Day: October 17, 2012

PESHAWAR: Former MNA and leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Marvi Memon has strongly condemned acid attack on girl students in restive Parachinar, and urged for a military action against militants and extremists.

The state is responsible to provide protection to the lives and properties of masses by maintaining law and order and taking prompt action against the anti-peace and anti-education elements, Marvi said while speaking at a news conference here at Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday.

“We condemn this barbaric act on girl students by a militant group. The girls were suddenly attacked near Turi-Bangash area of Parachinar a few days back while they were heading to attend vive-voce examination at Kohat University,” she added.

Flanked by Alamzeb Khan Advocate, President PML-N Lawyers’ Forum and Rohullah Bangash, spokesman of the Parachinar Youth, she said that the reactivation of militant activities was a great setback to the efficiency of the incumbent government. She flayed the government over repeated claims of establishing lasting peace and eliminating terrorism.

The PML-N leader said that peace was badly disturbed across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata due to lack of appropriate steps to eliminate miscreants and terrorist groups, adding that people were still feeling unsafe due to lack of protective measures to stop continues unpleasant episode and save the lives and properties of masses.

Marvi also condemned the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) who claimed responsibility for the barbaric attack on girl students. She demanded prompt action against TTP over such an inhuman act.

Expressing solidarity with the victims of Parachinar, she informed that PML-N would soon launch a movement to protect the girls’ right to acquire education while standing against anti-education and ant-peace elements in the region.

Marvi held the incumbent government responsible for the prevailing law and order situation of the country. She warned that the situation is going from bad to worst due to the US appeasement policies.

Replying to a query about the PML-N stance regarding possible military operation in North Waziristan Agency, she said that her party was totally against extremism and militancy, but it would be better to consult party spokesperson on such important issues. She urged that holding of timely elections could be the only resolution to the prevailing law and order situation, as they would help steer the country out of crises.

Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies intercepted two vehicles German national at motorway toll plaza Peshawar, however after the availability of all the related documents, they were allowed to enter Peshawar.

Sources said that security agencies has been informed that two vehicle of foreign NGO would enter Peshawar via Motorway. Following the information, the law enforcement agencies intercepted two vehicles in which two German national were present.

After checking their passports and other relevant documents, police allowed them to enter Peshawar. The drivers of both the vehicle were Pakistani while the German nationality holders were the workers of international Non-governmental Organization.

It may be mentioned here that earlier to this several times vehicle of US national have been stopped at Peshawar Motorway toll Plaza, which later were released after the intervention of US consulate.

The Nation

By: Ali Hassan

ISLAMABAD: While commemorating World Food Day, women farmers from different parts of the country, in collaboration with ActionAid Pakistan, on Tuesday arranged an innovative stunt activity in the federal capital for informing the impact of increasing food prices on small farmers, particularly the women who are denied the right to land despite the fact that they produce more than 60 percent food for the country while they own merely one or two percent of the total land.

Wearing different costumes, the women farmers performed in a play in front of National Press Club that highlighted the discrimination being meted out to them. “Women work hard in the fields to produce food for all, but they are not acknowledged as farmers. Women farmers are not rewarded for the labour input and even there is no share for them in the crop. Women farmers are essential to the farming sector, but the government was doing nothing to protect their rights.

“We ask the government to acknowledge women as farmers and to allocate land to them so that they could ward off the threat of food security and earn a dignified livelihood,” said Nazeeran Jemali, a woman farmer from Balochistan.

Following the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) announcement that globally almost 870 million people remain chronically undernourished, ActionAid Pakistan has collaborated with media to launch a campaign on women’s right to land and promoting sustainable agriculture. Large-scale land acquisitions by national and international investors are increasingly impacting on food insecurity in poor countries. Role of multinational corporations is another cause of increasing threats of food insecurity in the poor countries like Pakistan.

ActionAid Pakistan’s Food Rights Officer Nasir Aziz said that women farmers in Pakistan produce more than 60 percent of food and they are the major portion of farm labour force, but their right to land is not acknowledged both by the society in large and the government in particular. He said that many institutions and individuals like landlords, bureaucrats, policy makers and parliamentarians did not like the idea of awarding land rights to women hence the women farmers were facing unending injustice and discrimination.

