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Society’s attitude towards persons with disabilities deplored

Any talk about protecting persons with disabilities is meaningless unless rules are framed for putting into operation the laws for the protection of disabled persons already made by the federal parliament and by the provinces.

Addressing a seminar organized in Islamabad today PPP human rights cell president senator Farhatullah Babar said that excepting Sindh neither any province nor the federal government had been framed rules.

He said that in a security driven state fundamental rights and freedoms take a back seat and the bureaucracy feels any urgency to operationalise the laws relating to human rights and welfare of people.

Another challenge is the societal attitude. This attitude is reflected in the statement of a provincial minister in Punjab sometime back that disabled children are the wrath of God to punish parents for their wrongdoings.

This insensitivity of the society is a reason that rights and welfare of the PWDs does not attract the attention of policy makers and no tools are provided to make persons with disabilities economically or politically empowered.

Those insensitive towards the disabled must remember that disability is not a permanent feature and it can afflict anyone at anytime

He said that a disabled women senator recently complained that she was not invited even once to the Parliament’s Women Caucus during the last 6 years of its existence. At the country’s airports we often see healthy people take to wheel chairs to bypass the queue.

Farhatullah Babar said that only families’ support persons with disabilities but the element of state and society support to their needs is missing in the narrative.

There is a need for data collection, political empowerment, inclusive education with focus on girls, provision of jobs and accessible services for disabled persons in accordance with the international commitments of Pakistan.

Rehabilitation and economic empowerment of PWDs is also critical for Pakistan to continue to benefit from the GSP plus status for competitive exports to the EU countries, he said.

He stressed the need for availability of Braille computers, simplifying the cumbersome procedure for acquiring disability certificates and implementation of the job quota for the disabled.

Census data about the number and type of disabilities and credible answers must be provided to discrepancies in the data. He proposed that disabled women should be automatically registered as BISP beneficiaries and not forced to shuttle from office to office..

He said the issues involved were of deep concern to over 35 million people with functional difficulties and to integrate them into the society as a productive force and to mainstream them.

Islamabad April 4, 2024: President human rights cell of PPP ex Senator Farhatullah Babar has said that the recent awakening of judiciary has provided a historic opportunity to political parties to take the bull by the horns in securing freedom of politics, parliament, judiciary and media from the invisible forces in a hybrid model of governance.

He said this while speaking at a seminar organized by Shaheed Bhutto Foundation in Islamabad to mark the anniversary of the 1979 execution of the Party’s founder Chairman Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in Islamabad today.

The historic March 6 ruling after forty four years of the murder of Shaheed Bhutto and the letter by 6 IHC judges marked not only an attempt to jettison its past but also a course correction by the Judiciary. It is also an opportunity to politicians, the generals , media and the people to correct their course, he said. 

“The course correction for the generals is to stop dabbling in politics, for the politicians to stop leaning on generals and to depend on the people and respect their vote. For the media the course correction is to avoid partisanship in political battles and becoming a tool of anyone in the so called 5-G war. For the judges course correction is to interpret the constitution and not rewrite it”

He said that the political situation in the country however is disappointing as the politicians did not appear to be on the course correction path.

From political parties awarding senate tickets to independents wired to mysterious backers, formalizing the hybrid through bodies like SIFC and not investigating the mysterious attempt to amend the IRSA ordinance and thus change the Indus delta landscape it appeared that political parties have yet to undertake any meaningful course correction.

He also called for implementation of the 2019 verdict in the Faizbad dharna case and the 2012 verdict in the Asghar Khan case to hold accountable those who violated their oath. Keeping silent will not help. After the judiciary embarking on course correction we must ensure that those who violated the oath are punished as ordered in the court verdicts. Punished they must be even if the punishment is symbolic in nature, he said 

As long as the parliament, political parties, media and judges are amenable to manipulation and as long as the people are not the real sovereigns there will be no real democracy and no real freedom in the country, he said.

Former Governor KPK Barrister Masood Kausar, former secretary Election Commission Kanwar Dilshad, Zafarullah Khan ex Executive director PIPS, Nargis Faiz Malik MPA, Prof Tahir Malik and Asif Khan CE Bhutto Foundation also addressed the seminar.

Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

Islamabad/Karachi/Lahore, 3 April 2024: President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari has said that the judicial killing of the first directly elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, the Quaid-e-Awam Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was in fact a heinous conspiracy against the freedom, independence and sovereignty of Pakistan. 

