7 day celebrations about Human Rights day in Pakistan

Kuala Lumpur, Pakistan attaches great importance to Universal Human Rights and has decided to organize a series of events to highlight importance of the protection and promotion of human rights amongst all segment of Pakistani society.

According to the High Commissioner for Pakistan, Lt. Gen. (Retd) Tahir Mahmud Qazi, Govt of Pakistan is celebrating the event from 10th to 17th December, 2009 with the active participation of all the Ministries, Department, Civil Right Organizations and Human Rights Activists throughout the country. The theme for this year celebration will be “Peace and Human Rights”.

The High Commissioner said that Pakistan was fully committed in promoting and protecting human rights of its citizens and was among the first few countries to sign and ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Pakistan has also ratified International Convection on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination (ICED) Convention on the Elimination of all forms of discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, he added.

He said that Pakistan give great importance to the protection of women rights and has taken number of initiatives including, political empowerment of women which is manifested from the fact that currently there are 76 women legislatures in the National Assembly out of 342 and, on top of it,’ the Speaker of the National Assembly Mrs. Fehmida Mirza is a women legislature from the Rural constituency.

Mr. Tahir Qazi said that Pakistan also attaches great importance to protection of child rights, and in this direction, National Commission for Child Welfare and Development in collaboration with UNICEF has established “Children Protection, Monitoring and Data collection System” with the objectives to assess the situation of child rights in the country. Pakistan has also made progress towards achieving Millennium Development Goals particularly those relating to Gross Enrolment Rate (GER) and infant mortality rate, he added.

The High Commissioner said that Pakistan’s constitution guarantees equal rights and status to all citizens, irrespective of religion, race, cost, colour or creed.

He said that in line with the constitutional provision, a high power National Commission for minorities has been established under the Chairmanship of Minister for Minorities Affairs to protect minorities’, religious, social and cultural rights. Although the minorities constitute 2.5% of the population, the government has fixed 5% quota for them in all Federal Services to provided them equal opportunities to grow and prosper.

The High Commissioner aid that Pakistan is party to the International Convention on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination and is committed to implement the convention, in letter and spirit. Pakistan also supports Durban Declaration to combat and eliminate all forms and manifestation of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and relevant intolerance, he added.

The High Commissioner hoped that the 7-days celebration would help in bringing much needed awareness for protection and promotion of universal human right in Pakistan and around the world.

President Zardari Hosted Dinner for Journalists

President Zardari hosts Iftar Dinner for senior journalists

ISLAMABAD, Sep 14 (APP): President Asif Ali Zardari Monday hosted Iftar Dinner in the honour of senior journalists here at the Presidency.
President Zardari informally met the journalists one by one and spent about three hours with them. President also exchanged views with journalists on different topics on the occasion.
Senior journalist Agha M. Ali Raza knows as Ali Raza Alvi was also invited at the dinner. He also discussed current issues with the President.President was looking cool and calm with ever green smiling face and responded properly to every question.
President first time confirmed that there some foreign guarantors were involved the deal of former President Musharraf.
The President said that the dream of opposition against Musharraf will not come true in present days, circumstances.

Pope Taken to Hospital After Fall

Pope Taken to Hospital After Fall

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Ambassador of Turkey called on President Asif Ali Zardari

Islamabad: July 16, 2009: Mr. Engin Soysal, outgoing Ambassador of Turkey called on President Asif Ali Zardari here in the Presidency on Thursday.

The President appreciated the services rendered by him for promoting and strengthening the bilateral relations between the two countries and wished him success in his future assignments.

The outgoing Turkish ambassador thanked the President for the support extended to him during his stay in Pakistan.

Ambassador of Turkey Call on President Zardari

Islamabad: : Mr. Engin Soysal, outgoing Ambassador of Turkey called on President Asif Ali Zardari here in the Presidency on Thursday.

The President appreciated the services rendered by him for promoting and strengthening the bilateral relations between the two countries and wished him success in his future assignments.

The outgoing Turkish ambassador thanked the President for the support extended to him during his stay in Pakistan.

EU countries to provide GSP Plus facility to Pakistan:PM

Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has urged the EU countries to provide GSP Plus facility to Pakistan and facilitate Pakistan’s bid for signing the FTA. He said that enhanced trade not aid, in the long run, would help Pakistan in its economic recovery and in turn quelling the militancy and extremism by undertaking development projects and creating employment opportunities in the affected areas.

