Published in Balochistan times, May 17, 2011

Hundreds of delegates from across Pakistan attended the Aman Ittehad National Convention on Thursday at Lok Virsa in Islamabad and called for the constitution of a new “social contract” between the people and the state. They said the country needs to transform from a “security state” into a “true welfare state”.

A number of artists, including Arieb Azhar, performed at the gathering to give a message of unity and integration to those deprived of their basic human rights.

The national convention was the culmination of a series of provincial conventions and public dialogues held in March under the auspices of Aman Ittehad in Punjab, Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir to debate various aspects of a new social contract.

A large number of students, teachers, lawyers, journalists, political leaders, labourers, businesspersons, and human rights activists participated in the convention. Discussants expressed grave concern over the volatile situation prevailing in the country and stressed the need to formulate a new “social contract” that could help Pakistan shift to a true welfare state.

“Kidnappings, target killings, and kill and dump practices have become the order of the day, besides other continued social injustices. These practices are weakening the very foundation of the federation,” commented Hassan Ali, a participant, while showing his concern over the country’s present shaky situation.

He said that a true welfare state ensures speedy and cheap justice and guarantees protection of basic human rights. “Unfortunately, the state has done nothing in this regard,” he remarked.

Another unanimous opinion that emerged from the discussion was that the demand for creating new provinces was not illogical but should be done by duly incorporating the wishes of the respective regions. “We support the creation of Seraiki and Hazara provinces,” they said.

They also demanded that the people of Federally Administered Tribal Areas be treated as equal citizens of the country and stressed that the Political Parties Act should be implemented in the tribal region, as, in their opinion, it would help bring its people into the political mainstream.

Ali Asghar Khan, coordinator of Aman Ittehad’s national secretariat, said that people were no longer willing to remain on the sidelines and silently suffer violence. He called for the introduction of reforms that could turn Pakistan into a welfare state, ensure governance as well as dispensation of justice besides equal employment opportunities. “We believe that peace will remain elusive until fundamental changes are instituted,” he maintained.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 02^nd, 2011.

According to a press release issued by Aman Ittehad here Tuesday, the participants of the convention will discuss a new social contract that will help shift Pakistan from a security to a welfare state. The convention will also celebrate the colours of Pakistan.

Araib Azhar and other popular folk artistes from different parts of the country will perform at the event. The convention is a part of a series of provincial conventions and public dialogues held in Punjab, Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir in which a large number of students, teachers, lawyers, journalists, political leaders, labourers, business persons and human rights activists participated.

Published in the News, March 30, 2011

Published by Pakistan Today, March 24, 2011

Published in the Daily Times, March 24, 2011

At a press conference at the Lahore Press Club on Monday, Aman Ittehad Convener Irfan Mufiti said current economic, political and social problems and growing insecurity needed the redefinition of state`s role and its relationship with the citizens.

He said the vision of the country as presented and agreed in the 1940 Pakistan Resolution had not been implemented since 1947 causing serious internal and external threats to the country.

He said the Aman Ittehad was organising people`s assemblies in more than 15 cities and roundtable meetings with political parties to get their opinions on the new social contract so as to define state`s role and its relationship with citizens.

“As the previous social contract was framed for Pakistan on security-related issues alone, it is the need of the hour that we have a new social contract to improve the current situation with all viewpoints,” he added.

South Asia Partnership Pakistan Executive Director Mohammad Tahseen, Shirkat Gah Executive Director Khawar Mumtaz, Bonded Labor Liberation Front`s Fatima, Aurat Foundation`s Mumtaz Mughal and Sanitary Workers Unions Hanif Jutt also spoke.

The representatives unanimously agreed to introduce new social contract in the country with all necessary points, including life of dignity for all citizens, freedom to practice one`s religion without hindrance, repealing of all discriminatory laws, creating peace in the country, peace and trade treaties with the neighboring countries, democratic and participatory governance at federal, provincial, local and grassroots levels, right of the electorate to recall its non-performing representatives at all levels, election to reserved seats for women, minorities on the basis of proportional representation and direct elections for the Senate.

They say the freedom to form new provinces, reviewing federal-provincial relations, abolition of centralised service groups and establishment of an independent judiciary for justice should also be included in the new social contract.

The representatives also said the people`s opinion and views would be consolidated and sent to parliament and other democratic and political forces.

Aman Ittehad will also present these views in a national convention to be held in Islamabad on March 31.

Published in Dawn, March 22, 2011

He said that the basic vision of Pakistan, which was presented and agreed in 1940, has not been implemented in the last 63 years owing to which Pakistan is facing serious threats internally and externally. Mufti said that the Aman Ittehad is organising people’s assemblies in more than 15 cities and roundtable meetings with political parties to get opinions and views on the new social contract that should define the state’s role and its new relationship with citizens and within citizens.

Muhammad Tahseen, executive director, South Asia Partnership Pakistan, Khawar Mumtaz, executive director, Shirkat Gah, Fatima from Bonded Labour Liberation Front, Mumtaz Mughal from the Aurat Foundation, Hanif Jutt of the Sanitary Workers Unions and others also addressed the briefing. Aman Ittehad representatives said that the society is in ferment and a new social contract is urgently needed to improve the situation in this country.

The previous social contract was built around the security of the state: citizens were made to surrender their liberty to preserve the integrity and solidarity of the territorial state. It ignored the first duty of the state to protect the dignity, life, liberty and property of its citizens. It disregarded the second duty of the state to treat all its citizens equally and fairly and to redress inequity through an independent judiciary. It had no respect for the third duty of the state to ensure effective delivery of public services, particularly, education and health.

It did not care much for the fourth duty of the state to ensure decent livelihoods and social assistance for those unable to find work or not able to work at. The failure to provide the former has been the undoing of the later. The new social contract will have to be explicit rather than implicit and agreed by the representatives of the entire strata of the population. Basic questions presenting in these public discussions are:

1 Life of dignity for all citizens, especially the culturally, socially, politically and systemically excluded.

2 Freedom to practice one’s religion without let or hindrance; the state shall have nothing to do with religion; all discriminatory laws to be repealed; rejection of all forms of religious extremism.

3 Indivisibility of peace within and without: peace and trade treaties with the neighboring countries and cross-sectional peace committees.

4 Democratic and participatory governance at federal, provincial, local and grassroots levels.

5 Right of the electorate to recall its non-performing representatives at all levels of government.

6 Election to reserved seats for women, minorities on the basis of proportional representation.

7 Direct elections to decide seats for the Senate.

8 Freedom to form new provinces for any reason – cultural, ethnic, linguistic, religious, administrative, economic – supported by the majority of the concerned group of people expressed in a referendum.

9 People of FATA should be asked in a referendum to vote for either joining an existing province or for a new province

10 Federal-provincial relations respecting provincial autonomy in political as well as fiscal space.

11Abolition of centralised service groups; provinces and local governments should have their own service groups and the federal government should borrow officers from the provinces on the basis of agreed quotas. 12Independent judiciary to ensure justice to all, rule of law that holds everyone accountable, and due process 13The rollback of the state must end, with its resources reprioritised away from national security and towards ensuring equity through institutionalised response to preserve the rights to livelihood, health and education, justice and human dignity.

14Citizens have natural and constitutional right under the social contract. They also have duties, the most important being the duty not to infringe upon the rights of other citizens, pay taxes, respect just laws and sanctity of contracts and defend community. The people’s opinion and views will be consolidated and send to parliament and other democratic and political forces. The Aman Ittehad will also present these views in a national convention in Islamabad on March 31.

Published in Pakistan Today, March 21, 2011

The provincial minister for quality education, president and general secretary of the Balochistan Bar Association and leaders of the PPP, BNP, National Party, PKMAP, HDP and Pakistan Workers Party were also among those who attended the event.

Huma Fauladi began the proceedings by giving a background of Aman Ittehad. “The Aman Ittehad is a citizen platform bringing together hundreds of citizens from across the country that are striving for peace, justice and democratic governance. The Ittehad is beginning a debate on a new social contract.”

“The situation in Balochistan has aggravated over the past few years and it is critical that urgent action is taken to immediately stop torture, target killings and kill and dump practices,” said a young woman participating in the convention.

Participants agreed that all forms of violence must be condemned. “Pakistan is a country of diverse nations, including Pakhtun, Sindhi, Baloch, Punjabi, etc. We must celebrate our cultural diversity,” said another participant.

The participants stressed that restoration of peace would not be possible without rule of law, justice and accountability. The freedom of practicing one’s religion was also supported.

