MDGs: a distant dream by Mr. Naseer Memon

Source : Dawn

Date: December 1, 2010

THE Planning Commission of Pakistan recently released the fourth national report on progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).

This document has been released after a long wait, with the last one appearing for 2006. While it is informative in terms of the dismal progress on almost all major MDG indicators, it conceals inter-provincial and intra-provincial disparities that were presented in the last report.

The period covered by the latest reports — 2006 to present — was marked by terrorist attacks, anti-terrorist operations and the displacement of several thousand people. Further, these years also saw a global recession, nose-diving foreign direct investment in the country (from $5.13bn in 2006-07 to $2.21bn in 2009-10), the GDP growth going into a tailspin (from seven per cent in 2006-07 to 2.1 per cent in 2008-09) and skyrocketing inflation (from 7.9 per cent in 2006-07 to 13.1 per cent in 2008-09). This was also a period of tumultuous political transition. Now, Pakistan is poised to miss almost all the MDG targets.

The primary MDG relates to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger. The consumer-based economic growth model of the Musharraf era was presented as the Pakistani economy`s golden period. However, it is riddled with sharply rising economic inequalities. A higher GDP growth rate during the Musharraf era created a smokescreen of wellbeing. However, there is strong evidence that economic disparities actually increased.

The Musharraf government conjured up figures to claim that poverty had declined from 34.5 per cent in 2001-02 to 22.3 per cent in 2005-06, with a too-good-to-be-true 12.3 per cent decline in just five years. These figures were disputed by the then chief economist. And even if this miracle is postulated, the recession in the subsequent years and the recent floods have pushed more people below the poverty line. Halving poverty from 26 per cent in 1990 to 13 per cent by 2015 appears next to impossible.

The second MDG was to achieve universal primary education. Pakistan has the lowest adult literacy rate in the region and is second only to Nigeria in out-of-school children. The current net enrolment rate is less than 60 per cent, which implies that the target of 100 per cent enrolment requires a more than 40 per cent points` increase by 2015. Given that during the past 10 years Pakistan barely achieved 16 per cent points, it is unrealistic to hope for target achievement. Furthermore, nearly half the enrolled students do not complete their education and achieving a survival rate of 88 per cent in the years remaining is practically impossible.

Pakistan was supposed to establish gender parity at the primary and secondary education levels by 2005. This target has already been missed. True, there has been a steady improvement; for example the proportion of 15-24 year old literate females as compared to boys has increased from 0.51 in 1990-91 to 0.78 in 2008-09. Yet achieving parity needs further serious effort. Women`s representation in legislative forums has increased tremendously, but the journey from representation to real empowerment will have to traverse rocky terrain.

The mortality rate of children under five has declined from 117 per 1,000 live births in 1990-91 to 94 per 1,000 in 2006-07, against an MDG target of 52 by 2015. The infant mortality rate declined from 102 to 75 per 1,000 live births between 1990 and 2007, against the MDG target of 65. The proportion of fully immunised children of 12 to 23 months in age also indicates a stagnant trend. It increased marginally from 75 per cent in 1990-91 to 78 per cent in 2008-09, against the target of over 90 per cent by 2015.

The number of mothers dying due to pregnancy and delivery-related complications per 100,000 live births has declined significantly from 533 in 1990-91 to 276 in 2006-07. However, the rate is still much higher than the target of 140 by 2015. Similarly, the proportion of births attended by skilled birth attendants increased from 18 per cent in 1990-91 to 41 per cent in 2008-09. Yet it remains much lower than the targeted 90 per cent by 2015. Pakistan`s current total fertility rate is 3.75 and that is to be lowered to 2.1 by 2015.

Meanwhile, several reports by independent sources suggest that Pakistan does not put in the desired efforts towards environmental sustainability. The forest cover increased marginally from 4.8 per cent of the land mass in 1990-91 to 5.02 per cent in 2008-09. The MDG target is six per cent. Conservation organisations consider even these figures exaggerated.

Pakistan has, however, surpassed the target of CNG-run vehicles from a targeted 920,000 to 2,220,000. Yet the population with sustainable access to safe drinking water is at 65 per cent against the targeted 93 per cent. The quality of this drinking water is also a moot question. Similarly, access to sanitation is enjoyed by only 63 per cent against the MDG target of 90 per cent.

Pakistan is a long way from achieving the Millennium Development Goals. More than monetary resources, what is required is the political will to prioritise human development in the country. In its current shape, Pakistan is the embodiment of a security state where human development barely attracts attention. N

An analysis of the national budgets reveals how the wellbeing of the citizens has been ignored. Pakistan`s first national budget of 1948 allocated more than 70 per cent of the total resources to defence; this lunacy was never reversed. Even in today`s world of knowledge-based societies our allocation for education and health is shamefully the lowest in the region.

