Day: March 9, 2008

HYDERABAD, March 8: Twenty-three victims of human trafficking, including women and children, arrived at the FIA’s office here on Saturday after serving for a year as unpaid labourers on the agricultural land in Iran’s Zarabad area.

“I am now a free man and it’s my country. I did a blunder by falling prey to greed,” Hashim, a resident of Hala, said with tears in his eyes.

The villagers, Hashim, Hajan, Gul Hassan, Daim, Ahmed, Anwar, Asghar, Achar, Laung, Punhoo, Haji, Achar (adults), Dilbar, Deedar, Zakir, Sabir, Sher Bano (children) and Gul Pani, wife of Daim; Solini, Zulekha, Moomal, Amir Bano and Zamir Bano, had been kept as slaves by an Iranian landlord.

According to FIA deputy director (Hyderabad) Bashir Bhutto, no case would be lodged against the villagers because they were victims of human trafficking. “It was due to our pressure which led to the release of the captives by the Iranian landlord,” he said.

FIA officials have registered a case against four traffickers–Umar Makrani, an Iranian national, his agent Saeed Makrani, Ameer Bux Sand and Ghulam Qadir– under the Prevention and Control of Human Trafficking Ordinance, 2002. Two of the traffickers are in the FIA custody.

“We were taken to Iran by Umer Makrani’s agents, who assured us that we would get paid in Iran and would not have to bear travel expenses,” Hashim told Dawn.

However, he said, when they reached Iran, they were not paid any wages for their work on the landlord’s banana orchard and only food was provided to them. He added that most of their belongings were lost during flash floods in Iran. “The landlord used to threaten us against venturing out of his agricultural land, warning that the Iranian police might arrest them as illegal immigrants,” he said.

They said that 13 of their companions, including women and children, had not been allowed to return.

The FIA received the group of 23 people from the Iran-Pakistan border at Kalatoo in Balochistan and sent them to Hyderabad.

FIA assistant director Hameed Bhutto said: “The victims told us that Umer Makrani said he was releasing them because his agents had been arrested by FIA authorities”. Mr Bhutto said: “We will adopt the same method for securing the release of the remaining 13 people.”
Source: Dawn
Date:3/9/2008

TIMERGARA, March 8: In spite of the fact that the International Women’s Day will be observed across the globe on Saturday with traditional pledges for the protection of women rights, the women folk in Lower Dir continue to face problems affecting their lives and status in society.

Women in Lower Dir have been barred from exercising their political, social and economic rights. In the recent general elections women in the district were deprived of their right to vote. Honour killings as well as cases related to “Swara” have been reported in the district.

According to reports collected from different police stations and published in various national newspapers 16 women and nine men were killed in honour related crimes last year.

According to Khall police, one Muhtaj son of Mian Gul killed Awal Zeb, 23, in Toormang Dara when he was on his way to his home in June last year. Later, Muhtaj went to his home and killed his sister-in-law on the suspicion that she had illicit relations with Awal Zeb.

Similarly on February 3, a resident of Haya Serai Muhammad Jan killed his sister-in-law and a man Gul Zar son of Haider on the suspicion of having illicit relations. On February 24, a girl and a boy Ihsanullah were murdered over allegedly having illicit relations in Dog Dara.

In June, a couple was killed in Gujranwala, Punjab. Sources said that Uzma 18 had married a boy Shabir in her neighbourhood on her own free will against the permission of her parents. The couple had fled to Karachi and then shifted to Gujranwala where they were traced and killed.

Similarly, another couple was killed in Ouch, Lower Dir on November 11, sources said, adding that the girl Khaista Begum and the boy Islam Zeb had married on their own violating the family’s decision. People said that the elders of the girl’s family ‘deceived’ the couple and invited them to their home but when they reached they were allegedly killed by the girl’s relatives.

On March 27, a man Amir Hassan killed his wife Shamim Akhtar in village Bakandai in the jurisdiction of Ouch polling station. The man suspected his wife of having illicit relation with someone. Similarly, a man Rehmat Zeb, allegedly opened fire on his wife Zeenat Bibi, while she was offering prayers, in Khadag Zai village on March 26.

Later on the accused also killed his brother Bahadar Zeb, on the pretext that his wife and his brother had illicit relations.

On June 1, a women Naheed Bibi and a man Bakht Shah Zeb were allegedly killed by Naheed’s in laws in Osorai village. On July 9, a man shot his wife Zahira, an infant baby and two other women relatives dead, in Rabbat Dara due to unknown reasons, police and residents told this scribe.

