Narcotics ministry become a threat to industrial, commercial business activities: FPCCI

Govt functionaries pushing country towards another crisis: Zubair Ahmed Malik

ANF chocking growth, stoking inflation, pushing up unemployment

FPCCI asks Govt to take note of highhandedness of ministry, ANF officials

Dated: Sept 14

The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) on Saturday said Ministry of Narcotics Control (MoNC) has been harassing business community, chocking growth, reducing government’s revenue, triggering uncertainty, stoking inflation and contributing to massive unemployment.

MoNC has placed a ban on manufacturing, sale, purchase and use of certain chemicals including hydrochloric acid (HCL) without obtaining NOC and without informing stakeholders while Anti Narcotics Force has started putting businessmen behind the bars which is unfortunate, said Zubair Ahmed Malik, President FPCCI.

He said that MoNC has suddenly asked the stakeholders to take NOC before dealing in the chemicals without giving time for preparations. Many have applied for the NOC but bureaucratic inertia has been making the situation worst, he said.

The FPCCI Chief said that the unilateral and sudden decision has put the future of industries at stake while hurting major industries of national importance like power generation, textiles, paper, soap, water treatment, atomic energy, fertilisers, oil and oil well drilling, steel, food, dyes, chemical and many more.

Many industrial units will face a shutdown in few days while the prices of some chemicals have escalated from Rs4500 per tonne to Rs 35000 seen ten per cent hike due to controversial decisions for which end-users would be charged, he informed.

Zubair Ahmed Malik said that imposition of the condition has left industrial units unable to procure HCL from local manufacturers as they have been warned of strict action in case of sale or purchase of this chemical without the ministry's approval.

On the other hand, manufacturers of HCL says that little stock left which can cater for requirements of next few days and the production of major industries will come to a standstill if the ministry continued to insist on NOC before procurement of chemical.

Keeping manufacturers and users uninformed about the decision is the failure of the ministry concerned for which business community is being made to pay which is unacceptable, he said adding that many businessmen have been caught unaware which has sent very negative signals.

The affectees say that ministries of food, commerce, power, energy etc. were also not taken on board before the decision which is amazing, however Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Federal Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control is aware of the situation and trying to settle the issue.

Malik said that all the requests for interim relief to help continue operations have fallen on deaf ears which will pave way for unrest, uncertainty, price hike and legal battles.

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Labour leaders seek measures for safety of workers at factories

Call to declare tragedy site as monument to martyred workers

Karachi

The National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) held a protest demonstration at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Wednesday in connection with the first anniversary of the fire tragedy at the garment factory, Ali Enterprises, demanding from the authorities to declare the site of the burnt factory as the monument of hundreds of martyred workers.

Despite worsening law and order situation in the metropolis hundreds of workers, including women, participated in the demonstration.

September 11, 2012 was one of the darkest days in the history of labour movement in Pakistan when a deadly fire broke out at Ali Enterprises, a garment factory in SITE area, killing 257 workers within a short span of time.

The workers’ representatives paid glowing tributes to the martyred workers and expressed commitment not to let their sacrifices go unnoticed.

They asked the government to ensure holding effective labour inspections under the Factory Act so as to avoid such incidents in future.

The speakers said that despite lapse of one year no measures had been taken for the safety of workers at the factories which remain prone to such incidents.

They said that the main cause of these incidents was the setting up of industries in residential areas illegally and without making proper arrangements for the health and safety of the workers. The workers’ representatives said that the government, the departments associated with labour affairs and the owners were equally responsible for such deadly incidents, adding, “These factories have been turned into death traps for the labourers for the lust of hefty profits and they are forced to work in extremely inhuman condition”.

They regretted that the workers have been deprived of their basic right of forming unions at the workplaces and they have to face trials in anti-terrorism courts if they luckily form a union somewhere.

“The multinational companies and international brands are ignoring the worst treatment being meted out with the labour class in Pakistan and their only priority seems to get products on time with cheap labour,” they added.

They also criticised the International Labour Organization (ILO) “for backing the industrialists and the government functionaries and deviating from its real objective of working for the welfare of the labourers.
They alleged that the factory owners, Labour Department, Social Security, Employees Old-Age Benefits Institute (EOBI) and labour courts were involved in exploiting the workers for vested interests.

