB IRFAN KHAN
Lahore

Source: Daily Times

Date:11/10/2011

Those who were issued show-cause notices included Young Nurses Association (YNA) President Muhammad Iqbal Arain, YNA Senior Vice-President Khair-un-Nisa, YNA General Secretary Syed Shahid Iqbal and YNA Coordinator Shahida Bukhari.

They were charged with inviting the media to the institute, besides creating chaos, politicising the issue, threatening to lodge an FIR against the NICH director and creating trouble for the NICH management.

JPMC Office Superintendent Riaz Gul issued the notices on behalf of its Executive Director Tasnim Ahsan.

When contacted, YNA General Secretary Syed Shahid Iqbal said that their association had decided to challenge these notices in court.

He said that being the nurses’ representatives, it was their duty to protect the nurses’ rights.

He said that they had protested against the illegal arrest of a staff nurse, Farzana Saleem, who was not involved in the baby kidnapping case. He denied all charges and termed it harassment by the JPMC administration.

Iqbal said that the JPMC administration was subjecting the nurses to victimisation, instead of enhancing their security and removing other lapses at the hospital.

He claimed that after the incident, the administration had started harassing the nurses’ representatives through constantly changing their duties.

YNA Senior Vice-President Khair-un-Nisa said that they were being punished for raising their voice for an innocent nurse.

JPMC Executive Director Tasnim Ahsan, JPMC Director Seemi Jamali and Deputy Director Muhammad Akhtar Anwar were not available for comments despite several attempts.

Staff nurse Farzana Saleem was declared innocent after investigation but a trainee nurse, Sobia, and a couple, Farzana and Akbar Awan, had been arrested and the baby was recovered from them.
Source: The News
Date:11/30/2011

The Supreme Court inquiry commission to probe the political intervention into the NICL scam investigation will resume its proceedings today (Wednesday).

It is opined that focal point of the proceedings should be the facts of the corruption scandal and political intervention in the case and not revelation of sources of journalists.

Pervaiz Shaukat, president Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ, said that during Pakistan movement the top Muslim League leaders used to leak information regarding processions and public rallies but journalists never revealed sources to the British colonial regime. Pervaiz said that during the movement of restoration judiciary, these were official sources who informed media about wrong-doings of the dictator Musharraf and thus the journalists succeeded informing people about conspiracies of the army government against judiciary. He argued that if the journalists had revealed the source of their information to the Musharraf regime these officials would have been fired.

Senior journalist Raja Asghar while talking to The News said that he faced a trial on the question of disclosing sources during Ayub Khan’s dictatorial regime in early 60’s while he was representing Daily Jang in Peshawar. Ashgar said that journalists had faced trials and threats in past many decades but never disclosed their source.

Senior journalist Rahimullah Yousafzai said that the principle of maintaining the confidentiality of sources exists from the first day of start of the profession. Yousafzai said that institutions should use other resources to get the things verified. He said journalists file stories in public interest and become voice of the people by making the rulers accountable to the people through their sources of information.

Shaheen Sehbai said nowhere in the world have journalists surrendered this right to any institution or organisation, whether judicial, parliamentary, public or private. “In Pakistan journalists have gone through this test before and they succeeded and they will succeed again as characters like Rehman Malik cannot force the history of journalism to be changed, as they wish,” he said.

Veteran Editor Muhammad Ziauddin said that it is universal practice for the journalists to never to disclose source. He said that judges have accepted in so many cases this very right of the journalists and never gave some judgment ordering journalists to reveal source of their information.

Dr Mughees Sheikh, senior academician and former head of the department of mass communication in Punjab University, said that there is no law in any part of world, which presses journalists to disclose the sources. Contents of the stories are to be proved but without disclosing of the sources. If the stories are proved false the journalists have to face defamation law.

Senior journalist Talat Hussain said that no journalist could be asked on any forum to disclose his source of information in any way for any stories of public interest. However, the same principle became a bit diluted in stories regarding national security issues. Talat gave two different examples where American journalists filed some stories on national security issues revealing some classified information and were declared as traitors by some circles but meanwhile won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for the same stories. He said these journalists never revealed source of their information.

Senior journalist Hamid Mir said that all the international codes of ethics of journalistsÂ’ organizations also approved by the UN ensure confidentiality of the journalistic sources. He said that international and national media organizations are unanimous that journalists could not be forced to reveal their sources at any forum. He said that if courts forced the journalists to disclose sources it will be against article 19 of the Constitution and charter of UN ratified by the Pakistan

Senior journalist Kashif Abbasi said that it is basic responsibility and duty of a journalist to protect his source of information. He said that in the countries with the advanced democratic systems, journalists have even refused to disclose the sources of the stories on national security issues.

