Conflict Situation in Balochistan
February 13, 2006
The speakers criticized the unwillingness of the government to resolve the Balochistan crisis. They demanded an immediate end to the ongoing military operation in Baloch tribal areas, a political settlement of the crisis through initiation of an open and meaningful political dialogue, and a balanced and impartial constitution for the province that safeguards the rights of the local people.
Syed Shamsuddin of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) presented the findings of HRCP’s latest report on the situation in Balochistan. The report revealed that the military action in Baloch tribal areas including indiscriminate bombings had resulted in a large number of deaths. Deep resentment and anger had been prevalent in the local communities along with an overwhelming sense of fear. “The present situation calls for an open dialogue and a political settlement that also takes into consideration important issues such as provincial autonomy,” he said. He further stated that the civil administration of Balochistan currently stood subservient to the military and there was a dire need to discourage this malpractice.
Dr Ishaq Baloch of National Party stated that the National Party was a true representative of not only the educated middle class of the country but also of the different ethnic groups. He declared the situation in Balochistan very similar to that of East Pakistan. He said that over the years, Balochistan had undergone five operations, and the insurgency still continued because the federation does not exist in its true sense. “Because of continued discrimination against the province and the ineffectiveness of the political system, the people in Balochistan have started to loose confidence in democracy and political parties,” he said. His demand included initiation of a meaningful political dialogue and a balanced and impartial constitution that could safeguard the rights of the local people.
Ghulam Mustafa Baloch of Strengthening Participatory Organization (SPO), Quetta lamented that the federal government had deprived the local people of Balochistan from controlling their own resources by labeling them as incompetent people who were also incapable of making their own decisions. He said that the government had targeted three tribal chiefs of Balochistan for their alleged anti-development stance. However, the state of majority of the people living under the rule of pro-government/liberal tribal leaders remained as miserable as the former. He also endorsed the demand for a balanced constitution.
While responding to the questions of participants of the seminar, the speakers strongly condemned the colonial attitude of the federal government and declared it a contributing factor to the crisis situation that prevails in Balochistan.
Causes and Consequences of Margalla Towers Tragedy: Lessons Learnt
February 6, 2006
The speakers condemned the Capital Development Authority (CDA) for showing criminal negligence, which led to the collapse of Margalla Towers and the resultant loss of precious human lives. They recommended the need for better legislation for implementation and enforcement of building codes, verification systems for high-rise buildings, research for seismic resistant buildings and facilitation of independent investigations in the tragedy.
Dr Farid Midhet of Asia Foundation presented a factual account of the Margalla Towers tragedy on behalf of the Margalla Towers Residents’ Society. He declared CDA and the builders (CCC Associates) responsible for the loss of lives, as they did not pay any heed to numerous complaints lodged by the residents of Margalla Towers about its poor construction. Sharing the evidence of poor designs and faulty construction of the building, he said that CDA had a suspicious relationship with CCC Associates, which was why the complaints of the supervising engineers Habib Fida Ali Associates were ignored and the complainants were eventually dismissed.
He further said that the ground acceleration was 0.05g in Islamabad, which was very low as compared to the ground acceleration of 0.8g experienced in Muzaffarabad and Kashmir. “This clearly shows that Margalla Towers did not collapse because of the earthquake,” he stated. He strongly criticized the CDA officials for doubly victimizing the residents of Margalla Towers by calling them illegal occupants. “CDA was making an irresponsible effort to shift the blame by trying to disassociate itself from the Margalla Towers project,” he added. He lamented that CDA even failed to provide immediate rescue and relief to the survivors and to comply with the orders of the Supreme Court in letter and spirit. He proposed formation of a body in Islamabad to protect the rights of citizens. He also demanded that CDA should be transformed into a more accountable and democratic institution.
Dr Shafqat Shehzad of SDPI highlighted the fact that despite the Supreme Court’s order to fully compensate the residents of Margalla Towers, CDA had only paid two months’ rent to the affectees. She stressed upon the need for better legislation for implementation of building codes, verification systems for high-rise buildings and research for seismic-resistant buildings.