President Zardari in his message on the 45th anniversary of the martyrdom of the founder of Pakistan Peoples Party Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto said that he loved his homeland and its people. He rebuilt Pakistan as a prestigious country among the comity of nations and taught the people to live with pride. He taught the people to speak up for their rights and to hold their heads high. Quaid-e-Awam was the one who wanted Pakistan to be a nuclear country so that we could become a developed nation with regard to health, energy and agriculture. Pakistan was on the track of prosperity and the aim of his judicial murder was to hinder the country’s progress. 

President Asif Ali Zardari said that Quaid-e-Awam’s love for the country and its people is our legacy. The mission of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was to keep alive the philosophy of the Quaid-e-Awam and the hope for the downtrodden masses of the country. The same philosophy and mission are in the strong hands of the young Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The Pakistan Peoples Party will fulfil that mission and every dream of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. 

President Zardari said that it is a miracle of history that Quaid-e-Awam is the undisputed leader of the nation today. The courage to talk to the rulers of the world on equal terms is only in the political successors of the great leader Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. President Asif Ali Zardari expressed the resolve to fight for the progress of Pakistan and prosperity of the people without fear or hesitation. 

President Asif Ali Zardari said that the rebuilding of the country after war was done by Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. This land is sacred to us and we will turn it into a paradise. Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has proved his leadership qualities and acumen and under his leadership, Pakistan will once again progress and prosper, President Zardari concluded.

Parliament asked to walk the talk

Islamabad March 26, 2024: Whimsical and arbitrary shutdown of internet and a self serving state narrative of 5-G in the name of fake news have done incalculable damage to state and society requiring collective work by political parties, media and civil society to address them.

This was stated by President Human Rights Cell of PPP senator Farhatullah Babar at HRCP seminar on the right to freedom of online expression in Islamabad Tuesday afternoon.

Internet shut down on Feb 8 led people to believe that polls were manipulated and it plunged the country into one of its deepest political crises. Earlier repeated shutdowns to prevent an opposition political party from reaching out to its voters resulted in a shutdown of economic activities, banking and educational instructions to students, he said..

Much has been said about fake news and the so-called 5-G war to justify restrictions on people’s right to know. Fake news is a grim reality that needs to be tackled with seriousness but investigations must also be made into how mysterious state elements were also involved in what the Supreme Court has described as “nebulous tactics” in its verdict in the Faizabad dharna case.

He said that sometime back fake wikileaks were planted in national newspapers praising some Pak army generals and demonizing that of India. The fraud was however unearthed by a foreign newspaper, but no one knows who was behind planting fake Wikileaks.

Similarly, in April 2019, Facebook removed over one hundred pages, groups and accounts that were part of a network linked to employees of an official institution. Facebook said that although the people behind it tried to conceal their identities, its investigation unearthed their  links.

There have also been mysterious audio/video leaks recently demonizing politicians and no one knows who was behind it. Instead a senior government functionary told the court that hacking of phones was a common technology accessible to anyone. We should beware of fake news planted whether by individuals or by the state itself, he said.

Yet a number of journalists and activists critical of state policies are made to endure coercive procedures under PECA law as in the case of Asad Toor ostensibly to fix fake news.

Like most other things allegations of poll rigging, the cipher case and the May 9 incident also are internet based. At the start of the session of the new National Assembly political leaders vowed to hold judicial investigations into these incidents lying at the root of current instability.

The Parliament should now walk the talk, he said.

Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has strongly condemned the barbaric act of terrorism in Besham. 

Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed deep sorrow over the death of Chinese residents in the suicide attack. The planners and facilitators involved in terrorism in Besham should be exposed and punished severely. 

Chairman PPP extended condolences to the government of China for the death of Chinese citizens. He extended sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims in the Besham attack. 

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured and said that the culprits of the Besham incident cannot escape punishment

President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari in his message on the occasion of Holi extended felicitations to the Hindu community. 

The festival of Holi is symbolic of the triumph of good over evil, President Asif Ali Zardari said. The services rendered for Pakistan by its Hindu community are commendable. 

President Asif Ali Zardari said that the Constitution of Pakistan guarantees religious freedom. Pakistan is a beautiful bouquet of people belonging to all religions. 

The people of the country can reach unprecedented heights and prosperity through unity and make Pakistan’s name shine bright on the map of the world, President Asif Ali Zardari expressed.

Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party and the former Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari condemned terrorism in Moscow. 

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed deep sorrow over the killing of innocent people. He extended sympathy and condolences to the government and people of Russia. 

