Women action forum: Political resolution for Balochistan demanded

29th anniversary resolution condemns military govt, Islamisation.

LAHORE:

Women are often among the most vulnerable in a conflict situation, the Women Action Forum pointed out on Sunday. A resolution, adopted on the occasion of 29th anniversary of women’s struggles against introduction of Sharia laws under Ziaul Haq’s military government, said the voices and experiences of women of Balochistan will no longer be silenced.

WAF members met at the Punjabi Complex in Gaddafi Stadium. Representative of other human rights organisations attended the event.

A WAF member, while talking about the significance of women-friendly laws, said, “Several pro-women legislative changes in the recent past have testified to the strength of the movement and the positive role women parliamentarians have played in propelling it. However, the challenges of implementation still lie ahead.”

The key resolution further stated that “the future and security of Pakistan lies in the well being of its citizens and not on territorial borders. The state must take responsibility to ensure that human rights and human security take precedence over state security.”

The members also pledged to continue their struggle for a democratic, equitable and a secular state.

The participants maintained that the military, under any circumstances, must not be allowed to circumvent, challenge or impede the democratic process. “The nation cannot be held hostage to military ambitions and adventures; the agendas of intelligence agencies or security interests that threaten the future of Pakistan,” the resolution stated.

WAF members urged the civil society and the government to make efforts for peaceful resolutions of conflicts both in the country and in the region. They said that they stood with all those who had borne the brunt of violence, killing and maiming of innocent citizens, illegal arrests, disappearances and ethnic targeting. They demanded a peaceful and fair political resolution to the conflict in Balochistan. They extended their support to the people of Balochistan, who they said, had suffered violent suppression of their aspirations and rights for decades.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th, 2012.