Other members of Margalla Towers Resident Society (MRTS) also shared their experiences, including Saad Mazhar who lost his entire family in the tragedy. While responding to the questions of the participants of the seminar, Dr Asim Masood, President MRTS, said that the decision of the Supreme Court regarding the tragedy of Margalla Towers held immense significance for prevention of future tragedies, as it would set a precedent.
Drinking Water Vision-2030 for Rawalpindi
January 30, 2006
Experts warned of severe water crisis in Rawalpindi in the near future if small dams such as Cherah and Daducha on Soan and Ling rivers, respectively, were not built and leakages, wasting 50% of water, not plugged. They asked the government to immediately start de-silting of Khanpur dam's water channel since the channel had not been cleaned for years and the filtration plant at the dam was unable to provide water to the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad as per its maximum capacity.
Dr Isa Daudpota, an environmentalist, said Khanpur dam was built on a wrong site by Ayub Khan’s government. In 1986, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) adopted an alternative route to provide water to the twin cities from this dam, which did not prove to be a useful alternative. He said that the water supply from Khanpur dam to the twin cities involved three different options in the past, but ECNEC did not approve the feasible and perfect option of Margalla water tunnel, which was even strongly recommended by the CDA and JICA. “The Margalla water tunnel project had an estimated cost of Rs320m in the year 1985, which can be doubled to Rs640m in recent times due to the inflation factor; but still it was a feasible project with a less operational and maintenance cost to existing project of water supply to the twin cities from Khanpur dam,” he said. He added that the proposed supply of water to the federal capital and Rawalpindi from Jehlum and Indus rivers was no practical solution to the water crisis in the making. He asserted the people were given the wrong impression that there was too little water in Khanpur dam. The dam's spillways had been opened 18 times during the last year alone, which showed that water availability was not a problem but how to suck the water up from 400 meters. He lamented that neither Punjab nor the NWFP cleaned the channel of Khanpur dam, which had made the filtration plant inefficient.
Arshad Abbasi of SDPI said that at present Rawalpindi had a population of 1.8m and with the present growth rate it would touch 4m by 2030. Now the city required more than 36mgd water, however, by 2030 the water requirement would also increase. He said that two small dams, i.e., Chirah dam on Soan River and Daducha dam on river Ling could be easily built in Rawalpindi to meet its future water requirements. Both the dams, he said, were unavoidable, if the government wanted to avert the long-predicted water crisis in Rawalpindi. He said installation of water meters could also help save the water from being wasted. At present, he said the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa), Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA), and Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) charged fixed rates.
Participants of the seminar also discussed water pollution in Rawal Lake and the provision of unsafe drinking water to the citizens of Rawalpindi. They said that water charges should not be increased; instead, the water agencies must improve the quality of potable water aimed at checking water-borne diseases that were now common in Rawalpindi. They said that the newly laid faulty pipelines in Rawalpindi should be rectified. More than 50% of the city's water wasted through leakages in the pipelines, which was a main reason for the mixing of sewage with water. In developed countries, there was very little or no leakages in the pipelines. However, Pakistan should at least follow the Asian model where only 8-12% water wasted through leakages.
Medical Negligence in Pakistan
January 16, 2006
Dr Sohail Hashmi of PMDC said that Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) lacked the authority to deal with the cases of medical negligence. According to him, registration of senior health professionals had been cancelled on account of medical negligence but the process was very lengthy. PMDC had revised its code of ethics (which was developed in 1978) to include modern as well as religious concepts. “However, PMDC is not responsible for the entire health community including homeopathic doctors, tabibs, opticians, lady health workers, dais, quacks etc,” he clarified. He recommended formulation of a national policy for patient protection and regulation of appropriate health services delivery.
Mr Lal Zameer narrated the incident of his wife’s death that happened due to negligence of a gynecologist. He said that his loss was irrecoverable, yet he had filed a case through The Network for Consumer Protection so that such incidents could be avoided in future.