Senior journalist Ansar Abbasi said that journalism without source(s) is unimaginable whereas the confidentiality of the source(s) is critically important for the survival of the profession. Information received through sources helps inform the people, expose the corrupt and keep a check on rulers and governments. If the journalists are compelled to disclose their source of information, the whole edifice of this profession would collapse at once.

Senior journalist Iftikhar Ahmad while talking to The News from Lahore said that a journalist should protect his source at all costs and should maintain the sanctity of his profession.

Senior journalist and former president PFUJ Mazhar Abbas, wrote in his article that journalists should become united to save their right of protection of a source. He said that if institutions started pressing journalists on this count the whole profession of journalism will collapse.

Senior journalist Muhammad Malick said that the sanctity of the source is the guarantee of information flow which otherwise would not be possible because of inherent dangers and consequences of sensitive information being shared by good honest people who otherwise do not have the capacity or resources to stand up to vested interests. He said that the source must be protected at all cost if we have to protect the truth.

Senior journalist Mushtaq Minhas said that judiciary and democracy could only be strengthened with the strengthening of the institution of media. He said that judiciary should acknowledge the great role played by media in exposing corruption and awakening of the society through provision of information to the masses through these sources.

Nasim Zehra said that liable law is present to try journalists if there is any question to the authenticity of their stories and which journalists face happily. She said that therefore the journalists could be asked to prove their stories but can never be pressed to disclose sources.

Senior journalist Javed Chaudhry said that 90% journalism is based on confidential sources of information and if this basic right of the journalists will face any threat 90% journalism will be finished at once. Chaudhry said that this right is given and acknowledged by every civilized society and if someone wants to make Pakistan a Tora Bora he can snatch this right from the journalists.

Senior journalist Salim Bokhari said when there is no law for something then the traditions are followed even by courts in every civilized society of the world. Bokhari said that this is well known tradition in whole civilized world that journalists never reveal or asked to reveal their source. He said that in mega scandals like Watergate which resulted in removal of the US president the journalists never revealed their sources.
Source: The News
Date:11/30/2011

Kohati was hit in the chest by a bullet while reporting at the scene of rioting in the Numaish Chowrangi area of the city and is being treated in the intensive care unit at a local hospital.

“The government should make every effort to train its military and paramilitary organisations in protocols which will minimise the danger to journalists and other bystanders as civil strife escalates in Pakistan,” Bob Dietz, CPJ Asia programme coordinator, said in a statement. “We join Ahsan KohatiÂ’s family, friends and colleagues in wishing him a quick and full recovery. And while we wait for authorities in Karachi to investigate this shooting, journalists’ organisations and media houses should step up their efforts at ensuring their staff has full protective gear and the necessary safety training to cover violence.”
Source: The Nation
Date:11/30/2011

They took exception to the claims made by some government officials that the complaint committees had been constituted in 18 provincial government departments, each comprising a chairperson of BPS 19 official.

“I am amazed as why till date no such committee received any complaint although personally we do come across hundreds of women complainants,” said MPA Nusrat Sehar Abbasi from Khairpur.

When informed that the complainant can directly approach the committee with her complainant and need not to forward her grievances through her immediate boss, the MPA said that these aspects must be duly highlighted.

The participants of the consultative meeting organised by the Sindh Women Development Department said that the provincial governments needed to formulate policy rules for the implementation of women-friendly laws in the country,

The meeting was chaired by Provincial Minister for Women Development department, Tauqir Fatima Bhutto and attended by female members of the Sindh Assembly.

They sought concrete measures for the implementation of laws for the protection of the marginalised sections of the society.

“Communicating the laws to the public is important so that women and other concerned sections should know about the modes of their protection and the rules may also act as source of deterrence for the perpetrators of the crime,” said the minister.

The participants, with the assistance of law and women development departments’ officials, discussed in detail the private bills pending before the Sindh Assembly since 2008.

The deliberation revealed that five of these bills, including Prevention of Gender Discrimination 2008, Domestic Violence Against Women and Children Prevention and Protection Bill 2008, Gender Harassment at Work Place Bill 2008, The Women Protection Against Sexual Harassment at Work Place Bill 2008 and Anti-Domestic Violence (to protect the victims of the Domestic Violence Bill) 2008, had been fully or partially adopted by parliament.

