FEATURES & ARTICLES
FEATURE
FEATURES & ARTICLES
Washington DC Forum Demands Restoration of Deposed Judges and Provincial Autonomy
Khalid Hashmani
McLean, Virginia, USA March 23, 2008
McLean, Virginia, USA March 23, 2008
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Washington DC Forum Demands Restoration of Deposed Judges and Provincial Autonomy
Washington, DC, March 22, 2008 – The "Forum for Justice and Democracy in Pakistan (FJDP)" organized a meeting in Washington DC today. All participants exchanged their thoughts and assessments of recent political developments in Pakistan in an informal and interactive environment. Several guests and speakers gave their eye witness account of electoral events and shared their post-election analysis. Those who addressed the meeting included Mr. Mushtaq Rajpar - a visiting Sindhi-Pakistani writer, political analyst, and a supporter of human rights and democracy; Mr. Murtaza Solangi - a senior Journalist currently associated with Voice of America (VOA), who has recently returned from a month long of tour of South East Asia; and Dr. Javaid Manzoor, President of Pakistan People's Party, Washington, DC Metro area. The Chief organizer of FJDP, Mr. IQBAL TAREEN welcomed the guests and Mr. ALI NAWAZ MEMON chaired the meeting. The local Sindhi journalist Mr. AIJAZ ABRO presented a file containing Mr. Abro’s articles that were recently published in BALTIMORE BLOG column in Sindhi newspaper IBRAT.
Dr. JAVAID MANZOOR shared his impressions and observations from his recent visit to India and Pakistan. He said that in spite of the glamorous impressions that many have about India, he observed the same poverty and signs of non-development in both India and Pakistan. He said he was appalled that the poor conditions of Muslim monuments, mosques and buildings such as Shahi Masjid and Taj Mahal. Upon inquiry, he was told that Muslim community has taken on the responsibility of maintaining these places. Dr. Manzoor was not sure if the government was providing adequate financial support for maintaining these historical places. Talking about Pakistan, he said that although PPP won elections but they could have won more seats if they had a clear stand on the restoration of deposed justices and had it been campaigning aggressively during the 40-day mourning after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. His observations in at least in the Punjab province were that Nawaz Sharif was more popular leader. He urged PPP not to rule Pakistan but focus on "serving" the people.
Mr. MUSHTAQ RAJPAR expressed disappointment that the assembled gathering had very few women. He added that in Sindh and rest of Pakistan, women are very active participants in political and semi-political meetings. He gave eyewitness account of elections in Karachi and said that although PPP did not win many seats, their received much larger number of votes in the constituencies of Karachi. He said many Mohajir voters are realizing that only PPP is uniquely positioned to resolve major national issues as it has considerable presence and trust of people in all four provinces. He said that the institutions of judiciary and security forces stand considerably destroyed in Karachi, where to receive even basic justice, one must approach support from one particular group. The state of these and other public institutions have worsened to such an extent that unless you know some one higher up or have money; people do not even try to seek justice from courts or security from police. People don’t send their children to public schools or take your sick to government hospitals. The poverty in interior Sindh has reached alarming levels. The intrusion of seawater upstream is destroying livelihood of millions of people living in Sindh’s coastal areas – from Karachi to Badin. One strange phenomenon that he has observed is that some how there is substantial increase in number of private banks and other lenders, who are issuing a lot of credit cards and giving loans at high interest rates. He wasn’t sure what tragedy this will lead to as not much productivity is being driven by industrial or agricultural growth. He said an alliance between PPP and MQM will have benefit MQM in three ways -- no inquiry into May 12, 2007 incidents in which scores of people lost their lives; the present governor remains the chief of the province; and the Karachi city government continues their current policies without intervention from the provincial government. He also said that the February election is unique in that the native Baluch completely boycotted them. There is an urgent need to resolve issues through negotiations.
Mr. MURTAZA SOLANGI said that since much has already been said about situation in Sindh and Pakistan, he would share his impressions from his last month’s visit to Bangladesh. He said that it is amazing that fundamentalist forces now have considerable say in what happens Bangladesh when the same forces supported the brutality in which 30 lacs of people were killed and one lac women were raped. He added that it is tragedy that Bangladesh has also remained under military rule for much of the post-independence period. The rulers have been graduates of Kakul academy much like their counterparts in Pakistan. The hard core tactics have been particularly harsh on minorities. The population of Hindus that was 15% at the time of independence of Bangladesh is now reduced to 10%.
Washington DC Forum Demands Restoration of Deposed Judges and Provincial Autonomy
Washington, DC, March 22, 2008 – The "Forum for Justice and Democracy in Pakistan (FJDP)" organized a meeting in Washington DC today. All participants exchanged their thoughts and assessments of recent political developments in Pakistan in an informal and interactive environment. Several guests and speakers gave their eye witness account of electoral events and shared their post-election analysis. Those who addressed the meeting included Mr. Mushtaq Rajpar - a visiting Sindhi-Pakistani writer, political analyst, and a supporter of human rights and democracy; Mr. Murtaza Solangi - a senior Journalist currently associated with Voice of America (VOA), who has recently returned from a month long of tour of South East Asia; and Dr. Javaid Manzoor, President of Pakistan People's Party, Washington, DC Metro area. The Chief organizer of FJDP, Mr. IQBAL TAREEN welcomed the guests and Mr. ALI NAWAZ MEMON chaired the meeting. The local Sindhi journalist Mr. AIJAZ ABRO presented a file containing Mr. Abro’s articles that were recently published in BALTIMORE BLOG column in Sindhi newspaper IBRAT.