Referring to Mr Zameer’s case, Mr Batish Mehmood Tipu of The Network for Consumer Protection said that it was not only the patient who suffered due to medical negligence, but the entire family of the victim had to go through mental trauma. “Their agony was multiplied when their complaints were brushed off without any action,” he added. He said that numerous cases of medical negligence went unreported because of lack of accountability. He recommended that public interest lawyers should also be familiar with medical terminologies in order to deal with such cases. He urged the government to ensure registration of all medical practitioners as well as medical institutions in order to make them accountable.
Appraisal of Noise Levels and Noise Annoyance in Silence Zones of Rawalpindi and Islamabad
January 2, 2006
Dr Talib Lashari of Ministry of Health condemned the high levels of noise in silence zones by declaring it a serious concern for public health. He added that research and legislation regarding noise annoyance had been very limited despite the fact that this area also pertained to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). He also appreciated the efforts of the speakers to draw attention towards an important issue and urged adoption of a multi-sector approach to deal with it. He added that the seminar’s recommendations would be forwarded to the National Health Policy unit of Ministry of Health for necessary action.
Saira Bano of Fatima Jinnah Women’s University discussed the levels of noise in the hospitals of Islamabad in which she particularly listed the negative impacts of noise annoyance on human health including loss of hearing, stress, sleep disturbance, tiredness etc. She lamented that Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency had not specified any standards for noise levels in the silence zones. According to the findings of her study, major sources of noise include traffic, hospital visitors, hospital staff, paging etc.
Nazima Shaheen of SDPI presented her study that focused on appraisal of noise level in hospitals of Rawalpindi. Her study indicated that aircrafts, traffic and attendants were the major sources of noise for the patients. She concluded that noise levels of casualty wards were higher than that of any other location. Her recommendations included public awareness raising, incorporation of speed barriers and installation of signboards near hospitals.
Maria Khalid of Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH) discussed the high noise levels in schools and universities of Rawalpindi/Islamabad. She said that the high level of noise in schools negatively affected the academic performance of children along with posing serious health concerns. While discussing the role of noise barriers, she suggested that tree plantation was an effective way of noise reduction.
Picking and Pesticide Poisoning: Working Conditions of Cotton Pickers
February 20, 2006
For cotton pickers shouldering Pakistan’s most important industry, decent working conditions including higher wages and lower pesticide poisoning were demanded.
Naila Hussain, a Lahore-based environment and development researcher, shared the findings of her research on working conditions of cotton pickers in Southern Punjab. She said that there had been a massive increase in the use of pesticides that posed serious threats to the health of the cotton pickers. She strongly criticized the multinationals for strategizing aggressive marketing of pesticides without highlighting any information related to their ill effects on human health. She stated that eye infections, skin irritation, respiratory diseases, including asthma and kidney problems, were common among cotton pickers due to their high exposure to poisonous residues. “Lack of awareness and poverty exacerbates the situation,” she added. Her recommendations included political will and coordinated effort to implement farmer-friendly policies and practices such as availability of toxicity test facility in cotton growing areas. She strongly recommended a ban on certain pesticides such as DDT.
Dr Karin Astrid Siegman of SDPI presented a comparative analysis of the working conditions of cotton pickers before and after the end of quota restrictions in Textile & Clothing (T & C) trade. She explained that before the quota expiry, women workers faced lack of alternative income sources and low bargaining power because of poor education, poverty, gender discrimination and labor surplus. “In addition, they faced sexual harassment and pesticide-induced health problems,” she said. “The WTO Agreement on Textile & Clothing (ATC) phased out the quota system governing T&C trade in January 2005, however, no positive change took place in the working conditions of cotton pickers,” she added. She stated that the same low wages prevailed and were accompanied by price hike and increased pesticide use. Her recommendations included awareness-raising of cotton growers, pickers, pesticide companies, and government officials along with the application of protective/labor laws for workers in agriculture sector and incentives for contamination-free cotton such as better wages for pickers.