In another incident on August 28, police intervened to save a three-year-old girl in Chakdara from becoming victim of the inhuman custom of Swara by taking an undertaking from her father that he would not hand her over to his rivals.

The girl had to be handed over on August 31, but police interference saved the girl’s life. Later on they arrested sixteen people including a prominent religious leader Maulana Muhammad Rahim alias Darbar Maulana, along with jirga members for their decision to give away the girl in Swara.

On August 30, a man Nadar Khan allegedly shot his wife Sumera and younger brother Famir dead in Timergara on suspicion of having illicit relations, sources said, adding that the accused first stabbed them and then shot them dead. On September 6, a man Muhammad Khan entered a woman Iqbal Bibi’s house in Ouch and killed her while a child was injured in the incident, police said.

On October 6, a man Gul Khan 23 was shot dead in Timergara, Malakand by relatives of a woman Hameeda who later on shot her dead. They suspected the deceased of having illicit relations. On September 22, a retired army solider Bakht Rahman allegedly killed his wife Bakht Mina, residents said; adding that later on the accused pretended that she was killed by some attackers from outside the home when she was asleep.

Witnesses said Bakht Mina was a modest and innocent woman. On November 21, a man Liaq Zada shot his wife Risalat Bibi dead in Darmal Bala village, informed sources told this reporter.

The women in Dir had never been allowed to take part in political activities. They had never been deprived of their right to vote or contest election. Though in local government elections 2001 and 2005 women were elected to union, tehsil and district councils, yet they had been discouraged to attend councils’ meetings. Women rights activists working in Dir have demanded of the present government and the international donor agencies to focus on boosting female education in the area.
Source: Dawn
Date:3/9/2008

LAHORE – Like elsewhere in the world, the Women’s World Day was observed across the City on Saturday.

Organisations working for empowerment of women and their rights in society, human rights organisations, NGOs, educational institutions and members of civil society organised different events to celebrate the day with enthusiasm.

The All Pakistan Women Association Punjab arranged 18th Triennial Conference in commemoration with International Women Day at its provincial headquarters.

Justice (r) Javed Iqbal, Begum Lella Haroon Sarfraz, Rizwana Akram, Gulzar Bano, Sakeela Khanam Rasheed, Dr Feroza Ahmad, Dr Sabiha, Dr Munawar Mirza and others speakers addressed on this occasion.

The speakers, while highlighting the struggle of the women worldwide, said that despite the odds, women were undoubtedly moving forward in the professional realm.

They said that in the developed and developing world, women were still facing numerous problems, which could only be solved by providing economic stability to them. They observed that effective implementation of various laws and enactments was needed to provide a more secure and conducive atmosphere to the women folk in the society.

Chief guest, Justice (r.) Javed Iqbal said that instead of traditional ‘mullah’, guidance should be sought from the sayings of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Allama Muhammad Iqbal and Sir Syed Ahmad Khan.

He said that every possible step should be taken for the development of the women community. He proposed separate electoral process for women and stressed to avoid one-sided laws like ‘Hadood Ordinance’ in future.

Provincial President of APWA, Mrs Rizwana Akram informed that 60 centres of women welfare and 10 centres of family planning were working in Punjab while APWA Punjab was also taking a number of steps for welfare of the women.

Mrs Lella Sarfaraz, while paying rich tributes to the voluntary services of the non-formal sector for the welfare and uplift of the women in our society, said that the services rendered by the APWA for betterment of women in the field of health and education were specially praiseworthy.

Dr Sultana Mirza urged for providing education facilities on priority basis to the women living in hinterlands. NGOs should be encouraged to work more proactively, they reiterated.

The conference was attended by the women representatives belonging to four provinces including AJK and they apprised about the measures regarding the progress of women in their areas. Exhibition of hand made embroidery of women was also arranged.

A seminar was held at the Lahore Press Club under the aegis of Working Women Organisation, which was participated by a large number of women, scholars, lawyers, leaders from different walks of life and representatives of various NGOs and political parties.

The speakers at the seminar included Executive Coordinator WWO Asma Mahmood, President WWO Rubina Jamil, General Secretary All Pakistan Trade Unions Federation Gulzar Ahmed Chaudhry, Muhammad Sherjeel, Firdous Butt and Humaira Awais. At the conclusion of seminar, the participants staged a rally outside the Lahore Press Club raising slogans for empowerment of women. The participants also raised slogans against President Musharraf and for restoration of judiciary.

The Punjab University’s Centre for Clinical Psychology arranged a walk on the International Women Day at the Quaid-e-Azam Campus (New Campus).