“In a situation when seeking justice has become impossible for the labour class, the workers need to launch a joint struggle to get their due rights,” they added.

The participants of the demonstration were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the anti-workers’ polices, and against “Kik” and “RINA”. Kik was the international brand whose products were being manufactured at Ali Enterprises, while RINA was the audit company that had declared the ill-fated garment factory “clean” of any sort of negligence.

The workers’ representatives who addressed the demo participants, included Nasir Mansoor, Zehra Khan, Jalil Shah, Manzoor Razi and Saira Feroz.

The participants also adopted a declaration, calling for issuing appointment letters to the workers at the time of their recruitment as well as ensuring their safety and protection at the workplaces.

The declaration also sought implementation of national and international labour laws and called upon the government to ratify ILO convention of occupational safety and health. It also asked for adopting effective strategies to initiate the process of forming workers’ representative unions at the factories.

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PIA can be turned around: Zubair Ahmed Malik

Shutting down national flag carrier shouldn’t be an option

Bailout packages sans solid revival strategy waste of taxpayers’ money

Dated: Sept 12

The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) on Thursday said Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is an asset, country’s pride and its flag carrier which shouldn’t be closed down under any circumstances.

Many leading airlines are offspring of the PIA, once placed amongst the top ten airliners of the world, it is now wasting around Rs3 billion per month which cannot be accepted, said President FPCCI Malik Zubair Ahmed.

Expressing concern over proposal to shut down PIA, he said that this is not the solution, bringing it back to profit needs simple steps like containing overstaffing, corruption, favouritism, political interference, mismanagement and introducing proper accountability system.

The FPCCI chief said that a professional management can swing PIA to profit by reopening profitable routes, grabbing the revenue worth Rs60 billion taken away by competitors, and luring millions of expats through improved service and cutting costs creeping beyond global industry standards.

PIA can also focus on downsizing and paying attention to the domestic market from where it gets half of its revenues, he added.

Zubair Ahmed Malik said that providing bailout packages without a solid revival plan amounts to wasting taxpayers’ money in an airline whose fuel cost has touched undesirable limit of 55 per cent of the revenue against 25-30 per cent accepted limits.

With 20 thousand employees, we have world’s most surplus employee-to aircraft-ratio standing at 570 against 120 which is a reason behind crumbling institution providing travel facilities to five million people annually. Increasing the number of aircraft can balance the ratio if reducing staff isn’t an option at this point.

PIA balance sheet for the year ended in Dec 31, 2012 shows after tax loss at Rs32 billion, up from Rs27 billion loss the earlier year. Its net revenue declined to Rs125 billion 2012, from Rs127 billion in 2011 while management cost surged by Rs1 billion because of the management hired on political considerations.

Locally-operated private airlines which are dependent on PIA for their maintenance are making profit while PIA with good infrastructure is losing money at an unprecedented rate which is amazing, he observed.

The government should go ahead with the reforms or induct honest businessmen on airline’s board to make it profitable, he said, adding that selling it through transparent process will work but closing it down in not appropriate, said Zubair.

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How WTO kills farmers

How WTO kills farmers

by Najma Sadeque

Ten years ago yesterday (September 10, 2003) Lee Kyung-Hae, a well-educated, once highly-successful South Korean farmer -- marched with 15,000 other farmers and indigenous people from around the world at the 5th WTO Ministerial at Cancun, Mexico, demanding the exclusion of agriculture from WTO. He carried a board declaring “WTO kills farmers”.

At the police barricade separating the conference venue from the public, he publicly committed suicide -- according to spot rumour. But did he really? It was highly unlikely as his daughter was getting married shortly; he hardly wanted to make her unhappy, especially since his wife died a decade earlier. In the crowd, nobody actually saw him stabbing himself, but as he climbed down from atop the barricade, a film camera captured another pair of hands, and the right hand is seen stabbing him in the heart. – It looked more like murder. 

Significantly, the mainstream media ignored it, and his death was officially ruled as suicide. -- WTO could not stomach a murder in its name. He died a few hours later in surgery, only 56 years old. His banner -- "WTO Kills Farmers” – turned out self-fulfilling.

