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| Third Session Summary | |||
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Third Session of the Youth Parliament
Pakistan 2008-2009 Concluded at Islamabad |
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This term, the Youth Parliament of Pakistan launched Crisis Simulation Exercise (CSE) for members of the Youth Parliament, for the first time. The Exercise began on Wednesday, February 18, 2009, with an orientation and briefing over the crisis simulation and ended the following day, Thursday, February 19 at 04:30 pm. The Simulation comprised a crisis hypothesis over which mYPs were to devise a strategy to cope with the crisis within a set time frame. It was a day long exercise during which two groups of seven each were confined to a Crisis Cell with required reference material and access to the internet without their cell phones and instant messenger interfaces. Brig. (Retd.) Badar Munir, Former Directing Staff Research, Institute of Strategic Studies; Research and Analysis (ISSRA), National Defense University (NDU), along with Mr. Rizwan Zeb, an Islamabad based Research Analyst conceived, coordinated and moderated the exercise. In the end the MYPs delivered presentations explaining their strategies over which the two gave their observation. Members of the first batch of MYPs to participate in the first Crisis Simulation Exercise (CSE) were: Mr. Mudassir Habib (YP57-SINDH09); Mr. Zameer Ahmed Malik (YP50-SINDH02); Mr. Samir Anwar Butt (YP10-ICT01); Syed Waqas Ali Kausar (YP01-AJK01); Mr. Mohsin Saeed (YP29-PUNJAB10); Mir Fahad Iqbal (YP61-SINDH13); Muhammad Khalil Tahir (YP02-AJK02); Mr. Ahsan Yousaf Choudhary (YP42-PUNJAB23); Mr. Waqqar Nayyer ( YP05-BALOCHISTAN03); Mr. Umair Zafar Malik (YP33-PUNJAB14); Muhammad Waqas Sarwar (YP28-PUNJAB09); Mr. Allah Ditta Tahir (YP34-PUNJAB15); Mr. Ahmed Noor (YP08-FATA01); and Mr. Fawad Zia (YP17-NWFP05). Mr. Wazir Ahmed Jogezai, Former Deputy Speaker National Assembly of Pakistan presided over inaugural plenary while Dr. Donya Aziz and Engr. Khurram Dastgir Khan both members of the National Assembly, acted as Party Advisors to the Blue and the Green Party of the Youth Parliament Pakistan, respectively. The First Sitting The Third Session of the Youth Parliament Pakistan 2008-09 began by swearing in three new members. Mr. Wazir Ahmed Jogezai, the Presiding Officer of the Youth Parliament took oath of these new MYPs: Ms. Nabia Zafar (YP11-ICT02); Ms. Sofia Saeed (YP52-SINDH04) and Mr. Shahbaz Zaheer (YP64-ICT03). Business of the house began with a calling attention notice moved by Mr. Samir Anwar Butt (YP10-ICT01) regarding the ‘compromise’ made over potential income for the country through Gawadar Deep Sea Port by giving large concessions to Port of Singapore Authority Gawadar (PSAG). The house strongly recommended that the case should be reviewed by the NEC, keeping in view the interest of transfer of technology to Pakistan and employment opportunities to the Balochi population of Gawadar. Mir Fahad Iqbal (YP61-SINDH13) moved a calling attention notice relating to the decrease in the budget of the Higher Education Commission. The mover addressed the plight of both foreign students and indigenous research scholar due to the shrinkage of funds. In a motion moved by Ms. Maria Ishaq (YP26-PUNJAB07) about the right of women to divorce in Islam, the House witnessed intense debate. The resolution condemned the prevalent practice of disallowing the right of divorce to women at the time of Nikah. While the movers strongly advocated parity of decision for both the genders to claim divorce, the opposition argued that doing so would disregard the Shariah that does not provide women the right to direct divorce. After a heated debate from both the sides, the motion was referred to the Standing Committee on Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Human Rights for review. On an urgent motion, the recent Swat Peace Agreement was debated upon in the Youth Parliament. Mr. Waqar Nayyar (YP05-BALOCHISTAN03) reminded the house of similar peace deals made in the past that had enabled guerilla fighters to recuperate and regroup for reinforced campaigns with expanded demands. He thus condemned the peace deal by terming it an unintelligent move on the part of the government that may worsen the already crumbling ‘national solidarity.’ The opposing members advocated the right of people of Swat to live peacefully and proposed synchronizing the Shariah system adopted in the region into Pakistani constitution and thus making the same conducive and accommodative to the wish of the people of Swat. After a heated debate on the issue this motion was referred to Standing Committee of Defense and Foreign Affairs for review. The Youth Parliament unanimously stressed on carrying out an active, vigilant and objective assessment of the present political setup. They rejected the notion of a mid-term election and emphasized the need for a continuous democratic process for a prosperous Pakistan. The issue was raised in form of a resolution moved by Mr. Abdullah Zaidi (YP53-SINDH05) and was passed on a majority vote. Crisis Simulation Exercises planned for members of the parliament began with an orientation of the selected 15 members. The Exercise will be continue through the second and third days of Youth Parliament session. The Second Sitting On the second day, Thursday, February 19, 2009, the Youth Parliament Pakistan 2008-09 strongly condemned the use of Pakistani territory