There was an urgent need to ensure their implementation in letter and spirit in every public and private sector organisation, said the minister.

Women MPAs, including Nusrat Sehar Abbasi (PML-F), Humaira Alwani (PPP) and Zarine Majeed (MQM), enquired the government officials present in the meeting about measures adopted for the implementation of the bill regarding workplace harassment of women.

Minister Tauqir Fatima Bhutto informed the participants that the Sindh Women Development Department (WDD) has got translated the code of conduct, an integral part of the law, into Urdu and Sindhi.

These have not only been distributed among all the government departments and institutions, including the Sindh Assembly, but also put on display at a prominent site of each and every office, she said.

The minister agreed that similar measures were required for public awareness about the laws introduced for their benefit, with specific reference to women and children.

She said that the WDD had also launched a public awareness campaign against domestic violence from November 25 to December 10.

Fatima Tauqir Bhutto said that all women members of the Sindh Assembly in close coordination with the caucus of women parliamentarians of Pakistan would immediately focus on the Bill on Standardisation of Age of Marriage, Recognition and Protection of Home-Based Workers and Prevention of Women Trafficking.

A representative of the Sindh Law Department assured that the draft laws forwarded by women members of the assembly, with prior approval of the chief minister of Sindh, would be taken up, for vetting, by the law department on urgent basis.

The participants of the meeting also included former judge of the Sindh High Court (SHC), Majida Rizvi, Advocate Rubina Brohi and others.
Source: The News
Date:11/29/2011

LAHORE: The experts in a consultative meeting on Monday identified various flaws in the police, prosecution and judicial systems, especially with gender perspective, which they said needed to be addressed promptly to ease the suffering women.

The participants also discussed at length various aspects of a study conducted by Advocates at Law, Public Policy and Human Rights (ALPH) on `National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) research on police reporting and investigation mechanisms with regard to gender-based violence`.

The report was finalised by FC College Professor Dr Imdad Hussain, ALPH gender and legal expert Saadia Mumtaz and consultant Asad Jamal.

The consultative meeting was organised at a local hotel on Monday by ALPH – a research and consultancy firm – which was participated by Punjab Additional IG (Training) Sarmad Saeed, besides students, lawyers and people from various walks of life.

Saadia Mumtaz and Asad Jamal apprised the participants of various aspects of the study, highlighting flaws in criminal justice system and gender-based violence in Pakistan and the findings of a qualitative study of investigation officers.

They were of the view that the reporting and investigation mechanisms were full of flaws, especially with regard to women, which not only resulted in their victimisation and harassment but also denied them justice at various levels.

“The prime objective of the study is to identify the flaws in reporting and investigation system of police department, review the court proceedings along with political interference at various levels and make recommendations that will contribute to the separation of law and judicial structures from political pressures”, Saadia said.

She said the study was focused on gender-based violence (GBV) and the structural hurdles the victims face while exercising their rights to justice.

Mentioning deficiencies relating to police, she said the women facing domestic violence were further disgraced at the police stations owing to `moral superiority` of men and poor initiatives to facilitate women.

There was not a single women police station in Azad Jamu and Kashmir and none of the women employed by police ever been appointed as investigation officer, she said.

Mr Jamal said understaffed and male-dominated police stations, unavailability of separate reporting room for women, rising incidents of physical and mental torture instead of evidence-based investigations, political pressure on complainants and various other problems need to be addressed through proper legislation and policies.

He said there was only one forensic laboratories in Punjab while the number of women medico-legal officers was far less than the men in the same position.

Similarly, he said, there was a dire need to increase the number of investigation officers (IOs), particularly the women IOs, to handle the female victims` cases.

Most of the IOs were ignorant of new laws relating to gender-based violence which was a major and basic negligence at the initial level, resulting in distortion of facts, he said, regretting there was no law for the witnesses` protection.

On the occasion, the additional IG expressed his utter disappointment over what he called culture of holding only police responsible for all the problems.

He said he would not defend police but the facts were contrary to the sketch drawn in the meeting by some participants.

He cited several references and multiple factors, including financial constraints, police strength, facilities provided to police, political influence, flaws in the police rules etc, which, he said, should also be considered.

The police culture could not be changed overnight, he said and suggested efforts should be made to change society instead of holding a single department responsible for all ills.

After a question-answer session, the ALPH sought recommendations and suggestions from the participants of the meeting.
Source: Dawn
Date:11/29/2011

They also called for more laws to curb anti-women practices.