The writer is the chief executive of the non-profit Strengthening Participatory Organisation. nmemon@spopk.org

 

Steps urged to ensure affordable health services for all

Source: The News

Date: November 30, 2010

The United Nations health agency has mapped out what countries can do, including raising more funds and spending it more efficiently, to ensure that everyone who needs health care can access it despite rising costs. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) notes that governments worldwide are struggling to pay for health care, which is rising as populations get older, as more people suffer chronic diseases, and as new and more expensive treatments appear.

 It says that in countries that depend heavily on people paying directly for services at the point of delivery, health bills push 100 million people into poverty each year.

 In its annual World Health Report, the agency shows how all countries, rich and poor, can adjust their health financing mechanisms so more people get the health care they need. It highlights three key areas where change can happen — raising more funds for health, raising money more fairly, and spending it more efficiently. 

“No one in need of health care should have to risk financial ruin as a result,” said WHO Director General Margaret Chan. “The report sets out a stepwise approach. We encourage every country to act on this and do at least one thing to improve health financing and increase health coverage over the coming year.” 

WHO says that in many cases, governments can allocate more money for health. In 2000, African heads of state committed to spend 15 per cent of government funds on health, a goal that three countries — Liberia, Rwanda and Tanzania — have already achieved.

 If the governments of the world’s 49 poorest countries each allocated 15 per cent of state spending to health, they could raise an additional $15 billion per year — almost doubling the funds available, notes the agency.

 Countries can also generate more money for health through more efficient tax collection, says WHO, which cited as an example Indonesia, which has boosted revenue by 10 percentage points. 

View the link for details: http://www.thenews.com.pk/30-11-2010/Islamabad/18022.htm

The population problem

Source: Dawn

Date: November 29, 2010

THERE are two aspects to the issue of population. First, there is the provincial divide and second, population growth. The latter became excessive in the 1960s. At the time of the 1971 census, population growth was 3.6 per cent per annum.

By the time of the 1981 census, a provincial problem took over. Due to migration to Karachi, the percentage of the population in Sindh had increased as compared to Punjab and the then NWFP. Reportedly, when this information was put before the cabinet the two governors, Gen Jilani and Gen Fazle Haq, hit the roof.

President Ziaul Haq asked Dr Mahbub ul Haq to `correct` it, after which the rate of population growth became 3.1 per cent. In all likelihood, Sindh`s population had been reduced causing a reduction in the rate of growth. No census was undertaken in 1991 and the next census took place in 1997/98 when Nawaz Sharif and the PML-N were in power. That census commissioner has been quoted as saying: “I have to make sure no individual in Sindh can call himself two.” The objective was fairly clear; numbers were adjusted.

Currently, some people express fears in terms of Karachi`s population, which is estimated to be somewhere between 14 and 15 million. According to Wikipedia it is 18 million. Because of provincial problems, this is going to cause a lot of confusion. Population parity between Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh will become an issue. In Karachi, it may lead to trouble between the PPP, the ANP and the MQM.

In terms of Pakistan`s total population, there are two views. Official sources put the figure at 171 million, while the UN puts it at 185 million. The rate of growth poses an additional problem. The UN estimates that childbirth in Pakistan will increase by 28 million by 2015.

The rate of birth is extremely important because of its effect on economic growth. The retrogression analysis says that a one per cent increase in childbirth rates leads to slightly more than one per cent decrease in economic growth rate. This is happening in Pakistan. Meanwhile, economic growth also appears to play a role in reducing birth rates. The use of contraceptives rose from 11.8 per cent in 1991 to 27.6 per cent by 2001. From then to 2007, this rate rose to only 30 per cent. Something obviously went seriously wrong.

Something will have to be done to prevent the population from rising to 206 million by 2015. According to the UN, 5.589 million births per year will take place between 2010 and 2015. How many extra `birth preventions` are possible by then?

If serious success is not achieved, Pakistan will have between 25 and 28 million children under the age of five by 2015. How will they be looked after? Large family sizes are more common amongst the poor, particularly in the rural areas. The challenge is to persuade these people to aim for a better life by reducing their family sizes, and to provide them with contraceptive support.

A related issue is that of mother and child health. Ideally, pregnancies should be spaced about three years apart to protect infant and mother. Infant mortality is the first issue, and then there is the question of how many children can properly be supported on the income available to the family. There is hope that matters can be managed. Some surveys have found a 25 to 40 per cent demand or need for lower birth rates in the poorer sections of the citizenry — a demand that is going unmet. The question is, how competently can we work to help?

For more details please view the link: http://www.dawn.com/2010/11/29/the-population-problem.html

 

Workshop on violence against women ends (Organized by SPO)

Source: The News

Date: November 25, 2010

A three-day training workshop aimed at developing networks for addressing violence against women, girls and vulnerable groups in flood affected areas concluded here on Wednesday.