by the CIA predator aircrafts. The issue was raised in a calling attention notice moved by Mr. Chaudhry Usman Ahmad (YP41-PPUNJAB22) and Mr. Muhammad Essam Rehmani (YP51-SINDH03). The Youth Parliament asserted against repeated violations of Pakistan’s territorial sovereignty and condemned the use of Shamsi Airbase in Balochistan to launch drone attacks. Members of the Parliament spoke for the lives of innocent civilians falling victim to these attacks. They criticised Pakistan’s standpoint and demanded a comprehensive review of current foreign policy. Proactive foreign policy was also advocated through a resolution moved by Syed Mohsin Raza (YP56-SINDH08), Mr. Asad Asghar Jangua (YP37-PUNJAB18), Afsana Afsar (YP45-PUNJAB26) and Zameer Ahmed Malik (YP50-SINDH02) demanding of the government to counter Indian Water reservoir projects. India is using the “Aqua Bomb” against Pakistan to garner tactical advantage and obtain bargain chips to use on the Kashmir front, the house felt. This resolution was also passed with a majority vote. To take immediate action on solving the problem of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of FATA and Swat, Mr. Muhammad Hamid Hussain (YP09-FATA 02), Mr. Sufian Ahmad Bajar (YP39-Punjab20), Syed Ansar Hussain (YP12-NA01) and Ms. Sor Fabha Alvi (YP14-NWFP02) moved a resolution; the movers lamented ‘tardiness’ on part of the government, and its inability to prioritize the issue. They demanded swift action and warned the house of the ‘undesired outcomes’ of prolonging the issue. This resolution was also passed, with a unanimous vote. Another resolution, over having a cap on ministry portfolios, was moved by Mr. Umair Farrukh Raja (YP26-Punjab17) and Mr. Raheel Niazi (YP43-Punjab24). Pakistan has the largest number of ministeries and ministers in the world that are being maintained with unprecedented exuberance, the movers said while quoting a figure of PKR 6 crore as annual spending per minister, in the country. They urged the government to heed issues of national concern, such as energy crisis, by setting aside personal indulgences and favoritism. This resolution was also passed with a majority vote. A calling attention notice was also raised to express condolences on behalf of the Youth Parliament to GEO television on the shooting down of their journalist, Musa Khan Khel. Mr. Khan was in the Matta area of Sawat to cover talks between Maulana Fazal Ullah and Maulana Sufi Muhammad when unidentified gunmen shot him down. Crisis Simulation exercise for the first batch of 15 MYPs was held today under the guidance of Brig. Badar Munir, Former DS Research ISSRA, NDU who acted as Observer in the exercise, and the moderator, Mr. Rizwan Zeb, an Islamabad based Research Analyst. The exercise was a day-long event in which participants were divided into two groups and were confined to their respective crisis cells. In the end both the groups submitted their policy options to the moderators and were then evaluated. Tomorrow both the groups will brief the youth parliament on their policy options. Standing Committees on Finance, Planning Affairs and Economics received a delegation of young businessmen from Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The guests met and exchanged ideas on the prospects of advancing the interests of young entrepreneurs and making the market conducive to humble initiatives. Standing Committee on Education, Health and Environment, also, visited Prof. Laeeq Ahmed Khan to discuss the Youth Policy. The Third and Fourth Sitting During the third and fourth sittings held on Friday, February 20, 2009, Youth Parliament strongly supported the rights of Balochi brothers, demanding fairer and practical review of the NFC award. This session was especially devoted to addressing the issues of Balochistan. The resolution to support rights of Balochi brothers was moved by Ms. Gul Bano (YP54-Sindh06) and Mr. Moin Akhtar (YP30-Punjab11). “Take the people of Balochistan in confidence over the planning and execution of mega-projects in the province, “demanded the Youth Parliament. This, they proposed, shall keep in view, their interests of employment opportunities, technical and vocational education and political representation of the province. The house carried out an emotionally-charged debate over the bereavement of Balochistan and strongly urged the government to prioritize the issue of NFC Award as a sure step towards national integration. Business of the house today focused on the case of missing persons; dearth of vocational and technical institutes and inclusion of the wishes of the inhabitants of Balochistan in major political and strategic decisions, etc. The business began with a calling attention notice placed by Mr. Niaz Muhammad (YP04-Balochistan02) and Umair Farrukh Raja (YP36-Punjab17) on the abduction of UN Representative, John Solecki and the subsequent demand of abductors to release the missing persons of Balochistan including Zareena Marri. While the movers stressed on keeping the international image of the country from being maligned any further, the opposing members expressed sympathies towards the missing persons and demanded the government to bring the families of the missing persons to justice, not withstanding any international pressures. Leader of the house, however, urged the government to strengthen the security of international personalities and swiftly address the issue as opposed to giving the message of ‘indifference’ to the international community. A separate resolution, to