They urged the provincial women development department to disseminate the salient features of the ‘Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, 2010’ among members of all forums and establishments in order to check and discourage perpetrators of crimes against women.

Expressing her ignorance about the existence of any complaint cell or inquiry committee set up under the Act, MPA Humera Alwani said she wondered where to lodge a complaint in case she or any of her woman colleagues was harassed by a male colleague within the house.

The meeting was convened and presided over by Sindh Minister for Women Development Tauqeer Fatima Bhutto to seek opinion of women leaders on various private bills relating to women protection and empowerment, gender discrimination, harassment, domestic violence and trafficking.

Opening the forum, the minister expressed her dismay over a very thin attendance of women MPAs and NGO activists at the meeting.

“At a time which I personally feel is ideal for lawmaking on women welfare and empowerment, we the parliamentarians need to get together with other stakeholders to expedite the process,” she remarked.

She further said that different sets of laws were already in place either at the federal or provincial level but they were needed to be studied in depth to avoid any duplication and to ensure more effective and timely introduction of laws.

The minister stressed the need for making laws against women trafficking, domestic violence against women and children and violence against housemaids. She also called for standardising the age for first marriage of a woman, and observed that if it was fixed at 18 years as the minimum, a large number of girls could be saved from being left out of the education and development mainstream. This could also save them from undergoing an early childbirth and greater vulnerability to reproductive health complications and other customary practices. The meeting was attended by MPAs Nusrat Sehar Abbasi, Najma Saeed Chawla and Humera Alwani, Zarin Majeed, ex-MPA Nasreen Chandio, retired justice Majida Rizvi, Rubina Brohi and Tahira Pachuho (a law consultant).

Women development department’s additional secretary M. Aslam Shaikh told the participants that various district governments had constituted inquiry committees to handle cases of harassment of women at workplaces. Every departmental committee was headed by a grade-19 official and included two members including a woman, he added.

He explained that “under the relevant Act of 2010, ‘harassment’ means any unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favours or other verbal or written communication or physical conduct of a sexual nature or sexually demeaning attitudes, causing interference with work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, or attempt to punish a complainant for refusal to comply with such a request or making it a condition for employment; ‘workplace’ means the place of work or the premises where an organisation or employer operates and includes building, factory, open area or a larger geographical area where activities of an organisation or employer are carried out and includes any situation that is linked to official work or official activity outside the office.”

He further informed the audience that the law defined the word ‘organisation’ as “a federal or provincial government ministry, division or department, a corporation or any autonomous or semiautonomous body, educational institute, medical facility established or controlled by the federal or provincial government or district government or a registered civil society association or a privately managed commercial or industrial establishment or institution, a company as defined in the Companies Ordinance, 1984 and includes any other registered private sector organisation or institution”.
Source: Dawn
Date:11/29/2011

According to press reports Mir Jang Baloch, the spokesman of BMDA in a phone call to the Naushki Press Club said the organisation will target those journalists who are working as informers of separatist groups, Baloch Republican Army and Baloch Liberation Army. Jang also threatened the Khuzdar Press Club president, Nabeel Gurnani, against allowing his club to be used for ‘negative activities’.

The journalists who were threatened included Nabeel Gurnani, correspondent of “Express News” TV channel and president of Khuzdar Press club, Abdul Haq Baloch, correspondent of “ARY News” TV channel, Abdullah Khidrani, correspondent of “KTN News” TV channel and Daily “Kawaish”, Munir Noor, correspondent of Daily “Balochistan News” and Abdullah Shahwani, correspondent of “Aaj TV” channel.

Journalists from Khuzdar district after receiving the threats started a protest demo outside Khuzdar Press Club, where they warned that the fresh threats against journalists were alarming as three Khuzdar-based journalists had been killed for their reporting since June 2010. On November 28 the protesting journalists left for Quetta to stage a demo in front of Quetta Press Club on Tuesday.
Source: Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)
Date:11/28/2011

Irfan Ahmed, a reporter of Waqt News told PPF that Kohati received two bullets, one in chest and another in abdomen. Kohati was rushed to a nearby hospital where he received immediate treatment and is now in stable condition.

Eight people including Kohati were injured and two were killed in an attack on a rally of Shiite Muslim mourners on the first day Islamic calendar month of Muharram.
Source: Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)
Date:11/28/2011

According to Director Women Studies Prof Nasreen Aslim Shah, admission forms of four-year BS (Honors) and MA will be available from November 28 to December 17 2011 at the department and branch of National Bank adjacent to Silver Jubilee Gate.

