The WSI Stands in Solidarity
With Millions of Pakistani Democrats in Celebrating
the Demise of a Dictator
The World Sindh Institute, a Washington DC-based
justice and human rights advocacy group , wholeheartedly
congratulates the people of Pakistan for finally
breaking the choke-hold of a notorious military
dictator on their freedoms and constitutional
rights. The WSI joins millions of Pakistani
people in celebrating yet another milestone towards
Pakistan's, one would hope, ultimate move towards
becoming a just, secular, peace-loving, egalitarian
and constitutional democracy .
Zahid Makhdoom, spokesperson of the WSI Board
urged the Pakistani Parliament to immediately
restore the rule of law and constitutional freedoms
of Pakistani people. He further urged establishment
of a " truth and reconciliation commission " to
review and hear tales of untold misery, murder,
dispossession, dejection, hopelessness, and mayhem
that continues to plague Pakistani citizens in
general and those from Balochistan, NWFP , and
Sindh in particular. The proposed independent
commission should be empowered to make concrete
binding recommendations to the Parliament for
building a just, secular, peaceful, and democratic
society. He recommended that Pakistani
Parliament issues unconditional apology to the
people of Balochistan, Sindh, and NWFP for unleashing
state-terror on their town and villages and for
pillaging and plundering their resources. Such
an apology must accompany concrete steps towards
rectifying the skewed federalism and establishing
constitutional separation of powers between the
provinces and between the three branches of government
, namely the legislative, the executive, and
the judiciary.
In terms of the renewal of federal structure
in Pakistan, Ms. Humaira Rahman of the WSI Board
noted that new resource-based developments have
made Sindh the sixth largest reserve of coal
energy in world. Its natural gas reserves
have now surpassed those of Balochistan making
Sindh the primary source of energy in Pakistan. She
emphasised federal government honouring and respecting
Sindh's control over its resources.
Makhdoom further reiterated the WSI belief that
no democratic reforms are possible in Pakistan
without dramatic and drastic cuts in the power
and privilege of Pakistani military and its allied
institutions as well as without re-evaluating
Pakistan's position in the global context. With
respect to the latter, it is important that Pakistan
distances itself from the neo-imperial and neo-colonial
policies and designs of the United States and
NATO and from the fundamentalist Islamic persuasions
and policies; home-grown or foreign. Immediate
restoration of all judicial offices that were
unconstitutionally usurped by the dictator Musharaff
and the repeal of Hudood Ordinance and all other
similar extra-constitutional "Sharia" laws and
constitutional affirmation that no one would
be discriminated against on the grounds of gender,
sexual orientation, religious or political belief,
language, or ethnicity would be a genuine and
concrete illustration of the sincerity and democratic
credentials and commitment of the new elected
Parliament.
The WSI Board consists of Ayesha Babar, Dr.
Fauzia Deeba, Humaira Rahman , Ramesh Tharwani,
Sohail Ansari and Zahid Makhdoom.
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