Day: April 22, 2009

FAISALABAD:Training Workshop on Women’s Rights Education at Malkhanwala Fourth Training workshop regarding “Community Education for Women Rights” has demanded of government to repeal discriminatory laws and remove lacunas and loopholes in the legal system promoting violence against women.

The workshop was organised by the Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation (Awam) at Chak No 225 R. B. Malkhanwala, Faisalabad in which 28 male and female participants of 13 union councils of Madina Town belonging to different religions had participated.

The purpose of the workshop was to highlight the different customary practices, discriminatory laws and traditions that restrict the womenfolk to participate in mainstream of development and sensitise the communities regarding violence against women.

The resource persons of the workshop were Shazia George (Programme Officer), Nazia Sardar and Zafar Iqbal. The content of the workshop included “Fundamental Rights in Constitution of Pakistan, violence against women, gender based discrimination, discriminatory laws, traditions and customary practices”.

The facilitators of the workshop condemned the discriminatory behaviours of the society and state towards women and minorities that inhibit them to play their role actively in the mainstream of development.

While discussing about the violence against women they said, “There exists many lacunas and loopholes in the legal system that are the root cause in promotion of violence against women in society and also defending the customary practices too”. It is recommended that State should repeal all discriminatory laws and ban the discriminatory customs and traditions that humiliate the humanity.
Source: Business Recorder
Date:4/22/2009

By Raja Asghar

ISLAMABAD:As if disregarding the dark Taliban clouds in the northwest, women members of the National Assembly on Tuesday took charge of private bills and a debate on Aids, about which the government said it would bring a new law to protect patients from the stigma of the deadly disease.

All the four bills introduced in the house seeking amendments in the existing laws on what was a private members’ day were piloted by women – three of them about rights of women now under attack from militant Taliban’s controversial interpretation of Islam at gunpoint, and one sought to punish police for refusing to register a first information report and conducting dishonest investigation.

The government did not object to the introduction of the bills, which were subsequently referred to concerned standing committees of the house for their reports and refining the drafts.

PPP’s former high court judge Fakhar-un-Nisa Khokhar introduced two bills – the Family Courts (Amendment) Bill seeking to enable the family courts to act as mediation courts to try for a compromise between the parties before the trial, and the Muslim Family Laws (Amendment) Bill to enable a divorced woman to claim maintenance expenses for a breast-feeding infant from her past husband or his heirs for two years.

The Factories (Amendment) Bill of Mrs Khalida Mansoor seeks to amend the Factories Act of 1934 to benefit working women, who also have to look after their children and domestic affairs, to provide that their “period of work … during a working day in a factory” could be relaxed by one hour at the start and one hour before close.

The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, jointly authored by three female members – Mrs Shamshad Sattar Bachani, Mrs Shakeela Khanum Rashid, Mrs Belum Hasnain – and one male member – Mr Tariq Mahmood Bajwa – seeks a minimum of five years’ imprisonment or a minimum fine of Rs100,000, or both, for failure to register first information report of an alleged offence and carrying out a dishonest investigation by a competent police or other official.

It also provides for half of the fine to be paid to the aggrieved person, whose right to claim damages in a civil court will not be limited.

HIV/AIDS SHAME: Minister of State for Health Mohammad Afzal Sindhu, responding to a “matter of sufficient public importance” raised by 11 members from the ruling coalition and opposition members, said the government intended to bring a law to parliament to protect HIV/Aids patients from the shame of the incurable disease.

But he did not indicate the time to bring the new law, which he said would take cognizance of anybody reproaching a patient of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and Aids (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), caused by blood transfusion from or sexual activity with affected people.

Most of only women speakers on a subject usually shunned in the Pakistani society called for public awareness campaigns by the government about the dangers of the disease about which very few people talk and more effective arrangements to prevent its spread.

Mr Sindhu said publicity and preventive measures like blood-screening were already being carried out but assured the house that they would be fortified further in light of house members’ suggestions. .

He said the government would attend a May 16-17 international conference on HIV/Aids in Geneva and would use the forum to ask European countries to provide it information about Pakistani nationals deported for carrying the dangerous virus.

“How problems will be solved if we don’t talk about them?” asked PPP member Mrs Yasmeen Rehman who called for the collection of credible data about the extent of the disease in the country and preventive work on a “war-footing” before the situation could get out of hand as in neighbouring India.

PML-N’s Tahira Aurangzeb called for making HIV/Aids awareness a part of educational syllabuses while her party colleague Shireen Arshad Khan suggested counselling at different levels of the society and health insurance as she said was the practice in Schengen Agreement countries of Europe.

Nighat Paveen Mir of the same party wanted an awareness campaign in light of Islamic teachings of piety while her colleagues Mrs Nisar Tanveer and Begum Nuzhat Sadiq called for a more effective use of the media.

PML-N’s Haji Pervaiz Khan got a lesson about what it could mean when one talked ill of MQM chief Altaf Hussain before his followers when the member from Rawalpindi was shouted down by Karachi-based party’s members after he, while speaking on a point of order, said their leader should now return home from his long self-exile in Britain and “stop speaking against people and Pakistan from there”.