Lee came from a wealthy family of landowners and rice traders. But while his siblings went into profitable urban businesses, he went to Seoul agricultural university to become a professional farmer, something few graduates did in those days. He loved the land and always dreamed of reviving his depressed farming hometown of 30,000 farm families, where the mountainous terrain was tough.

His dairy and vegetable farm was so successful, he turned his 70-acre farm into a teaching college to enable live-in students obtain hands-on experience not available in cities. With WTO looming, he turned activist and was elected to various farmers and agricultural associations. Throughout the 1980s he worked for farmers and fisherfolk rights nationwide. In 1989, he received FAO’s award for ‘Farmer of the Year’. In the 1990s, he politicized farmers’ struggles, started a social activist magazine for farmers and was elected three times over to the provincial legislature. Lee led some thirty protests and hunger strikes against WTO. 

The 1947 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), drawn up by USA, which became the crippling WTO agreement in 1995, can be defined as a forcibly continued legitimization of all the liberties the former colonizers took with former colonies. – To enter where they wanted, taking whatever they wanted, on their own terms. That included whether other countries wanted or needed their products or not, whether their investments undermined local production and livelihoods or not, whether they destroyed economies or not.

For whatever reasons – pressure or false promises of wealth -- most governments sold out on sovereignty and the public interest.

When the WTO formally came into being despite global farmer and labour protests – except in sleepy Pakistan -- Lee and his fellow farmers realized their destinies were lost. They could only watch helplessly as rural communities were destroyed. 

In a final interview, Lee noted that increased productivity simply added to an over-supplied market that now included imported goods, cheaper than the local, so they couldn’t cover their own production costs, let alone compete. “How would you feel,” he asked, “if your salary suddenly dropped to half without understanding the reason?” Pakistanis may recall the consequences when Chinese goods flooded our markets.

What is it about WTO agricultural rules that earned the ire of rural peoples globally, spawning the millions-strong Via Campesina and other farmer movements everywhere? Contrary to widespread belief, WTO was a corporate initiative – all private sector and all-American -- not of governments. 

Throughout the history of the world, it has always been a given that because we have to eat to live, access to nature from which alone food is obtained, was everyone’s fundamental right. Kings and other rulers always protected their country’s agriculture, taken responsibility for maintaining infrastructure, waived debts during natural disasters causing crop failure. After all, non-farming cities and production demand continuous supply; nor could armies fight on an empty stomach. 

The productivity and continuity of nature depends on many factors working complementarily and inseparably together as a unit – the soil, water, air, climate, highly diverse vegetation, wildlife and micro-organisms, so that the concept of community lands – the Commons – was upheld for common purposes such as grazing, and among indigenous peoples that rejected private property. Monopolies, especially of lands, forests and water bodies, which deprived large numbers, were frowned upon.

WTO turned all that around on its head. Its underlying premise is that food should be treated like any other good or commodity, to be bought and sold at will, not an intrinsic right. It should be subject to globalization and market forces as are machinery, cars and thousands of other consumer items. No protectionism for food security. Why? -- Essentially because the Americans say so. Today food is no longer a right any more than the means of obtaining it. No equal rights and opportunities. Double standards too: USA and Europe may subsidize, developing countries may not. Never mind sovereignty; some countries have even bent their constitutions. 

Today’s urbanites and governments forget that farming is not only self-employment, it is also a chosen way of life for many, educated or not. Countless people want control over their own lives that it enables, reject the stress of endless competition and materialism, and seek the slower pace, peace and introspection of country life. WTO has killed the right and access to such choice. 

When the Korean government opened the market to imports of Australian cows, it encouraged farmers to take loans to expand their stocks. They ended up selling dozens of cows every month to make interest payments. Finally beef prices simply collapsed. Lee had expanded his herd of 70 to 300 with loans, which lost value. When he had no more cattle left to sell, the banks repossessed his land. For the first time, his family saw him weep. He and others were doing perfectly well …. until WTO bulldozed in.

There are thousands, millions, of such instances of once-prosperous lives and local economies ruined by WTO, ignored by the mainstream media. To this day, we still don’t know who in his warped wisdom, signed the 1000-odd page WTO agreement on Pakistan’s behalf, without public information or parliamentary debate, sneaked in just as structural adjustment was. 