Organised by Strengthening Participatory Organisations (SPO) and Sisters Trust Pakistan (STP), the workshop titled ‘Women’s Leadership Role in Flood Affected Area to End Gender Based Violence,’ provided training mainly on tools for addressing women concerns in relation to their rehabilitation and reconstruction requirements. Federal Minister for Human Rights Mumtaz Alam Gilani was the chief guest on the occasion. 
These master trainers from eight different districts will now go to their indigenous area to train other women and ultimately form networks that can protect women at the time of relief or rehabilitation after any calamity. 

The eight districts included Nowshera, Dera Ismail Khan, Muzzafargarh, Rajanpur, Thatta, Sukker, Naseerabad and Jafferabad. The training made part of the activities conducted on 16 days of Activism against Gender Violence. Through variety of activities, the participants were introduced to the definition and different aspects of gender based violence. They were also taught about the techniques to deal with psychosocial issues that emerge after such situation and ways to provide counselling to the victims especially women and children. Participants that originally belong to flood affected areas also shared their stories. They said that one of the major problem women faced were the provision of separate washrooms. They said that due to conservative social set up, majority of women hesitated to demand for the facility.

They pointed out social discrimination created hurdles in the way of access to aid for women headed households. They said that women networks at community level can help to point out such issues to aid workers so that all vulnerable groups can be involved in relief and rehabilitation activities. 
Speaking on the occasion, Federal Minister Mumtaz Alam Gilani said that types of human rights violations are different in different parts of the country and culture friendly measures are required to deal with them accordingly.

He said that before the establishment of Ministry of Human Rights, the matters related to human rights were dealt by the Interior Ministry that is the biggest violator of human rights itself. He said that the ministry plans to commemorate human rights week that will start from December 3 and will end at the International Day on Human Rights on December 10.

Highlighting the significance of 16 days of Activism against Gender Violence, Country Director for United Nations Development Fund for Women (Unifem) Alice Shackleford said that activism should not end with the end of these days, as it is a continuing process. She said that these days are observed to depict that woman rights are the human rights. 

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence is an international campaign originating from the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute sponsored by the Centre for Women’s Global Leadership in 1991. Participants chose the dates, November 25, International Day on Violence against Women, and December 10, International Human Rights Day, in order to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasise that such violence is a human rights violation. This 16-day period also highlights other significant dates, including November 29, International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, December 1, World AIDS Day, and December 6, the Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre. 
Sisters Trust Pakistan Executive Director Rehana Hashmi stressed for increasing the role of women and girls in relief, reconstruction and rehabilitation phase through enhanced leadership skills and protection networks. Senator from Balochistan Surrya Amirudin and First Secretary Development of Netherlands Embassy were also present on the occasion. 

Link: http://www.thenews.com.pk/25-11-2010/islamabad/17175.htm

'Blasphemy law not to be repealed'

Source: Express Tribune

Date: November 24, 2010

ISLAMABAD: The government will not repeal the controversial blasphemy law but may amend it to prevent abuse because scrapping the legislation could fuel militancy, a government minister said on Tuesday.

The law came under the spotlight this month after a court sentenced a Christian mother of four, Aasia Bibi, to death in a case stemming from a village dispute.

Widespread media attention on the case has led to renewed appeals by human rights groups for the repeal of the law, but Federal Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti said that would not happen.

“(Repeal) is not being considered though we are considering changing it so that misuse of the law can be stopped,” Bhatti told a news agency.

Blasphemy convictions are common although the death sentence has never been carried out. Most convictions are thrown out on appeal, but angry mobs have killed many people accused of blasphemy.

Bhatti said consultations with Islamic clerics and representatives of religious minorities on amending the law would soon be held.

He said repealing it is not being considered because that could provoke religious parties and militants who want to topple the government.

“We have to analyse what the reaction of those having intolerant attitudes will be,” Bhatti said. “At this point our aim is to stop its misuse.”

Critics say the law can be misused by people making false accusations against rivals.

Liberal and secular groups say the law discriminates against religious minorities who make up roughly four per cent of the country’s 170 million population. Most members of minorities are Christian.

Bhatti said an initial inquiry into the case of the Christian mother suggested she had not committed blasphemy but was falsely accused after a quarrel.

Bibi, the first woman sentenced to death for blasphemy, has appealed to President Asif Ali Zardari to pardon her.

“It will take few more days. We are looking into different things, not just pardon. She could get relief from the courts,” Bhatti said. Authorities are providing Bibi with security in jail and her family has also moved for safety reasons, he said.

Link: http://tribune.com.pk/story/81007/blasphemy-law-not-to-be-repealed/

 

 

Pomegranate juice could help kidney patients

Source: The News

Date: November 23, 2010

There may be a seed of truth amidst the many health claims for pomegranate juice, researchers said, at least for kidney patients on dialysis. 
They found that such patients who gulped a few cups of the tart liquid every week lowered their chances of infections, the second-leading killer of the more than 350,000 Americans on dialysis.

