Day: June 3, 2012

By: Ramzan Chandio

KARACHI – As a practical step to empower women ahead of general elections, the Sindh Cabinet has increased the job quota for women from existing 5 percent to 25 percent in government departments and autonomous bodies in the province.

Sindh Cabinet, which met in the chairmanship of Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah here at the CM Secretariat on Saturday, approved the proposal of the women development to enhance the women’s job quota to 25 percent with consensus vote of all cabinet members.

The cabinet members belonged from ruling PPP and its ally parties, MQM, PML-F, PML-Q, NPP and ANP, said Sindh information minister Shazia Marri during her briefing to the media persons at new Sindh secretariat.

“The cabinet members from all ally parties welcomed and appreciated the proposal of enhancing of women’s job quota from existing 5 percent to 25 percent, which is a step forward to the women empowerment in the province,” she quoted the members who deliberated in the meeting.

At present, the women’s job quota in federal government is fixed at 10 per cent and 5 per cent in the Sindh government departments, she said.

Marri declared that this increased 25 per cent job quota would be fixed and mandatory in the provincial government, other than merit, adding that other women while utilising their potential also can get the jobs in the government sector.

Elaborating the need of increased job quota for women, Sindh information minister said that there are mind set and environment exist in the society and departments, which creates hurdles in the way of women, while government’s step will discourage to this mindset.

Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and other cabinet members directed the departments to ensure the implementation on the women’s job quota of 25 per cent. Some members drew the attention of the Sindh chief minister towards non-implementation of existing 2 per cent job quota each for religious minorities and disabled persons and emphasized to ensure jobs fixed for them.

On the directives of the President Asif Ali Zardari, the Sindh cabinet also discussed the modalities of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which to be signed by the Sindh government with a Chinese firm, SEZ, during upcoming visit the President Zardari to the China.

The proposed Zulfiqarababd city in Thatta district would be replica of a Chinese coastal city of Shenzhen, which is a economic zone and port city, said Sindh information Minister, adding that Chinese firm will construct city and sea port.

After considering all aspects, the Sindh Cabinet approved the proposed MoU, which to be signed with Chinese firm next week as the President Zardari and Chinese President will also witness the signing ceremony.

The proprietorship of Zulfiqarabad project will be remained with Sindh government, while Chinese firm’s role would be as advisory, consultancy, investor and facilitator for the Zulfiqarabad project, said Sindh information minister.

However, after detail discussion, the Sindh cabinet also gave approval in principle for amendment in the Registration Act 1908 of Revenue Department, However, a two member committee comprising of the Sindh law minister from PPP and Syed Sardar Ahmed from MQM will make fine tuning of the amendment in the revenue act.

According to the proposed amendment, no non-testamentary document relating to immoveable property shall be accepted for registration unless it contains a description of such property sufficient to identity the same. The proposed amendment said that only rightful owner of the property executes the sale deeds as all the sub-registrars were directed by the Board of Revenue to obtain the latest certified copies of entries of record of right before registration of sale deeds.

The Sindh cabinet did not discussed the budget proposals in lengthen as only MQM submitted their budget proposals before the cabinet. According to Sindh Information Minister, the Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah assured the MQM ministers of incorporating their budget proposals in the next budget of Sindh which to be presented on June 8.

The Nation

Both men have already fled the area, sources in the police told The Express Tribune.

KOHISTAN: Police have registered an FIR against two brothers for allegedly making a film of four women singing and dancing with men at a wedding party in the conservative region and then putting it up on the internet.

However, both men have already fled the area, sources in the police told The Express Tribune on Saturday.

According to the FIR, the two brothers, Bin Yasir and Gul Nazar, filmed the four women and then added their own footage to the video, in which they themselves were dancing.

The accused, in connivance with four other people including their elder brother and a cousin uploaded the video on the internet and also released it to some media outlets.

The video caused uproar in the community, which felt the video had stained the honour of the tribe’s women. The FIR adds that all of the accused conspired to damage peace in Kohistan by pitting two tribes against each other.

Earlier, a tribal Jirga had reportedly condemned the four women and two men to death when the video was made public.