take special measures for the release of the missing persons of Balochistan, was moved by Mr. Rahim Bakhsh Khetran (YP07-Balochistan05), Mr. Taimur Sikandar Choudhry (YP40-Punjab21) and Mr. Sufian Ahmad Bajar (YP39-Punjab20). This resolution demanded of the government to release the ‘nearly six thousand missing persons’ of Balochistan including 140 women. The movers urged the government to prosecute any element violating Pakistani law and try them in Pakistani courts, as per the constitution of Pakistan. Reflecting on the situation in Balochistan, members of the youth parliament argued that the ‘internationally exposed’ unrest in the region, with missing persons being a favourite subject of criticism from the western media, serve as inviting targets for external exploitation. The house urged the government to further the suo moto action against the missing persons as initiated by Chaudhry Iftikhar. They also proposed community policing in Baluchistan as practised by other provinces and other countries. This resolution was passed with a unanimous vote. Next resolution moved by Mr. Sadan Nasir (YP06-Balochistan05), Mr. Haider Butt (YP46-Punjab27) and Mr. Asad Asghar Janjua (YP37-Punjab18) focused on vocational training programmes for the youth of Balochistan to prepare them for prospective job opportunities generating from the mega projects in the region. In the debate that ensued both sides of the house spoke for the rights of the people of Balochistan to benefit from the resources of their region and urged the government to provide them with greater opportunities to do away with general despair among the people and thus move towards national integration. This resolution was passed with a unanimous vote as well. Later, the selected 15 MYPs delivered presentations on the crisis simulation exercise in which they briefed the MYPs with their policy options and took their questions thus holding an interactive debate over the crisis scenario. In the end the members commended the initiative of youth parliament of conducting this innovative exercise as it had been a wholesome learning experience for the participants. The Fifth Sitting On the fourth day of the session, Saturday, February 21, 2009, the Youth Parliament held its fifth sitting. This sitting discussed the topic of Extremism and Terrorism in Pakistan. Through a calling attention notice, the MYPs strongly condemned the ‘gruesome’ bombings in Dera Ismail Khan that led to the loss of precious lives. They requested the government to look into the matter at length in order to take urgent and effective steps on countering the rising tide of extremism and sectarianism in the country. The calling attention notice on this issue, was moved by Mr. Zahid-ullah Wazir (YP16-NWFP04), Mr. Sher Afghan Malik (YP44-Punjab25) and Mr. Mohsin Saeed (YP29-Punjab10). The movers highlighted the ‘communal’ aspect of the incident by quoting several precedents in the region directed towards a certain community and urged the house to differentiate between atrocities committed on communal lines and those occurring due to war on terrorism. The members equivocally condemned the bombings and urged the government to ‘take no dictation in this matter’ by adopt a well thought out and comprehensively studied policy to counter elements of extremism while also rolling back the kinematics of war on terror spiralling across the country and disrupting the life of common man. To discuss the subject of Terrorism and Extremism at length, the youth parliament hosted Syed Talat Hussain, Executive Director, News and Current Affairs Aaj TV. Mr. Talat Hussain began his speech with an analytical overview of the various definitions of terrorism. He said that dubious versions of its definition blur enemy imagery as well as the connotations of War on Terror for its sponsor, our country and the world at large. Talking further on the definitional dilemma he said that owing to the changing concept of sovereignty it is getting difficult to sift out certain trans-national elements; fully shun external influx of ideas or other commodities or develop a selectively permeable membrane for letting in state-friendly ideas and commodities only. He said this while referring to a phrase “Af-Pak border region” being used by the west that is affording them room to defend military operations by capitalising on the Durand Line controversy. Answering a question about the role of media in sensationalising a crisis situation he said that media is an instrument that reflects the society and has no control or regulatory arrangement to discount a certain element social surprise. To a question regarding premature analysis of new developments he said that its in the nature of the beast, the media, to foresee see and ‘analyse to death’ a given phenomena, however, to say that media influences the course of events would overlook elephantine proportions of opinion and analysis that had been coming from international media, criticizing the War on Terrorism and the US attack on Iraq that failed to influence President Bush’s administration. Answering a question on the situation of Sawat he said that the government should now concentrate on engaging the inhabitants of Chitral and Dir by giving them a voice and fair political representation to keep extremist and anti-state ideas from expanding. After this, members of the parliament resumed business of the house with a resolution over reviewing Pakistan’s policy over war on terrorism to the benefit of the country. Through this