The findings were presented at the American Society of Nephrology’s meeting in Denver — aka Renal Week — and have not yet been vetted by independent experts. “It’s a very intriguing study,” said Dr. Frank Brosius, who heads the nephrology division at the University of Michigan Health System and was not involved in the research.

“I certainly don’t know of anything else that would have such a profound effect,” he told Reuters Health, cautioning at the same time that the study needed to be replicated by other centres.

The results come in the wake of a US crackdown on allegedly false adver tising by POM Wonderful, which claims its pomegranate products can help everything from heart disease to prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction.The researchers, led by Dr. Batya Kristal of Western Galilee Hospital in Nahariya, did not use POM juice, but a brand sold by Naturafood.

In laboratory tests, Kristal told Reuters Health, that brand ranked highest in polyphenol antioxidants, which can reduce cell damage caused by so-called free radicals.Antioxidants are found in different levels in fruits and vegetables, such as blueberries or broccoli.
“Pomegranate juice was shown in the last three years to contain the highest levels of polyphenols among a variety of products,” Kristal said. 

The researchers figured an antioxidant-rich diet might help patients with kidney failure, because the level of free radicals in their blood increases as the blood circulates through the dialysis device. That, in turn, may rev up inflammation in their tissues.

In the study, funded by the Israeli Ministry of Health, 101 patients were randomly assigned to either a concoction without pomegranate juice, or the real thing.

After downing about half a cup three times a week over a year, those who drank the real thing had a reduction of inflammatory molecules in their blood. They also made fewer trips to the hospital.“We found significant reductions in hospitalization due to infections, with more than 40 percent reduction in the first hospitalization and 80 percent in the second,” said Kristal.

For more details: http://www.thenews.com.pk/23-11-2010/Islamabad/16786.htm

Devolution of minorities' ministry opposed

Source: Dawn

Date: November 16, 2010

ISLAMABAD, Nov 15: At a time when the Parliamentary Commission on Implementation of the 18th Amendment is reviewing the process of devolution of ministries and departments under clauses on provincial autonomy, a National Assembly standing committee opposed on Monday the plan to transfer the Ministry of Minorities Affairs from the centre to the provinces.Members of the Standing Committee on Minorities Affairs, which met under its chairman Dr Mahesh Kumar Malani, were of the unanimous view that the ministry should not be transferred to the provinces because it would create complications in legislation of personal laws.

Ramesh Lal of the Pakistan People’s Party told Dawn there was complete unanimity among the 10 minority members belonging to different parties that the ministry should remain at the centre.

He said they had already written letters to the government in this regard and they would soon write to Senator Raza Rabbani, the chairman of the implementation commission, asking him to review the decision.

Minister for Minorities Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti justified the committee’s recommendation and said the minorities had always been treated at the national level which was evident even from the country’s flag in which white colour represented the minorities.

He said the move to transfer the ministry to the provinces could affect international treaties and conventions that the country had signed and which made it binding upon the government to protect the rights of the minorities.

For more details: http://www.dawn.com/2010/11/16/devolution-of-minorities%E2%80%99-ministry-opposed.html

 

 

'25pc people may be diabetic by 2025'

Source: The News

Date: November 15, 2010

MEDICAL experts have underlined the fact that diabetes is on the rise in Pakistan due to excessive use of sugar and lack of facilities to promote healthy activities, particularly in big cities of the country.

“Diabetes is expected to affect up to 25 percent of the population by 2025 if urgent preventive measures are not adopted by the people and government,” said Prof Dr Javed Akram, President Diabetes Pakistan and Principal of Allama Iqbal Medical College/Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, while addressing a seminar on “Diabetes - How to Prevent It?” held in connection with the World Diabetes Day 2010 by Mir Khalilur Rahman Memorial Society (Jang Group of Newspapers) here at Alhamra Hall-II on Sunday. Earlier, in connection with World Diabetes Day, Diabetes Pakistan President Prof Javed Akram led a walk earlier on Saturday night from Badshahi Mosque to Minar-e-Pakistan to create awareness regarding diabetes and its devastating effects on the health of people. Later, the participants, comprising doctors, journalists, public including members of Hindu and Sikh communities, lit Minar-e-Pakistan in blue light to highlight the issue of diabetes with a view to preventing the disease.
Prof Javed Akram said the use of crystal sugar in Bangladesh was just about 15 percent of the commodity usage in Pakistan and explained that the use of sugar in Pakistan was around 40,000 metric tonne per week as against 4,000 metric tonne per week in Bangladesh, which was believed to be a major factor in rising the trend of diabetes cases among Pakistanis. Besides, he said, there were hardly any facilities to promote healthy activities as public parks and playgrounds were fast vanishing to give way to multi-storey plazas whereas parks and clubs were promoting unhealthy activities like Sheesha (flavoured smoking in a decorative Hukkah) containing ingredients such as cocaine, heroine, charas and other harmful drugs, therefore leaving little room for younger generation to indulge in health activities of walk, exercise, sports, etc. He identified the National Bank Park near Kalma Chowk and restaurants around Qaddafi Stadium as the main hubs of Sheesha smoking. Speaking on the occasion, Senator Pervaiz Rasheed also emphasised the need to minimise the use of sugar to prevent diabetes, which would also help resolve the ongoing sugar crisis in the country. He said the government should spend resources on controlling the prices of healthy food instead of sugar and promote healthy activities in public parks and encourage sports activities by allocating playgrounds. He promised to give suggestion to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to adopt steps such as reducing the use of sugar among the public and providing facilities for sports and other such activities to the public to prevent diabetes.