Candidates, male and female, who passed FSC, FA, I.Com., A level, DBA, DBAE and diploma in commerce with 45 percent marks will be eligible to take admission in the both classes.

Merit list would be issued on December 19.

Interviews for BS (Honors) will be held on December 20 while interviews for MA will be held on December 21.
Source: Business Recorder
Date:11/28/2011

They were addressing a press conference after attending a two-day national consultation organised by the Legislative Watch Programme for Women’s Empowerment of Aurat Foundation. The quota was demanded in addition to the already-available reserved seats for women. They made it part of the declaration endorsed by the participants at the end of the consultation.

Prominent among those who attended the consultation included Shehla Raza, Deputy Speaker, Provincial Assembly, Sindh, Dr Ruqiya Hashmi, Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination, Balochistan, Ghazala Gola, Minister for Women’s Development, Balochistan, Heer Soho, MPA (MQM), Sindh, Nusrat Saher Abbasi, MPA (PML-F), Sindh, Humaira Alwani, MPA (PPPP), Sindh, Shameela Aslam, MPA (PML-N), Punjab, Faiza Malik, MPA (PPPP), Punjab, Amna Butter, MPA (PPPP), Deeba Mirza, MPA (PML-N), Punjab, Shazia Tehmas, MPA (PPPP), KP, Nargis Samin, MPA (PPP-Sherpao), KP and Noor-us-Sehar (PPPP), KP.

The women parliamentarians from Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, the Punjab and representatives of civil society organisations re-affirmed their commitment to protect and preserve the provision of reserved seats in the Constitution for women in the National Assembly, Senate and the provincial assemblies. They believed the provision of reserved seats for women is a constitutional right of women of Pakistan under Articles 25, 34, 51 and 106, etc. Article 25 (3) states: “Nothing in this Article shall prevent the state from making any special provision for the protection of women and children.”

“We believe that women parliamentarians’ role in assemblies helps to initiate debates on issues of women’s empowerment both within and outside legislatures, and eventually, lead to their playing a key role in law-making on crucial issues which concern women and citizens of Pakistan,” says the declaration.

They said that all important legislation (laws-bills on ‘honour’ killings, Women’s Protection Act, Protection of Women from Harassment at Workplace, Domestic Violence Bill) would have not been possible without the initiatives and consistent efforts of female parliamentarians across the political parties.
Source: The News
Date:11/28/2011

Humaina Mudassir was sleeping with her aunt Naureen Rafi when two persons stormed into their room and opened fire at them. Humaina was rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital where she died while Naureen was stated to be in a critical condition.

Sources said the attackers wanted to kill Shumaila, the step-mother of Humaina, and they had already assassinated the father and grandmother of the little girl for `honour`.

Mudassir Hussain, a resident of Munday village, married a woman a few years back who born him Humaina. Later, due to some differences, Mudassir divorced her.

Mudassir, a rickshaw driver, developed relations with Shumaila, who belonged to an influential tribe of the village. When the elders of Shumaila refused to give her hand to Mudassir, the couple tied the knot through the court of law on October 19, 2010.

The elders of Shumaila, however, got registered a case of kidnapping against Mudassir and police arrested him. When Mudassir was in the police custody, the elders of Shumaila allegedly attacked his mother Zaibun Nisa on May 18, who died four days later.

Meanwhile, Mudassir was set free after Shumaila told the court that she had married him on her own will. However, he was also eliminated allegedly by the elders of Shumaila on October 27. The next day, Mudassir`s widow gave birth to a son. The elders of Shumaila threatened that they would also kill Shumaila along with her newly-born baby to save their honour.

Shumaila moved to the house of Mohammad Rafi, the elder brother of Mudassir, in Basti Allah Wali of Chakwal city. At 6am on Sunday, the attackers came to the house to kill Shumaila. Mr Rafi said they were four — Azhar, Asad, Abrar and Zaheer — and two of them stayed outside.

The attackers thought that Humaina was sleeping with Shumaila but the latter was in another room with her son.

The elders of the victims brought the body of the girl to Bhoun Chowk and blocked traffic. DPO Kashif Mushtaq Kanju reached the spot and told the protesters that one of the alleged killers, Asad, had been arrested and the others would be nabbed soon.
Source: Dawn
Date:11/28/2011

The Saddar police said one Abdullah shot dead Ms Z and Shamim Gul on suspicion of having illicit relationship in Kahi area.

