On the backburner: Tribal NGOs irked by stalled Malala resolution

PESHAWAR:

Pakhtunkhwa Civil Society Network (PCSN) and Tribal NGOs Consortium (TNC) condemned the delay in the assembly on passing a resolution of commendation for Malala Yousafzai’s Nobel triumph.

In a joint statement, the forums blamed Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) for putting the issue on the backburner and adding debatable conditions to an otherwise symbolic gesture of appreciation towards the girl who brought the laurel to Pakistan after 35 years.

TNC Chairman Zar Ali Khan Afridi and PCSN coordinator Taimur Kamal said JI and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) vouched for the resolutions in the National Assembly and Senate unconditionally but have sparked a controversy in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly.

The representatives said that the parties vehemently brought resolutions in favour of Afia Siddiqui, who is an American citizen and has nothing to do with Pakistan. She was sentenced according to the law of a land she swore allegiance to, they added. Malala on the other hand was a Pakistani citizen targeted by militants. Today she is the face of Pakistan’s fight against terror.

She is working for the promotion of education and the global recognition of her struggle is a moment of pride for the country, they believed.

Malala donated $50,000 for the construction of a school in Gaza while JUI-F and JI talk more and work less, said the joint statement.

The forums demanded the K-P Assembly table and pass the resolution and show the world it stands with the oppressed and not with the oppressors.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2014.