Development versus Environmental Concerns: Removal of Trees in Islamabad
January 23, 2006
The speakers and participants urged the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to stop removal of trees in Islamabad and to prioritize the development needs of the city. The Capital Development Authority was in the dock and its official from Environment Directorate had to cut a sorry figure for anti-tree drive of the civic body. The speakers and participants pointed out that anti-environment activities in the city and Margalla Hills were against the Master Plan as well as Margalla Hills National Park legislation. The CDA plans such as to develop golf courses at Fatima Jinnah Park, Margalla Hills and Jinnah Super Market also came under severe criticism during the seminar. The participants demanded an efficient mass transit system to deal with the traffic issues instead of relying solely on road expansion, as that would eventually lead to deterioration of the environment and loss of biodiversity in the city.
Wajahat Latif of Margalla Hill Society said that removal of trees for expansion of roads was a short-term solution to the problem that would prove inadequate in the long run. He emphasized the need for effective traffic management to deal with traffic-related problems. Strongly opposing the construction of steel/concrete structures in public parks, he demanded citizen's participation in the decision-making process. He said that we should not go for ill-conceived projects like golf courses in a city, which could not provide shelter to dwellers of Katchi Abaadis. He said that his Society had filed a lawsuit against construction plan at Dar-e-Jangla in the Margalla Hills National Park but awaited hearing before the Supreme Court.
Aurangzeb Awan of CDA said that the CDA was removing trees not just for the expansion of roads and construction of buildings but also for getting rid of paper mulberry trees that cause allergy to residents of the city. However, no trees were being removed from designated green belts, he maintained. He claimed that the CDA also planted over 23m saplings and consultations with civil society members took place before the removal of trees. He maintained that dualization of roads saved citizens traveling time and helped to control emission of pollutants from vehicles, the latter being an environmental concern as well.
A journalist observed that Environment Directorate of the CDA was a helpless body before its Road Directorate. He questioned Aurangzeb Awan of CDA Environment Directorate why the trees in front of Presidency Colony were cut when enough space was available for the dualization of Barri Imam Road. Mr Awan said that those trees were not part of the planning. He could not give an answer to the question why three rows of the trees were implanted at a space about which the authority knew it would be used for the road. Trees take decades to grow while roads take a few years to get broken and re-carpeted, he said.
A participant from an NGO criticized CDA for not carrying out Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) or Initial Environment Examination (IEE), which were obligatory under the law for projects like construction of a hotel at Pir Sohawa. He said that since the induction of Kamran Lashari as CDA chief, Islamabad had a lot of flowers and beautification but at the same time, trees were cut in the name of development and commercialization of green belt was taking place. Another participant said that such acts were performed for political and economic reasons, as cutting trees and building roads generated commission for bureaucrats of the authority. Professor Naeem Khan shared the details of the trees that had been cut in sector F-7/3 and Blue Area for the purpose of beautification of the city and construction of a food park, respectively. However, quite contrary to the purpose, the removal of trees had resulted in sewerage problems, which in turn, posed serious threats to the public health.
SDPI Center for Capacity Building
In line with its mandate, SDPI Center for Capacity Building (CCB) provides high quality training to the public, private and NGO sector organizations and individuals to strengthen institutions and build capacity for sustainable development. During January-February 2006, CCB conducted the following trainings:
1. Monitoring and Evaluation of Projects January 3-5
An objective and meaningful system of monitoring and evaluation facilitates the success and sustainability of projects. The participants were keen to learn the modern tools and techniques of monitoring and evaluation. Participants learned to use MS Project software to monitor project activities. They reviewed their existing monitoring and evaluation formats and incorporated improvements. The workshop objectives were to:
2. Environmental Impact Assessment of Development Projects
January 24-26
EIA aims at assessing environmental impact at an early stage of project planning, design and development and building into the project alternative ways and means to mitigate the adverse effects. An EIA results in environment-friendly and cost-effective projects. It is an essential part of project design and appraisal. Currently, it has been emphasized at many private and public fora that there is a dire need for institutional and personnel capacity-building in this area.