The police arrested the accused Abdullah with the weapon used in the crime and registered case against him.
Source: Dawn
Date:11/28/2011

Uzma Naurin, 30, a US national, and her Pakistani husband Saif Rehman, 31, were killed on November 1 in Lala Musa town, 145 kilometres east of Islamabad, on their way back from a shopping trip. NaurinÂ’s father, 58-year-old Muzaffar Hussain, who was in hospital in Pakistan on the day of the killings, has since fled to the United States but is now the chief suspect in the murder case, police told AFP on Saturday.

“We have gathered evidence against him. We will present a detailed report in court and try to get red warrants (extradition) against him,” said Nasir Mehmood Butt, head of the investigating police station in Gujrat district. “Once we get him into custody, we will be able to obtain all the information and this case will be solved,” he said.

Naurin married Rehman without her familyÂ’s permission in the British city of Manchester but relatives later attended a full wedding ceremony in the Scottish city of Glasgow, where Rehman was based, earlier this year. The couple and Naurin’s father arrived in Pakistan last month to attend a wedding. Hussain was then admitted to hospital with chest pains, police said.

On November 1, Hussain asked his driver to take the couple shopping in the city of Gujrat. On their way back, they were stopped by four gunmen and killed. Butt said the driver, Adeel, had “admitted” his role in the crime and that records show Hussain made dozens of telephone calls to the driver during the shopping trip, with a last call from Adeel to Hussain minutes after the murder.

Muhammad Zakir, Rehman’s father, wants police to extradite Hussain from the United States. “We want action against this man… He should be brought back and legal action should be taken against him,” he told AFP.
Source: Daily Times
Date:11/28/2011

The rally was led by District Press Club President Nazir Bosal and Media Press Club President Sheikh Saleem.

The participants of rally were carrying placards and chanting slogans, asking government to pull out armed forces from the US war against terrorism, down with Nato and Pak Army Zindabad, retaliate aggression befittingly. They also raised slogans against the Nato and US and blocked traffic by burning tyres in front of the Press Club.

While addressing the rally, the speakers termed the Nato raid as blatant attack on Pakistani sovereignty and regrettable. They said that it was a deliberate attack to put pressure on Pakistan to “do more.”

The speakers also alleged that the rulers were following duel policies which had resulted in repetition of such tragic incidents, causing death of thousand people including the soldiers. They urged the rulers to learn lesson from the tragic episode and review policy in favour of public interest in general and stability of the country. Those who speak on the occasion were: Sheikh Saleem, Nazir Bosal, Shaukat Khan, Maj (r) Sher Gondal and Maj (r) Nasir Javed of Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Society.

Checkpoint attack widely condemned: Local political, religious and business circles have condemned the Nato attack on security checkpoint in Mohmand agency which resulted in the martyrdom of 26 soldiers and left 12 other wounded.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Pakistan District organizer Sajjad Randawa, TO Organizer Shahid Mahmood, PML-N leader Rai Mansub Ali Khan, Trader leader Sh Hakeem Riaz, Bar President Ch Haq Nawaz and District Press President Asif Ali Bhatti expressed their sorrow over the death of Pakistani Army personnel and condemned the Nato aggression in strongest words.

Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Sajjad Randawa while talking to journalists said that the rulers had already been sold teh national sovereignty and integrity in the hands of America to ensure their stay at the helm of affairs. The PPP government is already playing in the hands of America and its agents and hatching conspiracies against Paksitan army, its agencies including ISI, MI etc to sneak into the nuclear assets of the country.
Source: The Nation
Date:11/28/2011

These students were directed to sing the national anthem and spend their entire day at the rally. This may have been done to jack up the numbers or even to add to the youth demographic the PML-N seems to desperately want now that Imran Khan has sent shivers down the Sharif brothers’ spines.

However, if the issue brought forth in this petition is true, it points at the alarm that the PML-N is feeling and the desperate attempts it is making to save face and present to the public a false army of young supporters. It is a shame that those who actually suffer are the poor students who have no other choice than to follow directives and do as they are told.
SAIQA KHAN
Lahore

Source: Daily Times

Date:11/28/2011

Molana Tair Ashrafi said that it was really frustrating to see talk shows and TV programmes giving little space to issues like gender inequality and added that even op-eds gave scanty space to such topics that had direct bearing on people’s psychological and physical lives.

Molana Tahir Ashrafi gave these remarks in his programme, Din-o-Dunya, at Business Plus on Saturday. Molana Tahir took it on himself to point out the atrocities meted out to women in our culture today and to search for a solution to these.