For more details: http://www.thenews.com.pk/15-11-2010/lahore/15661.htm

 

Unemployment doubles in a space of a year: study

Source: Express Tribune

Date: November 15, 2010

ISLAMABAD: The findings of two separate reports – one compiled by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and another by Islamabad-based Pakistan Public Administration (PBA) – concur that joblessness is increasing by leaps and bounds and an unskilled person is as likely to lose a job as a highly-educated and skilled worker.

According to CIA’s findings, the unemployment rate in Pakistan has doubled during the current year against the past year’s figures.

CIA’s World Fact Book, which is available on the web, says that the unemployment rate jumped from 7.4 per cent in 2009 to 15.2 per cent this year.

Incidence of unemployment among highly-educated and skilled people is on the rise and government policies to provide jobs to people have been discouraging. Official data collected between 2006 and 2009 showed that the total number of civil servants in federal government’s services was 240,558 against 234,933 in the period between 2003 and 2006, reflecting an increase of just four per cent, with only 9,625 people provided with jobs.

According to the 14th census of the Federal Government Civil Servants carried by the Islamabad-based PPA, there were 12,284 women in civil services between 2006 and 2009 against 10,959 in the 2003-2006 period.

The official report, released in August 2010, shows the increase of women female civil servants was only 10.78 per cent.

The total sanctioned strength for all categories of federal government employees was 419,499 during 2006 – 2007, while the actual strength was 375,932 in July 2006. No official department knows the actual number of unemployed persons across the country, because the national census survey has not been carried out over the past 12 years because of various security and political reasons.

For more information view the link: http://tribune.com.pk/story/77528/unemployment-doubles-in-a-space-of-a-year-study/

 

Medical education

Source: The News

Date:  November 12, 2010

When the prime minister recently declared the nationalization of educational institutions in the 1970s by the first PPP government a mistake, besides left-oriented civil and political groups, some of the party's old guard, supporters and workers also rejected his statement. In Lahore, they took out a rally to criticize him and announced that this was his personal view. 

Here you have a political party whose workers believe in social democracy and most economic managers it employs are neo-liberal. The biggest challenge today for the ruling party is to be able to create a coherent vision and draw out defined policies in all spheres of national life. 

Due to state failure and a total subscription to policies of deregulation and privatization over the last two decades, notwithstanding which military or civilian regime was in power, private educational institutions today have a much bigger role and stake at all levels. 

At the higher level, with some considerable exceptions like the Aga Khan University and Lahore University of Management Sciences, the barons of the higher education industry are no less than sugar barons. Except that their unbridled pursuit for profit and the subsequent damage caused to a common citizen is not reflected in the daily fluctuating retail prices. The quality of infrastructure, teaching and training in many of the higher and tertiary level private institutions is producing graduates and professionals of exceptionally low worth. 

It seems the state has not only given up on its primary responsibility of provision of basic services but is also not interested in regulation and quality assurance in favor of people in general and marginalized in particular. But how would they regulate if regulatory bodies are either taken over by the rich and powerful themselves or they are bribed or coerced into favoring elite commercial interests.

 One such glaring example is private medical education in the country. You could see the deterioration of both skill and values among the practitioners of this noble profession already but envisioning the state of healthcare system and those running it a few years from now is even more dreadful. It is about people's lives but those at the helm of affairs in the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) are least bothered. 

View the link: http://www.thenews.com.pk/12-11-2010/opinion/15221.htm

 

Floods caused a net loss of $10b

Source: Express Tribune

Date: November 12, 2010

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Finance Hina Rabbani Kharon Thursday put the country’s net losses from the recent floods at a colossal $10 billion.  The losses have stunted the entire national economy, the state minister told the Senate.

Winding up a debate on the state of economy, she said that though the government had inherited a weakened economy in 2008 it was making “strides” towards managing the situation until the massive flood.

She said after seeing negative economic growth for the past two years, the government is hopeful of achieving four per cent growth this year, despite unprecedented flooding and heavy losses in the agiculture sector.

The state minister said the government is determined to begin the reconstruction process and has raised Rs40 billion from within the country to disburse among survivors as flood relief and as compensation for rebuilding their houses. She said the government will disburse Rs160 billion in cash among flood victims.

She said the government has decided to impose reformed GST and flood tax with an objective to raise more funds for flood victims.

