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| WAF seeks ouster of Zehri, Bijarani from cabinet |
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Friday, November 14, 2008
By Asim Yasin
ISLAMABAD: The appointment of Senator Mir Israrullah Zehri (federal minister for postal services) and Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani (federal minister for education) has come under severe criticism from the Woman Action Forum, which has demanded that these two should be dropped from the federal cabinet.
In an open letter to President Asif Ali Zardari, the Women Action Forum has said that the induction of these two, known for their anti-women role, into the federal cabinet negates the legacy of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. “We request you to recall the legacy of Mohtarma Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and her tireless efforts to improve the lot of Pakistani women, towards the goal of women’s empowerment and gender equality.”
At the same time, the women rights activists praised the government for inducting progressive, forward-looking women including Ms Sherry Rahman, Ms Shahnaz Wazir Ali, Ms Shazia Marri, Ms Sassui Palejo, Ms Tauqir Fatima Bhutto, Ms Farzana Raja and others.
When this correspondent tried to contact ministers Israrullah Zehri and Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani for their comments, they were not available as they were busy in meetings. However, their close associates rejected the allegations saying that the ministers were enlightened, progressive and liberal-minded politicians having deep regard and respect for women.
Criticising the appointment of Senator Israrullah Zehri and Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani as federal ministers, the WAF said it was shocked, horrified and outraged at the appointment of Senator Mir Israrullah Zehri as federal minister.
“This is the man who is on record as having defended the barbaric and inhuman crime of burying women alive as “a traditional custom.” The WAF stated that Zehri also threatened, on the floor of the Senate, Senator Yasmin Shah, who had spoken against the heinous crime. “WAF is of the opinion that such beliefs reflect a blatant flouting with impunity of Pakistani law, according to which this heinous crime is murder with premeditated intent - a cognisable and non-bailable offence, which carries strong punishments. It is also a violation of the 1973 Constitution and the teachings of Islam.”
WAF Pakistan stated that it is outraged that despite evidence of involvement of Sattar Umrani and Fateh Muhammad Umrani (Balochistan PPP leaders) in these killings, the acting chairman of the Senate Jan Muhammad Jamali refused to condemn the killings, and the police investigating this case appears to have reached unsatisfactory conclusions.
The letter stated that the WAF salutes the brave local reporters who brought this news to public attention, as well as the national media and the civil society activists for following it up. “We are extremely concerned to note that they are now receiving open threats, and we call upon you and your government to provide them effective protection,” the letter stated.
The WAF Pakistan also condemns the appointment of Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani as federal minister for education. “Please, recall that Mr Bijarani is the MNA who headed a jirga in 2006, which made the decision to give as compensation 5 little girls (aged 2-5 years) to settle a feud between two warring tribes. Despite assertions to the contrary, WAF is in factual possession of documentary evidence about it,” the letter stated.
The WAF in its letter to President Zardari stated: “Such person is not fit to head the ministry of education, as he cannot understand the need to ensure equal educational opportunities for girls, or to develop and implement progressive education policies and programmes or forward-looking curricula.”
The WAF lamented that a minister for women’s development has not yet been appointed. It said it is strongly opposed to the idea of appointment of a JUI-F candidate or any other conservative individual for such a sensitive portfolio. “You have a number of good options for this post and there are many committed and progressive individuals, such as Senator Rukhsana Zuberi, and MNAs Ms. Fauzia Habib, Ms. Nafisa Shah, Ms. Bushra Gohar, who understand, subscribe to and advocate gender justice, equality and women’s human rights,” the WAF letter stated.
The letter said: “Mr. President, we recommend that you kindly re-read the PPP and the JUI-F election manifestos, particularly the sections on women, before you decide to allocate the ministry of women’s development to JUI-F or any other conservative party or individual. Just to quote some relevant sections from the PPP manifesto: “We promise to give high priority to empowerment of women and ensure their equal rights; the PPP commits to its sons and daughters of Pakistan an education system that enables a brighter future than that of their parents; the party will take institutional initiatives to prevent crimes against women in the name of tribalism, such as honour-killings and forced marriages.”
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ISSN 1563-9479 