Participants from national, international and foreign agencies, industrial sector, academia and corporate sector attended the training. They also carried out an EIA of a development project of proposed Islamabad Railway Station.
The overarching aim of this training workshop was to enable the participants to build their capacity to integrate environmental concerns in project proposals. The specific objectives were to enable the participants to:
3. Project Proposal Development
February 14-16
Organizations that depend on external grants to achieve their objectives have to apply various sources to obtain project funding. However, most organizations are often not aware of the basic requirements of a project proposal. As a result, a project proposal may be rejected or unnecessarily delayed, because it does not meet the required criteria. This workshop was designed to help participants to understand the principles and formats of writing an effective project proposal. It provided the trainees an opportunity to prepare, present and defend a project proposal.
The training workshop was designed for managers involved in project planning and management, social and infrastructure development, representatives of national and international NGOs, academia, government officials and policy and decision-makers.
At the end of the workshop, the participants were able to:
Anatomy of a Peoples’ Rights Movement: A Case Study of the Sarhad Awami Forestry Ittehad (SAFI)
By Shaheen Rafi Khan, Moeed Yusuf (SDPI) and Riaz Ahmed (SUNGI)
Working paper series # 103; pp. 16; Price: Rs. 60.00
Abstract
The Sarhad Awami Forestry Ittehad (SAFI), arguably, represents the only formal attempt to engage in forestry reform advocacy and political activism. Given the importance of developing an understanding of the factors that may lead to the success of peoples’ movements in Pakistan, we conduct a careful evaluation of SAFI’s impact on the forestry reform process and, in general, in terms of sustainable forest management.
SAFI is active in the Malakand and Hazara divisions of NWFP, and in the Southern District and Kurram Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The rapidly eroding capability of the State to manage its forests amicably and its consequent impact upon communities and the environment provided the backdrop for an organization like SAFI.
SAFI emerged with two broad objectives. The first was to mobilize community resistance against the excesses committed by the large forest owners, the contractors and the forest department. The second objective was to convert such mobilization into a critical mass for policy advocacy. SAFI’s successes can be assessed at three levels: policy advocacy, organized resistance and management interventions. In terms of policy advocacy, SAFI has created widespread awareness about the forestry reforms, engaging with communities and other relevant stakeholders in consultations and discussions. SAFI also conducted successful organized resistance in Hazara and Dir-Kohistan to support the cause of the disempowered communities. It has also made management interventions bringing the realization among public functionaries that partnership with communities offers prospects for sustainable management of forests.
SAFI’s experience provides valuable lessons for broader peoples’ movements in the country. The organization’s experience underscores the need for such movements to involve an extremely broad set of stakeholders in consultations. It further highlights the need for a sufficiently large, formally trained membership base, especially if a movement draws upon volunteers as SAFI does. Finally, given the nature of such efforts, the issue of financial sustainability must be addressed by diversifying income sources so that the movement is not solely dependant on donor support.
What Comes After the Quota Went? Effects of and Responses to the ATC Expiry
By Karin Astrid Siegmann and Atif Nasim
Policy Brief series # 21; pp. 19; Price: Rs. 60.00
Abstract
The global environment after the expiry of the quota system in textiles and clothing (T&C) trade poses formidable challenges to human development in Pakistan. Increased quality and price competition in the post-ATC scenario provides an opportunity for some segments of the T&C sector – but a threat to the most labour-intensive ones. As quality and quantity of employment were largely ignored factors in the preparations for the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing’s (ATC’s) abolition in Pakistan, potential job and wage losses are feared, in garment manufacturing in particular. Unskilled and female workers are most vulnerable.
Challenges also provide the opportunity for change. The following recommendations are put forward in this policy brief:
PDF Format
