Session on ‘Mahalla System’ held

Islamabad :The Centre for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS) organised a Roundtable Session on ‘Mahalla System – as an institution in Uzbekistan’ at Islamabad Club, says a press release.

The event brought together government representatives, retired armed forces officers, diplomats and students from across the country and individuals from public and private entities. The guest speakers included Furkat Sidikov, ambassador of Republic of Uzbekistan, Babur Suhail, vice president of CGSS, Tahir Alam, former inspector general of police.

Other dignitaries who delivered talk on the occasion include Major General (r) Syed Khalid Amir Jaffery HI(M), president of CGSS and Ambassador Amjad Majid Abbasi, member of CGSS Advisory Board.

The aim and focus of the Roundtable Session was to analyse the ‘Mahalla’ System – as an institution in Uzbekistan. The roundtable highlighted the effectiveness of ‘Mahalla System’ and its implications in Pakistan and also to yields various policy recommendations.

Ambassador Furkat Sidikov stated that ‘Mahallas’ have over 30 functions, which earlier were related to the authorities of the state bodies and there are nearly 10,000 such kind of bodies across Uzbekistan. ‘Mahalla’ has strengthened its role in addressing not just spiritual, but also economic and social issues. ‘Mahalla’ has also functions such as protecting the interests of family and women, caring for the elderly, providing social support to ‘Mahalla’ members. ‘Mahallas’ address the issues of provision of financial assistance to needy families and allocation of allowances to needy families.

Babur Suhail enlightened the audience about the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism in Pakistan. Tahir Alam comprehensively explained about the integration of Police and local bodies in ‘Mahalla’ management and its evolution through times.