Director Dr Nosheen K Rahman, faculty members and students of CCP participated in the walk that began from the centre building and after going through the different departments of varsity ended from where it began. The participants carried banners and play cards with slogans about empowerment of women.

A seminar was also held at the Lahore College for Women University in this regard. The seminar was addressed by Vice Chancellor LCWU Prof Dr Bushra Mateen, Prof Dr Humala S Khalid, advocate Ahmad Warraich and Director General GRAP Aftab Faheem.

“I will not be wrong in saying that we should demand human rights and not women rights. A female child is discriminated against her male sibling by her own mother in our society,” Dr Mateen said.

She was of the view that the deterioration of ethical values of youth was primarily due to non-fulfilment of duty assigned to women. Warraich talked about the legal perspective of women rights.

DG GRAP informed about the reforms and steps taken by the government in favour of women.
Source: The Nation

More than 7870 cases of violence against women were reported in 2007. This was stated by Zia Ahmed Awan, an advocate and president of Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid (LHRLA) while speaking at a seminar titled “Women’s voices and hidden pain”, organised by Madadgaar Helpline, with the collaboration of LHRLA along with UNICEF.

He said that these women had been subjected to regular abuse, mental and physical torture, assaults, some sexual in nature. The women described the violence and how they had been isolated and then persecuted when they cried for help and justice.

Zia said that violence was everywhere and those who speak about it in public do not really know what is the pain really like as they have never experienced it themselves. The media reports only a miniscule number of cases.

Several women victims were invited to tell their ordeal to help sensitise the media, the public, the judiciary and the politicians.

Dr Shahista Wahidi said that until the day when feudal system and inequality is eliminated from the Pakistani society, it is the duty of NGO’s and the media to highlight these issues, sensitize the public and to motivate the society into action.

She called for a more comprehensive law over domestic violence.

Ms Hashmi, who heads SOS Village, said that men are the one’s who are not getting the proper Islamic education and that is the reason why they do not respect women and indulge in such criminal practices. She suggested that the media cover these cases in a way that other people could gain vital knowledge about such happenings and draw lessons.
Source: The News
Date:3/9/2008

HYDERABAD, March 8: International Women’s Day was observed across Sindh by different women and social welfare organizations with great enthusiasm on Saturday.

The speakers condemned the excesses being committed against women throughout the country and demanded that special laws should be legislated to protect the inherent rights of more than 50 per cent population of Pakistan.

Parbhat Women Development Society organised a seminar at the press club to mark the day.

Speaking on the occasion, justice (retd) Majida Rizvi said in the present age, great awareness had been created among women about their rights but they will have to launch a consistent struggle to achieve these rights.

She said women were still slaves of the system which they have to change through their struggle.

She pointed out that education was the key for women to break the shackles and called upon women to get their children specially their daughters educated.

Jagirdari (feudal system) was a great hurdle in the liberation of women she said while adding that in India, this system had been abolished and that’s why Indian women were far ahead than Pakistani women in every field of life.

PPP leader and former MPA Ms Humera Alwani in her speech proposed that the International Women’s Day should be named after Shaheed Benazir Bhutto as throughout her life she struggled for the rights of people specially women for democracy.

Veteran leftist leader Jam Saqi said woman possessed more power of resistance and tolerance and she was not inferior to her counterpart.

He said Islam had also given equal rights to women but these rights had been denied by the male dominated society.The others who spoke on the occasion included Mohammad Khan Jamali, Ms Sehar Rizvi, Ms Nasreen Shakeel Pathan, Wahab Pindrani and others.

The gathering adopted several resolutions demanding special legislation against karo-kari and other crimes against women.

It demanded ban on young age marriages, abolition of feudal and jirga system.

It further demanded that the murder case of Benazir Bhutto should be transferred to UN experts for investigation.

Meanwhile the activists of “Organisation for Social Awareness and Development” and “Trust for Peace and Development” held demonstrations outside the press club to mark the day.

A function was also held at the office of ILO which was presided over by the district officer education and literacy, Mohammad Siddique Ghori.

DEMO: The activists of Sindhi Shagird Tehrik staged a protest demonstration outside Hyderabad press club against the proposed establishment of a girls’ medical college on the premises of Hyderabad public school.

Speaking on the occasion, SST leaders Kamran Lakho, Ghulam Mustafa Hingorjo, and others said that the proposal to establish the girls’ medical college on the premises of the historic public school building was a conspiracy to deprive the rural population of their right to education.

They said that Hyderabad already had a medical university therefore medical college should be established in the backward areas of Badin or Thatta.
Source: Dawn
Date:3/9/2008