Head of Jamia-al-Manzoor-al-Islamia and Islamic scholar Pir Saifullah Kahlid and prominent journalist, analyst and thinker Mehmal Sarfraz were invited to discuss discrimination against Muslim women in an Islamic country like Pakistan. Pir Saifullah started his conversation by discounting the prevalent attitude of a Pakistani Muslim towards women, saying that when someone negated the presence of women, he actually negated reality and the very essence of the creation of this universe.

Women were as much part of this world as any other creature. Delving upon the practice of taking daughters as a liability in the pre-Islamic era, Pir Saifullah quoted a verse from the holy Quran that picturesquely sketched the situation of those times: “When the birth of a girl is announced to any of them, his face darkens and he is filled with gloom.In his shame he hides himself away from this people, because of bad news he has been given, should he keep her and face disgrace or bury her in the dust? Ah, what an evil choice they decide on.”[16:58,59].

The situation has not changed, even today we feel disgraced on the birth of a daughter and seek to kill her, if not physically, then by depriving her of her rights to education, health, and social participation, said Pir Saifullah.

Commenting on the practices of killing women in the name of honour and alienating them from the social, political and economic arena, Mehmal Sarfraz held religious scholars responsible for not using important occasions and places, such as sermons during Friday prayers and other congregational events, to create awareness among the masses with regard to the ruling of the holy Quran on the status of women. “We have to understand that women are equal to men and no one can clip her of her rights to work, move free and decide about her career” said Mehmal.

When Islam came into being in fourteen hundred years ago, the Arabian Peninsula was the trading partner of many advanced countries located in the Roman and Persian empires of those times. Most of these were rich Arabs who had gained respect owing to their hold of Makkah. The flow of money and rubbing shoulders with the elites did little in changing the tribal and conservative mindset with regard to looking upon their daughters as a liability. Daughters were buried alive.

Those who were left to live were denied their share in inheritance and were forbidden from any economic participation. The rights of women were subservient to those of men. This gender discrimination had led women to acquire multiple psychological and physical anomalies. Islam bought this disparity index down to a level where women were equal to men and placed the latter as the guardian and administrator of the former. Women were given their inheritance rights by Islam and had full permission to attend any political, social and economic participation, the participants said.

The irony is that Pakistan, created for Muslims, has become one of the worst countries as far as treating women are concerned. We are killing women on the name of honour. We are burying our daughters alive. We are giving our daughters as feud money to end bad blood between two groups. We deprive them of inheritance. We marry them off to the Quran to prevent them form parting us away from our wealth that one has to give in dowry in case of marriage. We are even selling our daughters today to make our ends meet.

“Though we have glorious policies and laws in place to protect women, none of these had been implemented sincerely by the authorities. This shows our interest in protecting and safeguarding women from cultural and general atrocities,” said Molana Tahir, wrapping up the programme discussion.

Source: Daily Times

Date:11/28/2011

She said that under the plan, awareness about human rights will be given by organising seminars and other events with the objective to put an end to increasing human rights violations in the rural areas of Sindh.

She was talking to media persons after attending a ceremony here at the Central Prison on Saturday.

The minister said the department has so far registered 1,500 cases of torture and violence in ten districts of the province. Majority of these cases were due to marriages of choice and domestic issues, she added.

Nadia said lack of education and lawlessness are the main causes in the increase of human rights violations in rural areas of the province while no efforts were made at the official level to promote code of ethics in these areas.

Responding to a question, the minister said that human rights situation has improved in the prisons of the province, however, time is still required to provide 100 percent facilities to prisoners.

No major case of human rights violation has so far been reported from any prison in Sindh after efforts were initiated by the Department of Human Rights, she said.

Replying to another question, she said 60 percent cases of criminal assaults reported in Karachi were found baseless. Due to non availability of the facility of the DNA test, the investigations against such assaults are difficult, she added.

The minister said that non-governmental organisations, which are getting funds in respect of human rightsí improvement were not utilising the aid in right direction, therefore, the Sindh Social Welfare Department has suspended the registration of 750 non-governmental organisations. The minister also distributed Eid gifts and clothes among the juvenile prisoners.
Source: The News
Date:11/27/2011

Talking to VOA on Saturday, the UNHCR spokesperson said that the pro-women bill passed by parliament will help in protecting women rights adding that the cruel customs like Karo Kari would also be discouraged.

She said that women have the same rights as that of males, but these rights have not been given and always ignored.

