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.
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