According to official estimates, the number of kidnapping cases has surged to an alarming level over the past three years, surpassing the 28,000-mark, Minister of State for Interior Tasneem Qureshi told the Senate on Thursday.

View the link for details: http://tribune.com.pk/story/76100/floods-caused-a-net-loss-of-10b-minister/

 

 

'Pakistan has great potential to get higher economic growth'

Source: The News

Date: November 11, 2010

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has said that Pakistan had great potential to achieve a much higher economic growth dramatically on a sustained basis.

"For this purpose innovative ideas are needed and international assistance in areas of trans-regional connectivity and infrastructure development which will open up Pakistan to Central Asia, China and countries in the region, on one hand, and with Turkey and the Middle Eastern region, on the other," he said during his meeting with Dr Noeleen Hevzer, Executive Secretary United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), who called on him here on Wednesday.

President said that geo-strategic location of Pakistan offered great opportunities for enhanced regional economic cooperation, regional connectivity through transport, energy and telecommunications.

He also appreciated the support of ESCAP for its sustained help in growth and poverty reduction in the country and underlined the need that ESCAP would be assisting the government in its development priorities including social sector.

President Zardari also thanked the Executive Secretary for ESCAP generous support in rescue and rehabilitation of flood affectees. Dr Noeleen Hevzer thanked the president for the meeting and apprised about various activities of the organization in Pakistan, particularly in the fields of regional connectivity, development and environmental protection.

View the link for details: http://www.thenews.com.pk/11-11-2010/National/14985.htm

Inflation goes up by 23% in one week

Source: the News

Date: November 10, 2010

The ratio of inflation in Pakistan has gone up alarmingly during the last one week after the prices of petroleum products were increased by the government and prices of all commodities, particularly kitchen items have gone up by 23 per cent.

 According to a report released by the Federal Statistical Department, the overall inflation ratio on all items particularly eatables was increased by 23 per cent in a week and around 150 per cent during last one year, which is an alarming ratio for common man, as it has disturbed their monthly budgets.

According to a survey conducted by ‘The News’ prices of all items including ‘atta’, ghee/cooking oil and sugar have gone up in the last one week and 1-kg onion is being sold in the market at Rs70 against previous rate of Rs30 per kg, potatoes at Rs40 against Rs25, tomatoes at Rs50 against Rs35, ginger at Rs240 against Rs190, green chilli at Rs160 against Rs80 sugar at Rs125-130 against Rs85 in the open market and Rs65 against Rs55 at the utility store outlets, 5-kilogram branded ghee/cooking oil in the open market at Rs835 against Rs790 and in utility stores at Rs762 against Rs690. 
A 20-kg bag of ‘atta’ is being sold at Rs605 against previous rate of Rs580. Similarly, 1-kilogram beef is being sold at Rs260-280 against Rs160, mutton at Rs380-400 against Rs260. With increase in prices of petroleum products, the prices of clothes, shoes, jackets, sweaters and other things also witnessed an increase. The rates of a cup of tea in hotels also went up to Rs13 against previous rate of Rs10 due to increase in sugar prices. The prices of all kinds of sweets, bread and biscuits also went up by 23 per cent in a week due to rise in sugar price. 

For more details view the link: http://www.thenews.com.pk/10-11-2010/islamabad/14806.htm

 

Alarming increase in child sexual abuse cases during 2010

Source: Express Tribune

Date: November 8, 2010

The number of children who are sexually abused in Pakistan has registered an alarming increase this year. According to the report of an NGO, 1216 children were victim to sex abuse in the first six months of this year (January-June 2010).

This is even more than the total number of cases reported during all twelve months of 2009. That figure was 968. The majority of this year’s cases were reported in Punjab and the perpetrators were acquaintances, neighbors or relatives of the children. In most cases, the victims are girls from rural areas.

The most common place for occurrence of child sex abuse is the perpetrator’s residence. According to Sahil’s report, the facts and figures have been collected from news published in 65 different newspapers of the country.

The report said, “We believe that the number of incidents presented in the print media do not represent the total numbers of such incidents in Pakistan-because such issues are taboo and not easily reported.”

The report revealed out of the 1216 children sexually abused in this time period, 331 were boys and 885 girls.

“Tragically, 81 per cent of ‘abusers’ were people known to the victim or their family, whereas the rest of 19 per cent were strangers” the report continued to reveal. The said number of children were abused by a total of 2425 perpetrators.