Women should be given education and the parliament must take steps for educating and empower the women in the country, she added.
Source: The News
Date:11/27/2011

A division bench, comprising Chief Justice & Justice Ahmed Ali M. Sheikh, passed this order after pursing inspection report submitted by District Judge Thatta who revealed that Government Boys & Girls Primary School Muhammad Khan Soomro was encroached & unauthorized constructions were raised.Former Union Council Nazim, Syed Manzoor Ali Ahah, had moved court against Sindh Secretary Education Department, District Officer (Education Works) Thatta & Chairmen of National Accountability Bureau & Anti-Corruption Establishment Sindh.He submitted DO(Education & Works) Thatta invited tenders for renovation of government primary schools in district. But, rules & regulations were violated in whole process of tenders awarding to misappropriate funds.

He contended concerned District Officer showed estimated cost of two school buildings renovation at Rs 2 million instead of Rs 1 million. Tenders were also awarded to favorite persons in violation of public procurement regulations.He stated a government boys & girls primary school located in Muhammad Khan Soomro village was part & parcel of MNA Abdul Wahab Soomro’s house, where no schooling facility was available. Illegal construction was raised there, while two government boys and primary schools were adopted by local NGO Al-Rajari in Muhammad Urs Khaskheli village. But, condition of other was very poor.

He prayed to call entire record from official respondents & order action against corrupt officials.Court order said: “In one of Government Boys & Girls School Muhammad Khan Soomro, it has been reported that it has been encroached by villagers. We would require learned AAG to call report from authority concerned as to what action has been taken against such unauthorized & illegal encroachment on public property & why such has not been taken till date.” Hearing was adjourned to a date in office.
Source: The Express Tribune
Date:11/27/2011

According to police officials, Mohallah Raza Abad resident 65-year-old Jameel asked his Ammen’s permission to marry his daughter. Jameel’s wife died last month. Ameen initially turned down the proposal but when Jameel offered him money he agreed to marry his 13-year-old daughter, Shabana, to Jameel. A wedding guest informed the police. “They agreed to marry off the girl after Jameel offerred to pay them. Initially Ameen refused the match but eventually they arranged the wedding. She was only told a day before that she was being married and it was clear she was being forced,” said a wedding guest Khadim. Officials raided the house and arrested Jameel, the nikkah khwan and the parents of the girl. A case has been registered against the accused.
Source: The Express Tribune
Date:11/27/2011

Organising entertainment programmes and ceremonies for journalists and their familes is a positive act. The programes like family gala are really encouraging because they provide entertainment facility to the journalists and their children. The government will take every possible step for the solution to the problems faced by media men, she said this while talking to media after launch of family gala organised by Karachi Union of Journalists (Dastoor) and Karachi Press Club .

President Karachi Press Club Tahir Hassan Khan, General Secretary Moosa Kaleem, President Karachi Union of Journalists Amir Latif, General Secretary Naeem Tahir, former general secretary Mohammad Rizwan Bhatti, Nasrullah Chaudhry Raja Kamran, Mohammad Munisif, Mohammad Nabeel and Yasir Babar were also present on the occasion. Later, the provincial minister visited different stalls set up at Family Gala 2011 and congratulated the Karachi Press CLub and Karachi Union of Journalists for making best arrangements for the journalists and their families. She also assured them of supporting in this connection,Various charming programes, including food street, playland, majic show, quiz and lucky draw were arranged at the family gala programe.

Special programes for children like face painting, magic show and sports contest were also held that facinated children and visitors.A lot of prizes were distributed at the programme. For women, ring stalls, musical chair, free gift and jewellery stalls were set up. Different food items, juices and tea and bewereges were also arranged for vistors.
Source: The Frontier Post
Date:11/27/2011

The directives issued by Pemra Chairman Dr Abdul Jabbar asked all media outlets to follow teachings of Islam regarding the holy month and warned against relaying any programme that defied its sanctity.

The circular stated that no programme would be aired or distributed in contravention to the Pemra Code of Conduct which inter-alia refrained from passing derogatory remarks about any religion, sect and community besides using words contemptuous of religious sects and ethnic groups that were meant to flare up communal and sectarian disharmony.

Similarly, no programme would be tolerated which provoked hatred against individuals or groups on the bases of race, ethnicity and religious orientation.

The electronic media was directed to craft special programmes persuading viewers to shun sectarian differences and discard animosity, hatred and malevolence by following Islamic principles of human values.

The circular stated that nonconformity to the directives would be taken seriously and it might result in imposition of heavy fines, suspension and revocation of licenses of violators under Pemra laws.
Source: Dawn
Date:11/27/2011