The people of Pakistan share the grief of the people of Russia in this devastating tragedy, Chairman PPP  said. The world would have to come to one page regarding terrorism and combat it unitedly, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari resolved.

Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has paid glowing tribute to the Madar-e-Jamhooriat Begum Nusrat Bhutto, on the occasion of her 95th birth anniversary.

According to the press release issued by the Media Cell Bilawal House, Chairman PPP said that late Begum Nusrat Bhutto epitomized nobility and unwavering dedication to the cause of democracy. Her life stands as a testament to patience, perseverance, and boundless sacrifices for the betterment of the nation. “In her unwavering quest for justice and the rights of the Pakistani people, Begum Bhutto endured incomprehensible personal losses, including the tragic sacrifices of her beloved husband and three cherished children: Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, Shaheed Mir Murtaza Bhutto, and Shaheed Shahnawaz Bhutto,” he added.

Chairman PPP said that Madar-e-Jamhooriat’s legacy remains a timeless fountain of inspiration, symbolizing the resolve and bravery needed to confront injustice and oppression. “On this solemn occasion,” he urged, “let us reaffirm our dedication to the principles and values upheld by Begum Nusrat Bhutto as we steadfastly pursue a democratic and progressive Pakistan.”

President Human Rights Cell PPP former Senator Farhatullah Babar has issued the following statement today:

The silence by the Finance Ministry to the suggestions repeatedly being floated in the media to reduce the share of provinces in the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award is intriguing and calls for a firm rejoinder to dispel any misgivings in the provinces.

The desire to rollback NFC is rolling back 18^th Constitutional Amendment and provincial autonomy has been the dream of undemocratic elements and centrists in the country for long.

The government needs to come out clean and declare in categorical terms that the provincial autonomy guaranteed will not be compromised.

The centrists accuse the provinces of ‘wasteful ‘expenditures claiming that there has been over four fold increase in their payroll expense while turning a blind eye to the profligate expenses of the federal government itself.

Since 2011 pensions and superannuation allowances of the federal government have increased by nearly seven fold. Today Rs 563 billion in military pensions and Rs 188 billion in civil pensions marks a phenomenal increase in federal government’s allocation under the head of pensions alone over the last 12 years.

There has also been an over 8 fold increase in the expenses of the executive and legislative branches of the federal government in addition to a similar increase in its current account expenditure during this period.

The NFC Award is not the cause of the federal government’s financial woes.

The real issues are the failure of the federal government to reform taxation policies, insistence on running ministries already devolved to provinces, inability to rationalize defence expenditure by cutting non combat expenditure and failure to prevent the massive transfer of resources to the elite.

The centrists should heed the UN report that privileges grabbed by the power elite exceed 17 billion dollars a year or six percent of the economy. They should call for putting the centre’s house in order rather than seeking to deprive the provinces of their rights.

President Human Rights Cell PPP ex Senator Farhatullah Babar has issued the following statement today.

The admission, before Sindh High Court after a month long denial, by the interior ministry that it had blocked the social media platform “X” on the advice of the intelligence agencies represents a dangerous model of governance in which a security paranoid establishment takes decisions without accountability and without regard to economy, education and democratic right of expression.

Likewise the statement made by the PTA chief before the court that his organization was in a state of “confusion” amounts to adding insult to injury. What confusion is there when the interior ministry itself acknowledged that it ordered suspension of “X” on February 17?

The suspension was ordered soon after a senior bureaucrat in Rawalpindi made startling allegations against the chief election commissioner and the top judge for manipulating Feb 8 elections.

This raises the troubling question that while “X” was blocked, neither the allegation by the senior bureaucrat investigated nor was he prosecuted- Why?

Secondly if no one took responsibility for the whole one month for blocking “X” what confusion the PTA had in mind that prevented it from restoring the social media platform on its own?

Even while in the meantime several orders were passed by the Sindh High Court the PTA did not restore “X”. Did the PTA chief assume that given his background of previous service in another institution he could flout court orders with impunity?

The interior ministry’s admission came a few days after the federal information minister acknowledged that “X” was already blocked during the caretaker set up and that there was no notification for the clampdown.  This begs the question that if Mr. Attaullah Tarar did not find any notification blocking “X” why the government failed to investigate the blocking of social media platform?

The ‘confused’ PTA has been denying all along that blockage was even in place. It owes an explanation.  It must come out clean.

 A major shakeup of the organization is called for and the platform “X” must be restored immediately.