View details: http://tribune.com.pk/story/73955/alarming-increase-in-child-sexual-abuse-cases-during-2010/

Side effect

Source: The News

Date: November 5, 2010

The prime minister said recently that every member of parliament will get a plot of land if opposition agrees. His statement reminded me of my school. Twenty eight years ago, I matriculated from a school which had adequate number of classrooms, qualified teachers, basic furniture, electricity, large watercoolers for teachers and students, functioning toilet facilities, a canteen and a tuck shop, two hockey fields, one football ground, a cricket pitch, science labs and a large library. It had a beautiful dome structure and a huge carpark for privately-owned contract vehicles which would bring us to school and for the cars that would wait for the relatively more affluent students. In addition to the main school, the premises housed a separate secondary section for girls, an intermediate college and a few residential quarters for staff. 
There were extracurricular activities organised for students, a representative Students' Council, all students divided into four houses for sports and other competitions, and a bilingual magazine published annually. The school would also host inter-school sports and debates competitions at the city, provincial and national levels. The school produced many significant people who reached the highest possible levels in the country and abroad in the areas of commerce, industry, bureaucracy, military, sports, art and culture, journalism and politics. I am sure of my reader's surprise if I start naming some of them. 

But to the disbelief of many today, this was a government-run school, fully subsidised, multi-class and competitive in terms of its educational standards. The only things that made it look like a government school were pale yellow walls and some broken windowpanes. These large, open windows helped some of us jump outside into the field and bunk a few class periods. Even this, I am told by my seniors, was not possible until the 1970s. 
The school was established in the 1950s by the naval cantonment's municipal administration. In the 1970s, it was taken over by the federal government and soon put under the Cantonment and Garrison Educational Institutions during the martial-law years of General Zia. But the ownership remained with the federal government's ministry of education which later shifted the school's administration to the Federal Government Educational Institutions. 

View details: http://www.thenews.com.pk/05-11-2010/opinion/13899.htm

 

Punjab leads in violence against women cases

Source: The News

Date: November 5, 2010

ISLAMABAD: Horrifying figures of sexual violence were placed before the National Assembly on Thursday according to which the situation in Punjab was worse where 1,835 rape cases in 2009 and 1,415 cases during 2010 upto August have been registered.
In the record presented in reply to a question of ANP legislator Bushra Gohar, Minister for Human Rights Syed Mumtaz Alam informed the House that during year 2009, 9,450 cases of violence against women registered while in 2010 upto the month of August, 6,221 cases were registered.
According to the break-up, 6,995 cases were registered in Punjab in 2009, 1,277 in Sindh, 691 in Khyber Paktunkhwa, 198 in Balochistan, 73 in Islamabad, 9 in Railways, 31 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 216 in AJK.

During 2009, in domestic violence, 680 cases of murder, 692 cases of beating and 247 other cases were registered in Punjab. In Sindh 216 cases of murder, 137 cases of beating and 33 other cases were registered, while in KP there were 145 cases of murder, 53 cases of beating and 46 other cases. In Balochistan, 37 cases of murder, 18 cases of beating and 3 other cases were registered in 2009. In Islamabad, 25 cases of murder, 18 cases of beating and no other cases registered in 2009.

In the name of honour killing, 198 cases were registered in Punjab, 144 in Sindh, 29 in KP, 46 in Balochistan and there was no such case in the federal capital during 2009. In burning incidents, 23 acid throwing cases and 6 stove burning cases were registered in Punjab, 2 cases of acid burning in Sindh and no such case was registered in KP, Balochistan and Islamabad.

In Vini incidents, during 2009, 6 cases were registered in Punjab and no cases in Sindh, KP, Balochistan and Islamabad was registered. In sexual violence, 1,837 cases of rape and 164 cases of gang rape were registered in Punjab, 183 cases of rape and 16 gang rape in Sindh, 35 rape cases and 4 cases of gang rape in Balochistan, 17 cases of rape in KP, no rape case in Islamabad, one case of rape in Railways, 2 rape cases in Gilgit-Baltistan, and in AJK 19 rape cases and 2 gang rape cases were registered in 2009.

In harassment at work places, 118 sexual harassment cases in Punjab, 25 physical harassment and 46 sexual harassment cases in Sindh, 72 physical harassment cases in KP, 24 physical harassment and one sexual harassment case in Balochistan were registered during the year 2009.

During the year 2010 upto August, total 6,221 cases of violence against women were registered and according to the break-up, 5,042 cases in Punjab, 618 in Sindh, 362 in KP, 83 in Balochistan, 53 in Islamabad, 9 in Railways, 5 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 49 in AJK. 

During the year 2010 till August, in domestic violence, 502 cases of murder, 502 cases of beating and 139 other cases were registered in Punjab, 130 cases of murder, 58 cases of beating and 45 other cases in Sindh, 121 cases of murder, 43 cases of beating and 29 other cases in KP, 14 cases of murder and 8 cases of beating in Balochistan, 5 cases of murder, 8 cases of beating and no other cases were registered in Islamabad.

View details: http://www.thenews.com.pk/05-11-2010/National/13949.htm

 

Punjab Govt closes down 5,700 schools

Source: Express Tribune

Date: November 04, 2010

The Punjab Government shut down a mammoth 5,700 schools after labeling them ‘dysfunctional’.

Sources say the government had decided to close the schools due to inadequate funds required for their running.