Members from both the opposition and government benches called for making price control authorities more effective while speaking on a resolution while a debate on the shortage of urea fertilizer was still in progress when the house was adjourned until 4pm on Wednesday.
Source: Dawn
Date:4/22/2009

ISLAMABAD:The government on Tuesday conceded before the National Assembly Standing Committee on Education that reassessment of the exam papers of former chief justice Abdul Hameed Dogar’s daughter was against the rules.

Briefing the committee chaired by Abid Sher Ali at Parliament House, State Education Minister Ghulam Farid Kathia said that an inquiry into Farah Hameed Dogar’s case had revealed that there was no provision for reassessment of exam papers. He said the papers could only be re-checked under the rules, not reassessed.

Ali said it was good of the government to admit that the daughter of the former chief justice had been awarded extra marks after reassessment. Although he did not give a formal notice, he said in light of the situation, Farah Dogar’s admission to a medical university should be cancelled and those responsible for giving her undue favour should be held accountable.

Meanwhile, Education Ministry officials gave a detailed briefing to the committee on the forthcoming education policy. The committee directed all the members to give suggestions and recommendations for the Education Ministry for incorporation into the national education policy. A seven-member subcommittee to be chaired by Zubaida was also constituted to prepare proposals for the draft national education policy 2009.
Source: Daily Times
Date:4/22/2009

ISLAMABAD:Federal Minister for Social Welfare and Special Education, Samina Khalid Ghurki here Tuesday opened ‘Sofia House’, a residential facility for orphan girls to provide them with the homely environment. The orphan house is established by Muslim Hands International in collaboration with Millie Mittoo Children’s Projects UK.

Speaking on this occasion, the minister said that welfare of children and particularly the care of the orphans was a noble cause and Sofia Orphanage was no doubt a remarkable project of the Muslim hands. Samina Ghurki called upon the civil society, and other voluntary and indigenous philanthropy sectors to come together to join hands to strengthen and support the work done so far by the Muslim Hands.

She said that National Commission for Child Welfare and Development (NCCWD), Ministry of Social Welfare and Special Education has got approved a National Plan of Action for Children from Federal Cabinet whose implementation is being carried out by a full-fledged project on Implementing National Plan of Action for Children.

NCCWD has established Child Protection Centres in Islamabad and Turbat, which are providing shelter to children in special needs of protection like street children, run away and other vulnerable children, she added.

She said, “Children, according to Islam are entitled to various rights. The first and foremost of these rights is the right to be properly brought up, raised and educated which means that children should be given suitable, sufficient, sound and adequate religious, ethical and moral guidance through out their life.”

“In Pakistan, our conviction and resolute commitment for children flows from a tradition of care, which is firmly rooted in Islam and Islam prohibits all form of violence against children and protects their fundamental human rights,” she said. The minister lauded the efforts made by Muslim Hands International in uplifting of neglected segment of the society especially the poor and orphans.

Syed Zia-ul-Noor, the Country Manager of Muslim Hands, in his introductory speech, briefed about different activities and projects carried out by Muslim Hands Pakistan. He informed that more than twenty thousand kids were receiving quality education at more than 300 schools established by Muslim Hands in rural and far-flung areas of the country. Later, the minister also visited “Islamabad School of Excellence” which is another welfare project of Muslim Hands International.
Source: Business Recorder
Date:4/22/2009

By Aisha Masood

Karachi:The Ghotki police have arrested Shahnawaz, who had declared his wife Basheeran as Kari. The arrest took place in the late hours of Monday, while two of his accomplices were picked up on Tuesday.

Shahnawaz and his relatives, Shabir, Ghulam Mustafa and Ghulam Haider, had levelled allegations of Karo-Kari against Basheeran. They were allegedly searching for her with the intent to kill her. Basheeran, however, had left Ghotki and had taken shelter in Karachi with the help of Pakistan International Human Rights Organisation (PIHRO), a local non-governmental organisation (NGO).

The Ghotki police had registered an FIR in the matter almost a week ago and the suspects were very much within the reach of the police. Their fourth accomplice, however, is still at large.

“Even though three arrests have been made, this does not ensure the safety of the victim and her family since the charge-sheet has not been submitted in the court. There is constant pressure on Basheeran’s mother to withdraw the FIR and ‘settle’ the matter,” PIHRO spokesperson Dr Tajun Nisa Baloch told The News. “Moreover, the police have so far failed to arrest Shabir, the fourth suspect. He is not only Shahnawaz’s brother, but also married to Basheeran’s sister Jamila.”

Baloch further said that Shabir was constantly harassing her on the phone, and judging by the kinds of calls she has been receiving, she fears that the suspects have arrived in Karachi. Meanwhile, owing to continuous harassment and pressure by the suspects, Basheeran’s mother has left her house in Ghotki and came to the city to join her daughter.

In the entire episode, there is no clue regarding the whereabouts of Jamila who, Baloch says, is the most vulnerable person right now since she is living in the house of one of the suspects. “They might hurt Jamila because they have been unsuccessful in killing Basheeran,” she said.

The PIHRO coordinator has taken up the matter with Sindh Assembly Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza, MPA Humera Alwani MPA and Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza. She said, however, that things were not under control as yet and there was a dire need to urgently take up this matter as well as provide security to the suffering family.
Source: The News
Date:4/22/2009