Agriculture is just one of many areas that WTO preys on. Most people remain ignorant of its fine print. They only know its taken away our economic sovereignty and handed it over to global multinational corporations and food-speculating banksters.

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Business community fears economic contraction after IMF deal

Attaining growth within IMF limits biggest test for Govt: FPCCI

Govt may not be able to accomplish economic objectives: Zubair Ahmed Malik

Dated: Sept 11

The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) on Wednesday said using IMF loan responsibly and ensuring growth within the parameters of lender’s harsh conditions is to be one of the biggest test of the government’s ability.

IMF policies are widely blamed for chocking growth making life difficult for masses and the private sector while the PML-N is known for its pro-investment and pro-business policies, said Zubair Ahmed Malik, President FPCCI.

This obvious contradiction will make it very difficult for the government to ensure growth keeping lender happy and without compromising the falling living standards of masses, he added.

Speaking to the business community, Zubair Ahmed Malik said that majority of the population is already living below the poverty line reeling under rising inflation while businesses are finding it difficult to sustain.

“We see ahead an era of further depreciation in exchange rate, monetary contraction, massive unemployment, dwindling exports, reduced forex reserves, missed revenue targets, double digit inflation and rising cost of production,” he added.

He said that gas levy estimated at Rs105 billion, 30 to 50 per cent increase in power tariff and 30 per cent escalation in domestic power price from next month could result in increased energy theft and decelerated power sector recoveries.

Business community doubts accomplishment of the Government’s stated objectives like pushing growth rate to six per cent in five years, fiscal deficit at 4 per cent, tax to GDP ratio at 15 per cent, investment to GDP ratio at 20 per cent, and generation of 10,000MW of electricity.

Similarly, the FPCCI chief said, increase in food production and expenditure on education by 4 per cent each, pushing literacy rate to 80 per cent, 2 per cent hike in health sector spending, and creation of three million jobs seems difficult tasks. 

He noted that deadly combination of growing fiscal deficit and unsustainable trade deficit should be tacked to ensure sustainability.

Zubair Ahmed Malik said that solid and bold policy action is lacking which can tackle terrorism and sectarianism and improve socio-economic and political situation of the country which will help reform the economic fundamentals ensuring a bright future for generations to come.

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Exploring hunger and malnutrition solutions in Pakistan

Exploring hunger and malnutrition solutions in Pakistan

By Tahir Hasnain

Since the advent of industrialization and globalization, the importance of food for the survival of the human race has increased manifold as the food has now become a most precious commodity. A country is food secure where the food demand and supply are balanced in a way that food is affordable and accessible to all and it satisfies people’s basic right to food. The food insecurity refers to consistent inaccessibility of food due to lack of money and other resources. A household is considered food-insecure when its residents are malnourished and live in hunger or fear of starvation.

Malnutrition or malnourishment is a broad term which refers to eating a diet in which certain nutrients are lacking or in excess or in the wrong proportions. According to the World Health Organization, hunger and related malnutrition are the greatest single threat to the world's public health.[2] Women, children, and the elderly suffer more from malnutrition. Women are vulnerable because during pregnancies and breastfeeding, women have additional nutrient requirements.

About 52 percent of Pakistanis do not have access to adequate food and many of them (especially women and children) suffer from hunger and malnutrition. This was stated in a national consultative meeting of AAHM Pakistan (National Chapter of Alliance Against Hunger and Malnutrition) in Islamabad while discussing “Policy Perspective of Hunger and Malnutrition Situation in Pakistan”. The event was organized by the SCOPE (Society for Conservation and Protection of Environment) which is currently hosting the Secretariat of AAHM Pakistan. Participants across the country from NGOs, Government, UN agencies, Media and Academia discoursed to explore hunger and malnutrition solutions in Pakistan.

Pakistan has been facing food security challenge since a decade but the country right now is passing through a critical situation in this regard. It appears that food accessibility is currently a serious issue and the Government’s food monitoring, pricing and distribution system is not satisfactory. On the top, food has remained a subject of politics. As a consequence, surplus food remains available in one part of the country but poor people are allowed to die of hunger at other part at the same time. Sometimes food is also perished and wasted in storehouses. Likewise, it has also been reported again and again in the media that a bulk of food was exported by the government or private sector despite food insecurity prevailing in the country. Food is then also imported on public pressure which is often expensive and sometimes not fitting to the local needs re quality and the taste.