resolution, youth parliament of Pakistan condemned the recent statement of US Envoy Richard Holbrook in which he has termed Pakistan’s policy of war on terrorism inadequate. The youth parliament demanded of the government to officially condemn this statement through diplomatic channels. The Sixth Sitting The sixth sitting held on Sunday, February 22, 2009 was the last sitting of this session. In this sitting the mYPs focused on the subject of Pak-US relations and also hosted Ambassador Tariq Fatemi, Former Ambassador to US and the EU, to speak on the issue in great detail. Ambassador Fatemi shared his personal experiences in the Foreign service; gave his expert analysis and a holistic overview of Pak-US foreign policy. He said that the prevailing Anti-US sentiment can be explained by the undemocratic political forces, which have been carrying out a unilateral perusal of foreign policy by simply gulping down the US dictates. By doing this, he said that the leaders did not only compromise national interest of the country and left us in a diplomatic lurch void of friends, but they are also to blame for the prevailing anti- US sentiment among the people. He said that although Pakistan had been facing unpalatable options in the realm of foreign policy owing to the lack of friends in the international community, the decision of going to war on terror could have been pursued in closer conjunction with our national interest had the government of the day responded to the phone call from Washington in a democratic manner. He said that while relationships are inherently unbalanced among unequal adversaries, US is not to blame for the lack of homework before giving in to the US pressure. He said that only an elected government and its democratic apparatus can carve out a productive relationship between Pakistan and US. Ambassador Fatemi explained the essentials of foreign policy to the youth parliament. He said that a policy decision cannot disconnect itself from the will of the people in a democratic thought process since that is the essence of an enduring foreign policy; secondly, the policy should be in consonance with both the will of the people and the national interest of the country. Thirdly, he proposed that Pakistan should spread out its wings and establish multi-centric ties with the US to improve its diplomatic relations since US in itself is a multi-centric country in which all decisions are taken through elaborate analysis and considerations done by numerous players and institutions. Fourthly, Pakistan should also extend relationships to American research institutions and think tanks in order to positively influence its opinion builders; likewise Pakistani media should reach out to the US Media and lastly the voting block of Pakistani diasporas should be assimilated to influence US decision making. In depth analysis of Ambassador Tariq Fatemi left the members mesmerised. The lecture followed a Q&A session in which members mainly asked the guest of his opinion on the current Pak-US relationship regarding War on Terror. To this he said it would be far too cataclysmic to even consider rolling back from the presently assigned role in war on terror; moreover. He said that although Pakistan cannot take US, in his view, back to the terms of conditions, only a democratic behaviour on part of the government is the cure-all for Pakistan regarding War on Terror. Business of the house comprised a calling attention notice moved by Ms Maria Ishaq (YP26-Punjab07) and Ms. Sor Fabha Alvi (YP14-NWFP02) about the the statement of Richard Holbrook in which he has expressed doubt on the subservience of Pakistani military to the democratic government. Another calling attention notice over the Pakistani detainees at the Guantanamo Bay and the promise of closing down the prison camp by the new US Leadership was moved by Syed Muhammad Nishat Ul Hassan Kazmi (YP20-Punjab01) and Mr. Ahmed Javed (YP23-Punjab04). Both the notifications were unanimously condemned in the house by both the parties. Standing Committee of Finance, Planning Affairs and Economics presented an Energy Crisis Report in the house while the Standing Committee on Education, Health and Environment presented a report on Education Policy. Both these reports were unanimously accepted and passed by the house. After this, the speaker prorogued the session sine die. Next session is expected to meet on Wednesday, May 6, 2009.
Youth Parliament Secretariat, PILDAT or the sponsors
of the Youth Parliament do not endorse or oppose the views and
opinions expressed in the Youth Parliament of Pakistan.
Conversely, the contents and arguments floored in the Youth
Parliament of Pakistan are those of the MYPs alone and have no
influence of or by any entity what so ever.
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| Ambassador Tariq Fatemi, Former Ambassador to US and the EU addressing the members of Youth Parliament | |||
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| Mr. Talat Hussain, Director News and Current Affairs, Aaj TV is presented a shield by the members | |||
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| Ms. Kashmala Khan Durrani, Youth Parliament Deputy Speaker, presiding the session | |||
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| Ms. Afsana Afsar explaining her views | |||
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| Youth Parliament members are briefed by the experts before the Crisis Simulation Exercise | |||
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