Dr. JAVAID MANZOOR shared his impressions and observations from his recent visit to India and Pakistan. He said that in spite of the glamorous impressions that many have about India, he observed the same poverty and signs of non-development in both India and Pakistan. He said he was appalled that the poor conditions of Muslim monuments, mosques and buildings such as Shahi Masjid and Taj Mahal. Upon inquiry, he was told that Muslim community has taken on the responsibility of maintaining these places. Dr. Manzoor was not sure if the government was providing adequate financial support for maintaining these historical places. Talking about Pakistan, he said that although PPP won elections but they could have won more seats if they had a clear stand on the restoration of deposed justices and had it been campaigning aggressively during the 40-day mourning after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. His observations in at least in the Punjab province were that Nawaz Sharif was more popular leader. He urged PPP not to rule Pakistan but focus on "serving" the people.
Mr. MUSHTAQ RAJPAR expressed disappointment that the assembled gathering had very few women. He added that in Sindh and rest of Pakistan, women are very active participants in political and semi-political meetings. He gave eyewitness account of elections in Karachi and said that although PPP did not win many seats, their received much larger number of votes in the constituencies of Karachi. He said many Mohajir voters are realizing that only PPP is uniquely positioned to resolve major national issues as it has considerable presence and trust of people in all four provinces. He said that the institutions of judiciary and security forces stand considerably destroyed in Karachi, where to receive even basic justice, one must approach support from one particular group. The state of these and other public institutions have worsened to such an extent that unless you know some one higher up or have money; people do not even try to seek justice from courts or security from police. People don’t send their children to public schools or take your sick to government hospitals. The poverty in interior Sindh has reached alarming levels. The intrusion of seawater upstream is destroying livelihood of millions of people living in Sindh’s coastal areas – from Karachi to Badin. One strange phenomenon that he has observed is that some how there is substantial increase in number of private banks and other lenders, who are issuing a lot of credit cards and giving loans at high interest rates. He wasn’t sure what tragedy this will lead to as not much productivity is being driven by industrial or agricultural growth. He said an alliance between PPP and MQM will have benefit MQM in three ways -- no inquiry into May 12, 2007 incidents in which scores of people lost their lives; the present governor remains the chief of the province; and the Karachi city government continues their current policies without intervention from the provincial government. He also said that the February election is unique in that the native Baluch completely boycotted them. There is an urgent need to resolve issues through negotiations.
Mr. MURTAZA SOLANGI said that since much has already been said about situation in Sindh and Pakistan, he would share his impressions from his last month’s visit to Bangladesh. He said that it is amazing that fundamentalist forces now have considerable say in what happens Bangladesh when the same forces supported the brutality in which 30 lacs of people were killed and one lac women were raped. He added that it is tragedy that Bangladesh has also remained under military rule for much of the post-independence period. The rulers have been graduates of Kakul academy much like their counterparts in Pakistan. The hard core tactics have been particularly harsh on minorities. The population of Hindus that was 15% at the time of independence of Bangladesh is now reduced to 10%.
". . . Resolved that it is the considered view of this session of the All-India Muslim League that no constitutional plan would be workable in this country [i.e., the British India] or acceptable to [the] Muslims unless it is designed on the following basic principles, viz. that geographically continuous units are demarcated into regions which should be so constituted, with such territorial adjustments as may be necessary, that the areas in which the Muslims are numerically in a majority as in the north-western and eastern zones of India should be grouped to constitute Independent States, in which the constituent units shall be autonomous and sovereign. . . . Adequate, effective and mandatory safeguards should be specifically provided in the Constitution for minorities. . . for the protection of their religious, cultural, economic, political, administrative and other rights".
Now that once again, there is talk of democracy, justice, and provincial autonomy, let us hope that movers and shakers of Pakistani politics will not forgive the commitments of 1940 and bring about constitutional changes that would meet the letter and spirit of the 1940 resolution.
Now that once again, there is talk of democracy, justice, and provincial autonomy, let us hope that movers and shakers of Pakistani politics will not forgive the commitments of 1940 and bring about constitutional changes that would meet the letter and spirit of the 1940 resolution.
Incidentally today is March 23, a day that Pakistanis celebrate as Pakistan Day. On this day in 1940 resolution to create Pakistan was initiated. It is unfortunate that sixty eight years after pledging to create Pakistan in which all constituent would be autonomous and be the key decision makers in the decisions that affected them, a discredited and exploitation centralized system runs the affairs of Pakistan. The Sindh Assembly voted for Pakistan and decided not to join India because of the commitment that Sindh would be autonomous and Sindhis will continue to be owners of their homeland. Alas! That commitment is yet to be full-filled after 62 years. The central government or non-natives, millions of whom migrated to Sindh and Balochistan after 1947, now run these two provinces in millions. The natives receive very little benefit from the m immense resources of two provinces. The following is the solemn pledge that was made to people of Sindh and remains a binding agreement:
