Youth Parliament of Pakistan 2009-10

	Fourth Session Summary
		Fourth Session of the Youth Parliament Pakistan concluded at Islamabad May 26 to May 30, 2010
	The Fourth Session of the Youth Parliament Pakistan which started from Wednesday, May 26, concluded on Sunday May 30, 2010, here in Islamabad. The session that spanned over 5 days focused on key subjects of discussion including *National Identity* and *Good Governance and Accountability. The Sittings of Youth Parliament Pakistan 2009-2010* The Third batch of Youth Parliament Pakistan held five sittings during the Fourth Session First Sitting: Wednesday, May 26, 2010 On the first day of the fourth session of Youth Parliament, the Youth Parliament began considering contours of a Youth Policy on National Identity. The day began with offering fateha for the departed soul of the father of Dr. Donya Aziz, MNA and Advisor Blue Party Youth Parliament. A Calling Attention Notice by Ms. Zil-e-Huma (YP13-PUNJAB31) was presented in the House regarding the looming danger associated with Attabad Lake in Hunza that is expected to flood and erase 36 villages if the barriers break. The discussion ranged from the weak spillover infrastructural problems and to the problems related to rehabilitation of the 14000 people. The House also believed that the administration is doing what it humanly can to contain and manage the crisis. The first resolution of the day was moved by Ms. Gul Andaam Orakzai ( YP10-ICT03), Mr. Imtiaz Ali Khuhro (YP46-SINDH09) and Ms. Zile Huma ( YP13-PUNJAB31) asking the government to take immediate measures to hold accountable the real culprits of assassination of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto in the light of the UN Commission Report. Criticising the UN Report, Ms. Anam Javed Cheema (YP29-PUNJAB11) said that the report was only an attempt to malign all our institutions. She demanded that an independent Judicial Commission must be constituted for an objective inquiry into the assassination of Ms. Bhutto. The House demanded action against the Law Minister and the Interior Minister while criticizing the 3 member committee made by the Prime Minister, saying the committee was eyewash and not meant to reach to a substantial decision. The resolution was passed with majority. The second resolution of the day was moved by Mr. Hmmal Muneer (YP03-BALOCHISTAN02), Ms. Asbah Rehman (YP30-PUNJAB12) and Mr. Imtiaz Ali Khuhro (YP46-SINDH09) which demanded that the Government must take immediate steps to bring back General Pervez Musharraf for trial. Members generally called the rule of President Musharraf as a dark era in the history of the country and called the killings of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti a criminal act. Second Sitting: Thursday, May 27, 2010 Mr. Mujib ur Rehman Shami, Editor in Chief, Daily Pakistan and former President APNS and CPNE addressed the Youth Parliament Pakistan on the topic of National Identity on its Second day of the Fourth Session. He said that the role of religion and the Islamic identity of Pakistan are settled issues and while the Youth should understand the basis of these, it serves no purpose to unsettle these issues. Mr. Shami believed that we all carried multiple identities of our nationality, religion, region and other personal identities. One identity should not be confused to be at the exclusion of the other. Pakistan is an Islamic Republic and a firmly democratic country and the two things are not in clash with each other. "Youth should learn to celebrate the multi-layered identities," he said highlighting that Pakistani identity today was not in any weak position as posed through various question of Members Youth Parliament. Pakistan has had a dynamic foreign policy and no country can afford to have one uniform, non-adaptable foreign policy. Our Islamic identity may have influenced our foreign policy but that is only one of the many factors. Earlier, the day started with a Calling Attention Notice by Youth Information Minister, Mr. Hanan Ali Abbasi (YP15-KhyberPakhtunkhwa04) protesting the killings in Hazara district, and demanding that the people involved should be brought to justice. This was followed by another Calling Attention Notice on the target killings in Karachi that have resulted in the death of over 280 people in the last few weeks. Mr. Prem Chand (YP38-SINDH01) condemned this and said that this is planned target killing taking place with the backing of political parties Mr. Lehrasip Hayat (YP23-PUNJAB05) Leader of the Opposition in the Youth Parliament presented a youth package on National Identity in the House for discussion to formulate a policy on the issue of National Identity. He said that a constant imposition of abstract religion-based identity, at the expense of existing strong ethnic and cultural entities, on part of the state have created a sense of alienation in these ethnic and cultural entities and this policy hampered the formation of indigenous national identity. The House discussed that Pakistan's national identity should be viewed as heterogenic state; a mix of primordial identities (ethnic identities) having shared religious beliefs. The appraisal of existing ethnic and cultural entities should not be viewed as an antithesis to the process of national integration. Rather this process needs to be viewed as reiterating the concept of unity out of diversity. The House also discussed that anti-Westernism (based on religious differences) and pro-Westernism (liberalism) should not be any more used as our identity-marker while Identity should not also be imposed from upward to downward. Identity formation should be viewed as an evolutionary process which should move from downward to upward in the society. A Committee was formed to present a report on issue. Top Members of the first three Sessions of the Youth Parliament Pakistan were awarded certificates on the basis of their Evaluation in the respective sessions by Mr. Mujib ur Rehman Shami, Chief Editor, Daily Pakistan and Mr. Javed Jabbar, former Senator and former Minister for Information and Media Development. Third Sitting: Friday, May, 28, 2010 Mr. Javed Jabbar, former Senator and former Minister for Information & Media Development addressed the third day of the Fourth Session of Youth Parliament Pakistan on the topic of National Identity. He said that Pakistan is an unusual nation in a lot of ways; it has an invented name and is one of the 3 countries out of 191 in the United Nations which is founded on the basis of religion. He said that the event of 1971 was a traumatic one and questioned the basis of Pakistani Identity. "We must learn from such incidences and keeping Islam as the unifying factor, and must not deny provinces, regions and administrative units of their rights." Mr. Jabbar said that the case of Faisal Shehzad was a clear case of conflicting identities. He also said that the role of media plays a huge role in projecting the image of a country and unfortunately our cinemas and media are not helping, the way these should, to promote and reclaim our national identity. "The word secularism has been misused since the creation of Pakistan which has hurt the concept of National Identity. The 'Reconstruction of religious thought in Islam' by Allama Mohammad Iqbal says that 'all that is secular is deeply sacred in the roots of its din'. The real meaning of secularism is respect for all religions rather than upholding a single religion, he said. Earlier in the day, the Youth Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Rana Amaar Faruq (YP08-ICT01) submitted his resignation along with his Cabinet. During a party meeting, the new candidate for the Youth Prime Minister, Mr. Hassan Javed Khan (YP39-SINDH02), was selected unanimously by the party and will take oath of the office on Saturday, May 29, 2010. The legislative business included a number of Calling Attention Notices which included the results of the recently held United Kingdom elections, congratulating 8 Muslims MPs including 3 women and specially congratulating the Pakistani-origin Chairperson of the Conservative party and Cabinet Minister Baroness Sayeeda Warsi. Members strongly protested the "Draw Muhammad" page on facebook claiming that it was an attack on the integrity of Islam and on the global Muslim community. Attention of the House was also invited to 'Yaum-e-Takbir', May 28, 2010, and the House resolved to stand united as a nation against any challenges to ensure peace in the region. The highlight of the day was the report on youth policy on National Identity presented by the Youth Parliament Pakistan 2009-10. The report included the perspective of the Youth Parliament in understanding the underlying basis of National Identity in the country. The report offers solutions and recommendations to help understand and reclaim a unique National Identity. A resolution was passed on the need to add major regional languages as additional subjects in primary schools of the respective provinces to promote cultural harmony in the country. The House also believed that Arabic should be taught as a compulsory language in curriculum in order to understand the true principles of religion and help understand our identity. Fourth Sitting: Saturday May 29, 2010: On the fourth day of the session, Youth Parliament Pakistan unanimously elected its new Prime Minister, Mr. Hassan Javed Khan (YP39-SINDH02) which was followed by the oath taking ceremony of the Youth Prime Minister. The newly appointed Youth cabinet included: Rana Amaar Faaruq (YP08-ICT01 ) as Youth Minister for Law, Human Rights and Parliamentary Affairs; Mr. Shamas ur Rehman Alvi (YP48-SINDH11) as Youth Minister for Finance, Planning Affairs and Economics; Mr. Prem Chand (YP38-SINDH01) as Youth Prime Minister for Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs; Ms. Maria Fayyaz (YP32-PUNJAB14) as Youth Minister for Education, Health and Environment, Syeda Rabab Zehra Naqvi (YP41-SINDH04) as Youth Minister for Information and Mr. Abdullah Lak (YP36-PUNJAB18), Youth Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence. Earlier in the day, a Calling Attention Notice was presented condemning the twin terror attacks in Lahore which claimed 80 lives and targeted a specific group. The House demanded quick enquiry in the matter and demanded that the people responsible be punished for such heinous act. Another Calling Attention Notice discussed the arrests and assaults by Karachi police on a peaceful teachers rally. Mr. Imtiaz Ali Khuro (YP46-SINDH09) and Syed Manzoor Shah (YP04-BALOCHISTAN03) moved a resolution proposing a new accountability mechanism throughout the country. Another resolution by Ms. Rabab Zehra Naqvi (YP41-SINDH04) and Ms. Anam Javed Cheema (YP29-PUNJAB11) discussed the proposals for a unique good governance policy of Youth Parliament Pakistan. Members proposed their suggestions for new accountability mechanisms stating that a computerized system should be implemented for E-Governance. The House discussed the need for Civil Service Reforms and Accountability mechanism and proposals were submitted by both the parties to the ad hoc committee co chaired by Leader of the House and Leader of the Opposition. Fifth Sitting: Sunday, May 30, 2010 The day started with a calling Attention Notice on the increase in food prices in the month of Ramzan. The Youth Minister of Finance spoke about the imposition of price ceilings during the month of Ramazan on all commodities which cater to the everyday consumption of the poor people of Pakistan. He agreed that the implementation of this policy may seem hard because of the enforcement of these prices is not easy to maintain due to the forces of demand and supply. A number of reports were presented in the house, which were discussed earlier. The suggestions and recommendations given by the house on both the reports on accountability and civil service reforms were adjusted and catered to as per the recommendations of the concerned members. Another report on general Youth Policy was presented by the Youth Minister of Culture Sports and Youth Affairs. A report on Health Care Reforms was also presented. A resolution was passed on the need for formulation of new provinces for better delivery of public services. The house discussed that the new province formation should be on the basis of administrative problems and not on ethnic basis.


	Mr. Mujib-ur-Rehman Shami, Editor in-Chief Daily Pakistan addressing the Youth Parliament Pakistan


	Mr. Javed Jabbar, former Federal Minister for Information and Media Development is being presented a memento by the Youth Parliament Leadership


	Youth Prime Minister, Mr. Hassan Javed Khan (Late) taking oath of his office


	Oath Taking by the New Cabinet of the Youth Parliament Pakistan


	Syeda Rabab Zehra Naqvi (Late), Youth Minister for Information expressing her view point


	Mr. Prem Chand (Late), Youth Minister for Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs explaining his views

Youth Parliament of Pakistan 2008-09