There was support for democratic governance at the federal, provincial and local levels. Disappointment was, however, expressed at the role of many political parties and public representatives. “Many parliamentarians do not bother to attend parliamentary sessions and play their due role,” complained a political worker. There was agreement that the electorate should have the right of recalling non-performing representatives.

Published in the News, March 18, 2011

large number of students, teachers, lawyers, journalists and human rights activists from different parts of the province attended in the convention.

The provincial minister for quality education, president and general secretary of the Balochistan Bar Association and leaders of the PPP, BNP, National Party, PKMAP, HDP and Pakistan Workers Party were also among those who attended the event.

Huma Fauladi began the proceedings by giving a background of Aman Ittehad. “The Aman Ittehad is a citizen platform bringing together hundreds of citizens from across the country that are striving for peace, justice and democratic governance. The Ittehad is beginning a debate on a new social contract.”

“The situation in Balochistan has aggravated over the past few years and it is critical that urgent action is taken to immediately stop torture, target killings and kill and dump practices,” said a young woman participating in the convention.

Participants agreed that all forms of violence must be condemned. “Pakistan is a country of diverse nations, including Pakhtun, Sindhi, Baloch, Punjabi, etc. We must celebrate our cultural diversity,” said another participant.

The participants stressed that restoration of peace would not be possible without rule of law, justice and accountability.

The freedom of practicing one’s religion was also supported. “We must also demand that no one should be allowed to pressurise any person to practice religion in way other than what he or she wishes,” said a participating doctor, adding that the rights of minorities should also be protected.

There was support for democratic governance at the federal, provincial and local levels. Disappointment was, however, expressed at the role of many political parties and public representatives. “Many parliamentarians do not bother to attend parliamentary sessions and play their due role,” complained a political worker.

There was agreement that the electorate should have the right of recalling non-performing representatives. Political leaders also stressed that political parties should be allowed to evolve as institutions. Support was expressed for provincial autonomy with fiscal space.

There was a suggestion that the issue of control over resources should not only be a slogan but clear equations of sharing resources should be worked out. Pakistan’s foreign policy should actively pursue friendly relations with all its neighbours. “Along with trade treaties, we should also actively pursue cultural exchanges with our neighbours,” said a young activist.

Published in the News, March 18, 2011

A large number of students, traders, labour unions’ representatives, human rights activists, journalists, and civil society members took part in the rally, which was a part of Aman Ittehad’s countrywide peace rallies being held simultaneously in over 100 localities including Lahore, Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar, Hyderabad, Abbottabad, Gujranwala, Swat, Gwadar, Jacobabad, Kohistan, Jhang, Dera Ismail Khan, Mithi, Multan, Larkana, Gilgit, FATA and Azad Jammu Kashmir.

Declaring January 1st a solidarity day with violence stricken masses, speakers at the rally said the citizens wanted justice, equity and progress. They said the people wanted an end to backings to those who took law in their hands and propagated extremism.

Ali Asghar Khan said that peace could be made possible in Pakistan, if the government gave priority to the welfare of citizens. He said the Aman Ittehad’s rallies were an expression of citizens’ determination to bring change. “Aman Ittehad is emerging as a new leadership that demands stronger democratic institutions, fair accountability, equal opportunity, and justice for all citizens,” said Ali Asghar Khan.

All Pakistan Federation of Labours’ Secretary General Zahoor Awan demanded of the government to ensure security of livelihood and life of all the citizens without any discrimination on the basis of class, religion or gender.

Rashida Dohad said the citizens must forge unity and demand steps on the part of government to make peace possible in Pakistan.

Naeem Mirza demanded strict action against state and non-state actors who violatelaw of the land for their own interests and encourage militancy and extremism by their words or actions. “We must not let anyone mislead us in the name of religion or ideology,” he said.

At the end, popular artist Arieb Azhar performed live and sang a song ‘Fikr-e-Insan.’ He also sang his hit song Husn-e-Haqqiqi, the kalam of Khawaja Ghulam Farid.

Aman Ittehad is a citizen platform striving for peace, democracy and justice in Pakistan. It observed the Solidarity Day with violence-affected people as an expression of the power of ordinary citizens, and a call to exercise their choice and free will.

Published in the Daily Times, January 2, 2011