The Express Tribune

ISLAMABAD: A group of eight female artists have put on display their innovative techniques of various forms of visual art at Jharoka Art Gallery. Zahra Kazmi, Tayyiba Aziz, Firdous Butt, Riffat Aara Baig, Shahnaz Akram, Samina Fasil, Shehila Anjum and Mamoona Humayn have exhibited a collection of around 32 paintings that deal with different aspects of women’s life.

The show, entitled ‘Contemporary Paintings’, focuses on feminine imagery that explores emotions, feelings and role of women in various stages of life through different mediums. Firdous Butt has shown human figure in her work with eye-catching hues of her pallet while Shahnaz Akram’s display captures the architecture of Mughal historical buildings, archways and doors of great buildings as her main interest.

Zahra Kazmi, one of the fine artists, has taken the subject of masks as she feels that every human being in the world has two faces and everyone is wearing a mask to show the world. According to Zahra Kazmi, “Art is a manifestation of emotions and emotion is a language which all may understand. I have been oblivious to all else while painting and have sought my reward by expressing emotions through art. My strong emotional ties with Kenya inspired me to study the history and tradition of masks in Africa.”

Africa has a long-standing culture of storytelling and masks are an integral part of their narrations. Masks are used as symbols at various ceremonies and are associated with honouring ancestors, mythological beings, animals, good and evil, feminine beauty and celebrating life in general. “My recent visit to my birthplace inspired my current series of five paintings, entitled ‘Time for Africa’. Yet again I came to realise that Africans, despite adversities, have a passion for life, colour, music and dance. They live life to the fullest and try to make the most of what time has to offer. I have painted masks in bright colours, depicting the zest Africans have for life and continue my spiritual journeys for sharing my impressions through paintings,” she added.

All the artists have worked to explore and experiment various angles of their creation that involve abstract expressionism and symbolism through vibrant hues, bold compositions, striking colours, traditional images and dream like structures.

Riffat Ara Baig paints with the medium of etching on paper – a unique style of painting in which artist use the tools to scratch the paint to make an image. Tayyaba Aziz has displayed her series on `Thari Women’ that portrays traditional female imagery blended with colours while architectural compositions in the background of images make the work attractive.

Sahiwal-based artists Shehila Anjum and Mamoona Humayn take nature as their inspiration through beautifying landscapes. The show will continue until tomorrow (Monday).

Daily Times

KARACHI: A five-year-old girl, who had been missing for more than a month, was found murdered in an under-construction building in Safoora Goth on Saturday, police said.

They said the girl was tortured, sexually assaulted and then strangled over two weeks ago.

The incident, which was the fifth one in recent weeks, sparked anger among residents, who criticised the police for failing to curb the frequent kidnapping incidents, particularly of minor girls.

“The body was found in an under-construction building near Safoora Goth as pointed out by some area people,” said Inspector Azhar Ali Iqbal, the SHO of the Sachal police station. “The body was moved to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and as per our regular exercise we contacted the town’s and nearby police stations about a report of missing children in recent weeks. The probe led to the fact that an FIR regarding a girl’s kidnapping was registered at the Mubina Town police station last month.”

The family of the kidnapped girl were approached and finally her father, a resident of Gulshan-i-Iqbal’s Block 4-A, identified the victim as his daughter.

The Mubina Town police said the girl went missing on May 1 while playing near her home with other children.

However, it took the victim’s family more than a week to persuade the area police to register a case. Finally, the police registered an FIR (207/2012) under Section 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code against unknown persons on a complaint of the girl’s father, Muhammad Saleem.

Investigators said that it appeared that the body had lain there for more than 20 days and her father identified her only from her clothes.

A little more than a month, bodies of five minor girls had been found in the Guilshan-i-Iqbal and Gulistan-i-Jauahr areas. All the five victims were kidnapped, raped and then killed.

The Saturday incident, the investigators said, did not seem different from the previous ones as the body bore multiple marks of torture and attempts of a sexual assault.

“The detailed report of a medico-legal examination has been reserved,” said an investigator citing initial findings. “It said that she was killed more than two weeks ago and she was apparently strangled to death. Multiple wounds also suggest attempts of a sexual assault.”

The police claimed that they found some key clues indicating the motive and the people behind the tragic incident.

Mubina Town SHO Inspector Saleemullah Qureshi claimed that the police were moving in a right direction and will get positive result soon.

Dawn