A Press Release from Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
KARACHI, Feb. 16: A civil society gathering has demanded the government that the Punjab University should be renamed as Dr. Abdus Salam University and Peshwar University as Malala Yousufzai University.
Civil society of Karachi, in collaboration with Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology paid a collective tribute and celebrated the great achievement of two Noble laureates Malala Yousufzai and Dr. Abdus Salam at a function “Celebrating the Spirit of Malala at SZABIST Clifton Campus here.
The speakers acknowledged Malala’s struggle, courage and determination that she has demonstrated against extremist elements. A video message by Malala was also screened on the occasion.
The main speakers included Ms. Anis Haroon of Women Action Forum, Mahnaz Rehman of Aurat Foundation, MNA Nafeesa Shah. Zakir Thaver is making a documentary on the life of Prof. Dr. Abdus Salam and he gave his impressions regarding the documentary. A trailer of the documentary was also presented on the occasion.
Choreographer Sheema Kermani presented her tribute to Malala and Tara Mahmood presented poetry of Fiaz Ahmed Faiz on the occasion.
In a resolution passed on the occasion, the participants paid rich tributes to both the Nobel laureates and said: “As we take pride in, and celebrate Malala’s achievements, and acknowledge the laurels won for Pakistan by Malala and Dr. Abdus Salam, we condemn all forms of extremism, intolerance, and violations of religious and human rights.”
The resolution also condemned the impunity that is fostered by the failure of the state to ensure the constitutional right to safety and security of life and property. “We condemn the persistent lawlessness which has emerged from the Government’s failure to firmly and consistently deal with banned outfits that target minorities and remerge under different names.”
The participants also condemned the persistent lawlessness that has emerged from the Government’s consistent failure to deal with banned outfits that target minorities, other citizens and institutions, and reemerge under different names, they condemn all such groups, their supporters and sympathizers, who now exist in every Pakistani institution, and endanger society.
The resolution stated that the anti-people movement must be dealt with firmly; justice demands that all forms of discrimination be purged from society. We condemn the government’s failure to uphold the rights of the people of Pakistan. The Government and its legislators and executive must fulfill their professional responsibilities without any compromises.
Our legislators must prioritize security of person and property of all citizens, irrespective of class, color, race, religion, sect, and ethnicity. The executive must ensure that all institutions, including police, work efficiently and fairly without politicization. The judiciary is accountable for the working of the judicial system; these obligations of the state are non-negotiable.
Affirmative action must be taken to prioritize girls’ education. The State should ensure that primary and secondary schools for girls are available in all villages of the country. Priority in this matter should be given to the provinces of Balochistan and KPK where female literacy rates are lower than in other provinces.
Education in all religious madrassas/seminaries should be reformed and brought into mainstream education. A national curriculum, free of gender, religious or ethnic bias must be ensured, in order to remove the present cultural and religious bias and bigotry.
The resolution demanded the government to provide quality education for all, by removing financial and non-financial barriers to education. Government must shoulder its responsibility for ensuring education for all. The banned outfits must be monitored closely and their leadership arrested and tried according to due judicial processes.
Ends
Released by: Shujauddin Qureshi, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER)