It is believed that low attendance in schools is being used as an excuse for the closure.

The step has substantially affected those belonging to lower economic classes, as most of the families will have to curb spending on essentials in order to send their children to the more expensive private schools.

Link: http://tribune.com.pk/story/72351/punjab-govt-closes-down-5700-schools/

 

The Next Global Economic Crisis

Source: Pak Alerts Press

Date: November 2, 2010

Will the world experience a new economic crisis that will be even more serious that the one that we have just been through or enter a period of sustained economic growth?

It is now becoming clear that the Anglo-Saxon and some European nations have not recovered from the recent economic crisis as was expected a year ago, and will slide back into a double-dip recession. What has gone wrong? Why has not the economic stimulus packages worked? Many economists had expected that by now that the USA would be in economic recovery, not facing high unemployment and a faltering economy. Now, out of desperation the USA and UK are planning to print even more money in an effort to revive their faltering economies.

Meanwhile many other economies have recovered strongly from the recent recession. In Europe the Germany economy is recovering strongly, as have most of the Asian economies. Why have the Anglo-Saxon and some European nations not been able to do likewise?

The reasons are simple. It does not require an economist with a PhD to figure out that if a country spends more than it earns year after year, eventually they will be in trouble. While often economists disagree with one another on the causes and solutions, the fundamental problem why the English speaking nations are in the mess they are today is because for years they have lived beyond their means on borrowed money. Sadly, nothing has been done to correct this, which was the cause of the recent recession; rather the current economic policies of the Anglo-Saxon nations are only made the situation worse.

The reasons for the economic crisis were:

1.      Large trade deficits  the Anglo-Saxon nations have been importing far more than they export.

2.      To finance their imports they have borrowed money from creditor nations with trade surpluses, which they now need to repay along with the interest.

3.      Much of the GNP growth up to 2007 in these nations was in consummation of imported goods, housing and the service sector, while manufacturing declined.

4. The cost of servicing this debt has escalated while government revenues have declined.

      5. Over generous welfare programs which have drained financial resources from the productive sectors of the economy.
      6. A break-down on the moral fabric of society and poor work ethics

      7. Costly wars and expensive defense budgets.

View the link: http://www.pakalertpress.com/2010/11/02/the-next-global-economic-crisis/ utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+pakalert+(Pak+Alert+Press)

 

Judicial response to gender-based violence (Opinion)

Source: The News

Date: November 3, 2010

In a forced marriage, one or both parties are forced into wedlock without his or her consent or will. However, in the great majority of cases it is the woman's consent which is dispensed with. It is part of a societal setup where women are denied equality in the enjoyment of human rights, including the right to marry. This phenomenon is just one facet of a male-dominated society, where women are perceived as the property of the male members of the family. They are considered a symbol of honour for the men. To quote a character in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew:

"I will be master of what is mine own:

She is my goods, my chattels; she is my house,

My household stuff, my field, my barn,

My horse, my ox, my ass, my any thing.

The concepts of male status and of family status are of particular importance in such cultures. Men consider themselves protectors of the status and of family honour. A woman or girl who indulges in, or is suspected of committing, an act which is contrary to the male concept of the family status or honour could be a target of intimidation, violence and, at times, of death. Murders so committed are euphemistically called "honour killings". 
According to American psychologist Phyllis Chasler, 84 per cent of honour killings in the West from 1989 to 2009 were carried out by Muslims. Yet, the fact remains that honour killings exist all over the world. They are primarily outcomes of a tribal, feudal, caste-ridden and gender-biased mindset.
A recent case of caste-based honour killing took place in India in May. Nirupama Pathak, 22, a New Delhi-based journalist, was allegedly murdered by her own mother. Because the girl had wanted to marry a fellow journalist who belonged to a lower caste, and she was pregnant.
Activists say dozens of people, both women and men, are killed for "honour" every year, falling victim to the deeply entrenched caste system, which dictates an individual's social standing based on the caste they are born into. In India, the majority of these killings take place in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, where land ownership and caste go hand in hand and an honour culture thrives by maintaining caste and gender hierarchies. "The upper castes fiercely guard their hold over land and power in the community," says Ranbir Singh, a Haryana-based sociologist who is currently a consultant with the Haryana Institute of Rural Development. 

"These crimes against women occur in countries as varied as Bangladesh, Brazil, Ecuador, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan, Sweden, Turkey, Uganda and the United Kingdom. The United Nations Population Fund estimates that the annual worldwide number of 'honour' killing victims is 5,000 women. In a study on murders of females in Alexandria, Egypt, 47 per cent of the women were killed after the woman had been raped. In Jordan and Lebanon, 70-75 per cent of the perpetrators of these 'honour' killings are the women's brothers." ("Facts and Figures on Harmful Traditional Practices, 2007," compiled by the United Nations Development Fund for Women, UNIFEM.)

View details: http://www.thenews.com.pk/03-11-2010/opinion/13468.htm