Day: June 17, 2011

SUKKUR: A man strangulated his 18-year-old cousin to death in the Majid Dahani village near Kandhkot on Thursday over suspicions she had a love affair with `someone` in the area.

The accused Ali Hassan Malik fled after killing Ms Bani Khatoon, daughter of Mohammad Hassan Malik, but later surrendered to police.

A report has been filed against the accused on a complaint lodged by the girl`s father Mohammad Hassan Malik. RAIDS:

A heavy contingent of police made up of policemen called from seven police stations raided the villages of Rasool Bux Katohar and Abdul Haque Katohar on Thursday to recover 12-year-old Abdul Wahab Dohu who had gone missing since past two weeks from Garhi Hassan village.

Police demolished two thatched houses and set them on fire and took 10 suspects into custody after house to house search. Police also took away with them 12 buffaloes and eight cows.

Source: Dawn

Date:6/17/2011

PESHAWAR: Provincial Commission on the Status of Women has decided to hold its own independent inquiry into the alleged naked parade of a woman on the orders of a jirga in Haripur district on June 7.

In this regard, Zubaida Khatoon, chairperson of the commission, convened a meeting of the Committee on Gender-Based Violence on Thursday to discuss the issue. The committee has the membership of Aurat Foundation, Shirkat Gah, Blue Veins, Noor Trust and Association for Behavior and Knowledge Transformation, said a press release issued by the commission here.

The meeting took notice of the incident of disgrace of woman by some individuals on the decision of a local jirga in Nilore Bala village of Haripur, it said.

The committee decided to hold its own inquiry into the incident and meet the relevant persons in Haripur district for this purpose. The commission has resolved to monitor the case to safeguard any lapse in dispensation of justice to the victim and to ensure that exemplary punishment was handed down to the culprits and jirga members.

Source: Dawn

Date:6/17/2011

By Amir Wasim

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly`s Standing Committee on Women Development on Thursday recommended formation of a committee to coordinate between provinces and the centre on issues related to women development and their rights after the devolution of the ministry under the 18th Amendment by the end of this month.

The committee, which met under its chairperson Bushra Gohar of Awami National Party, was briefed by a senior official of the ministry about the devolution process, saying it would help deal with issues related to women`s rights at the grassroots level.

The committee recommended that a social sector coordination committee of the cabinet, on the pattern of Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec), should be formed and activated immediately after the devolution of the ministry of women`s development to provinces.

The committee, according to an official handout, also recommended that the National Commission on Status of Women (NCSW) should be kept intact to work as a strategic body. Moreover, the committee recommended that a helpline for women should also be established to receive complaints in an effort to help control crimes.

It was an important meeting keeping in view the fact that a number of other standing committees like environment, minorities affairs and education have been opposing the devolution of the ministries to the provinces for various reasons, knowing well that it was impossible without amending the Constitution once again.

The country`s leading civil society and women`s rights organisations were also divided over the issue of the devolution of the ministry of women`s development to provinces. However, after a series of consultative meetings and discussions, representatives of these major organisations agreed in principle to the planned devolution of the ministry, but failed to come out with a joint stand after failing to completely reconcile their differences on the issue.

Previously, the members of the standing committees on education and minorities affairs had even decided to send their recommendations in writing to Senator Raza Rabbani, the chairman of the Parliamentary Commission on Implementation of 18th Amendment, asking him to review the decision.

There is a feeling among political circles that some powerful bureaucrats and high-ranking officials are behind such moves as they fear that they will lose their present status after transfer of the ministries to the provinces.

Mr Rabbani has already stated that he sees no use in sending recommendations of the committee to him as he has no powers to change the Constitution. Moreover, he has also reportedly stated that the ministries would automatically be devolved to provinces, if not done so after the expiry of June 30 deadline as given in the Constitution.

Source: Dawn

Date:6/17/2011

Pakistan is ranked third on the basis of “cultural, tribal and religious practices harmful to women”- Thomson Reuters Foundation survey.

A recently published global survey that lists Pakistan as the third-worst country in the world for women should awaken us to the reality that we are systematically neglecting the rights of about half of this country’s population. According to a survey compiled by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Pakistan is ranked third on the basis of “cultural, tribal and religious practices harmful to women.” Other countries that made the top five were Afghanistan, which took the top slot, The Democratic Republic of Congo, India and Somalia.

But what does this mean exactly? The survey rightly points out that Pakistan is not on the list merely because of its high rate of physical violence against women – it makes the list because “basic human rights are systematically denied to women.” This becomes evident from a merely cursory perusal of local media. The most recent example of horrific human rights abuse was brought to light on June 14, when the media reported that Shaheen, a woman from Neelor Bala village in the Punjab, was beaten, stripped and paraded naked in public on the orders of a tribal jirga – to avenge a rape her son allegedly committed. These practices leave no room for a woman to be viewed as anything but chattel. Not only are women exposed to these barbaric acts and perverse ‘judgements’ on an almost daily basis in Pakistan, they are also losing hope in their right to appeal to any higher authority.

Mukhtaran Mai, who saw all but one of the men who allegedly raped her in 2004 acquitted by the Supreme Court recently, is a prime example of how justice is denied to women. Her case bounced around the courts for years, delayed by inefficient documentation and pressure from local influentials. Though she had in the past expressed optimism about her case, she now says she does not associate hope with the courts anymore.

Rhetoric and political statements will not change the status of women in Pakistan. Only careful revision of existing laws and procedures and their strict enforcement will help safeguard women – and even then, we will still be left with cultural biases to overcome.

Source: The Express Tribune

Date:6/17/2011