Action Aid believes that domestic responses should involve strengthening transparent, accountable and accessible national land governance and advocates for securing women’s access to land. Women are often denied rights to access, use or control land but are the backbone of rural agricultural economies, with responsibility for household food security and family care. In addition, smallholder farmers produce half the world’s food, the vast majority of them women – making land indispensable for their livelihoods and for global food security. Women face barriers to securing their land rights while national legislation tends not to be implemented or is ignored in practice. For instance, in case of women farmers from Sindh, access to government-allocated land is still a challenge.

Despite the important roles women play in promoting food security, women control less than two percent of land globally. Unless women have the right to own and farm land, food insecurity in developing countries will not increase, with women most likely to go hungry.

Daily Times

The Board of Secondary Education, Karachi (BSEK) announced the results for humanities (regular, private and special candidates) second year and commerce (private candidates) for second year at an award ceremony held at the board on Tuesday.

This year too, girls out performed boys in both subject categories, and all three positions in the humanities group were taken by private colleges.

Humanities group

In the humanities regular group the first position went to Rija Zahid, from the DA Degree Women College, who scored 82.6 percent, followed by Suboor Fatima from the Iqra Huffaz Girls Science College at 79.54 percent and Safiya Kareem from the Zubair Public Higher Secondary School at 79.36 percent.

At least 10,393 candidates registered for the exam, of which only two candidates received an A one grade. The pass percentage was 45.04. In the humanities private group, Saadia Rasheed got the first position at 78.54 percent; Ambreen Qasim got the second position at 78.36 percent and Salma Siddiq at 77.45 percent. Of the 9,795 registered candidates, no one received an A one grade. The pass percentage was 54.53.

Commerce group

In the commerce private group, Amber Sabanat got the first position at 75.72 percent, followed by Anila Hasan Rizvi at 73.81 percent and Maria Mithaiwala at 73.72 percent. Of the 10,578 registered candidates, 38.46 remained the pass percentage.

Position holders while talking to the press declared that load shedding and terrorism were the biggest problems of Pakistan, and the attack on Malala Yousfzai is condemnable. They pointed out that the present curriculum was obsolete and needed upgrading. Meanwhile, the special students said, that they too should be given equal opportunities for higher studies. “A separate university should be established for the handicapped.”

Anwar Ahmad Zai, chairman BSEK, addressing the award ceremony said that the names of those colleges which were not even giving 30 percent result, had been sent to the controlling authority. He also announced a monthly stipend of Rs500 for two years and free text books for the top 20 candidates in both faculties.

The News

By: Khalilur Rehman Bacha

MINGORA: Interior Minister Rehman Malik offered on Tuesday Rs100 million bounty for Ehsanullah Ehsan, the spokesman for Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) who claimed responsibility on behalf of his terrorist group the attempt to kill Malala Yousufzai.

Mr Rehman made the announcement during a visit to Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital to enquire after Kainat, a friend of Malala who was also injured during the attack.

Talking to media personnel, the minister vowed to arrest the perpetrators of the attack and award them exemplary punishment. He paid tribute to Malala Yousufzai and her classmates for their courage and bravery and conveyed President Asif Ali Zardari’s best wishes to them and their families.

He said the government would bear the expenses of Kainat’s education and provide job to her brother. The minister said three units of the Frontier Constabulary would be named after Malala, Kainat and Shazia, another class fellow of Malala injured in the attack.

He said pride of performance would be awarded to hospital staffers Dr Shah Duran, Mian Gul Ameem, Fazal Haider and Kalsoom for their efforts to save life of Kainat. Sitara-i-Shujaat would be conferred on Malala according to an order issued by the president, the minister said.

The minister said the government was providing security to Malala Yousufzai’s family and her injured class fellows. He said nobody could deny the fact that Taliban were cruel and vicious people. Answering a question, he said there was no plan to launch a military operation in North Waziristan ‘at the moment’.

He alleged that Maulana Fazlullah (popularly known as Mulla Radio) and Maulvi Faqir Mohammad were planning attacks inside Pakistan from across the Afghan border. The issue has been taken up with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai.

However, the minister again offered general amnesty to those militants who surrendered and laid down arms. Quoting intelligence reports, he said Maulana Fazlullah was being appointed the leader of the TTP because Hakeemullah Mehsud had either died or gone underground.

Dawn