He was talking to Mr Luis Amado, Foreign Minister of Portugal who called on him at the PM House this morning.

The Prime Minister emphasized the imperative of resolution of the core issue of Kashmir and water dispute with India to enable Pakistan to fully focus on its western border in the interest of regional stability and a peaceful South Asia.

The Prime Minister called for the international community’s whole hearted participation in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of infrastructure work in the affected areas. He said that unless Pakistan is able to win the hearts and minds of the affected people, the military success against militants alone will not bring in the desired results. He said that the EU should play its role in the capacity building of Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies by properly equipping them and providing social safety net for the families of their personnel who have lost their lives.

Prime Minister also sought the help of the Government of Portugal in institutionalizing the framework of Pakistan-EU Summit. He noted that Spain had indicated to host the second Pakistan-EU Summit during its EU Presidency next year. On the bilateral front, the Prime Minister underlined the need for reinvigorating of ties between Pakistan and Portugal through enhanced comprehensive partnership. He called for regular high level exchanges and people to people contact between the two countries to foster stronger political, economic and cultural relations between the two countries.

Mr Luis Amado, Foreign Minister of Portugal agreed with the Prime Minister for adding new dimension to the bilateral relations by putting in place institutional frameworks and enhanced contacts between the two countries. In the context of EU, the Foreign Minister said that Portugal will be supporting Pakistan as it is playing a pivotal role in the region adding that his country will use its goodwill with Spain to encourage it to host the second Pakistan-EU Summit. He also pledged his country’s support for providing Pakistan greater market access for its products and for exploring the possibility of FTA between EU and Pakistan.

Senator Sughra Imam, Ambassador of Portugal to Pakistan Mr. Jose M. Sanatos Braga and other senior government officials were present during the meeting.Ali Raza Alvi

Situation in Fata also to affect Gulf states, warns Gates Gates

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates has warned Persian Gulf states that they cannot afford to be oblivious to the danger of extremism emanating from Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Speaking to the defence chiefs of 11 Gulf countries at a conference in Washington, Mr Gates encouraged cooperation against common threats that span national borders like Iran’s nuclear programme and terrorist networks operating in the region, as well as in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The Gulf States, he said, need to work together and with the United States also to contain Iranian ambitions in their region.
‘The serious security situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan … also has important implications for the Middle East,’ he said.
Although Afghanistan was outside the regional focus of this conference, it’s nonetheless a vitally important topic for Gulf security interests, he added.
Mr Gates noted that al-Qaeda and its ideology were incubated in the failed state of Afghanistan; the extremists had now largely returned their attention to the Pak-Afghan region in the wake of reversals in Iraq.
‘As we have seen from attacks and al-Qaeda planning and activities across the Middle East and Europe, the danger reaches far beyond the borders of Afghanistan and Pakistan,’ he said.
Mr Gates told the Gulf defence chiefs that the situation in Afghanistan could not be addressed in isolation from its neighbours.
‘To a considerable degree, the Taliban resurgence began when Pakistan made peace agreements with various insurgent and extremist groups on its western border,’ he said.
‘This allowed them more freedom of movement and an effective base of operations (but) that approach by the Pakistani government has come to an end.’
Mr Gates said that the Pakistanis now recognised that the extremists posed a direct threat to their national survival and this led to the recent offensive by the Pakistani military in the Swat Valley.
The US defence secretary described the Swat offensive as ‘an encouraging first step’ but said that Pakistan needed to do more to uproot extremists.
Mr Gates noted that the change of attitude in Pakistan was not a solitary development as he had seen positive political trends in other places as well ‘where the electorates gravitated toward parties that stand for pluralism, and away from parties that foment religious extremism.’
Mr Gates called on the Gulf nations to support Iraq, adding that would help curtail aggression by Iran, which he noted was meddling in Iraqi affairs by training and supplying militants.
‘The embrace of Iraq by its fellow Gulf states will help contain the ambitions of Iran,’ he told the defence leaders. ‘As I have said before, the Iraqi people want to be your partners. Given the challenges in the Gulf, and the reality of Iran, you should wish to be theirs.’