Provision of safe food to its masses is the responsibility of state and hence, the Federal Government must steer the provinces to deal with food and nutrition issues in a well-planned and coordinated way. Government has to review its agricultural research & extension services; and the food procurement & support price policies in favor of general masses. Government must regulate food sector through strict laws and make sure that no more smuggling of food items or illegal food imports are allowed.

While gaps in food accessibility and its governance are quite visible, we however cannot ignore the quantity of food being produced and its quality. The way the country’s population is growing up, food production is lagging far behind due to many factors; some of them are:

1. The crucial role of women in agriculture and food management has been ignored over-time. Traditionally, women have been the main player in growing and acquiring food and managing food of the household level. Modern agriculture technologies, cash crops, monoculture and use of heaving machinery have restricted the role of women in agriculture and since then the hunger and malnutrition issues begin to increase.

2. In equality in the society is also a cause of hunger and malnutrition. Food injustice at the household level should also be considered and addressed because usually the women and children remain malnourished.

3. Production and availability of diverse food crops is important for balanced nutrition and to reduce hunger; but the Government has so far been focusing on few food crops only i.e. wheat and rice.

4. Urban dwellers as well as rural people have been producing food domestically. This activity has now been abandoned in cities and minimized to large extent in rural areas which has led to food insecurity across the country.

5. Cultivable land is on decrease due to alarming rate of urbanization. New housing colonies are being developed on fertile urban-periphery lands that were traditionally being cultivated to provide fresh food to the urban dwellers.

6. Due to extraordinary cost of production, small farmers are walking out of the agriculture activity and migrating to urban areas. Local feudal landlords are purchasing their lands resulting into land concentration, especially in Sindh and South Punjab. Small farmers have been very important as they were traditionally involved in food production as compared to large farmers who tend to grow market driven cash crops only.

7. Feudal landlords usually lease-out their lands to contract or corporate farmers and the agri-investors usually invest money on non-food cash crops i.e. cotton, sugarcane, tobacco, kinoo, oil seeds, grass, etc. leading to food shortages and malnutrition in the country.

8. Practice of traditional “lungar” and “khairaat” has also been a source of food for marginalized people in our society. The practice however is declining over-time due to economic crisis at the local level and this is also contributing to hunger and malnourishment among poor people.

9. Food storage caused by the hoarders is also a source of food shortages and price hike at times. Government must regulate the situation and control fake food shortages and price hike in the market.

10. Quality of food has already been deteriorated due to chemical intensive farming (use of pesticides/fertilizers). Modern agricultural technologies have affected the aroma, taste and the culture of food. Food contaminated with agro-chemicals have had a severe health impacts including cancer, high BP, asthma, skin problems, reproductive health complications, eye infections, headache, etc.

11. Modern agricultural practices have also eliminated local food varieties and the uncultivated food plants. Earlier, the communities have commonly been using uncultivated food plants as part of their routine diet that were nutritious and a free gift from the nature. Consequently, we are now deprived of this free or very cheap source of food and nutrition.

12. Food consumption behavior has also been corrupted and the people now waste enormous food. If food distribution system and the patterns of food consumption in our society are somehow rationalized, there is enough food already being produced and available all over the world.

13. Land Grab and the corporate farming policy is being followed since the Musfaraf’s regime which is feared to aggravate the food security situation in the country in future. Gulf countries have allegedly acquired large farms i.e. in Matiary, Thatta, Nawabshah and Mirpurkhas districts of Sindh where they grow non-food crops for export purposes. The same lands were previously cultivated to produce food crops.

Recommendations:

Eliminating hunger and malnutrition cannot be done by the governments alone; this must involve coordinated actions by the civil society. The civil society organizations (CSOs) should find innovative ideas to tackle with this menace with or without the help of Government. CSOs could focus their advocacy on Right to Food issue that should cover: respect for right to food; fulfillment of right to food; protection of right to food; and promotion of right to food.

Food consumers generally lack food and nutrition information in Pakistan. It is recommended that Food & Nutrition must be incorporated in Primary and High school syllabus as a compulsory subject and media should also prioritize this issue for awareness of masses across country. 

In order to tackle the issue of hunger and malnutrition, women have to be mobilized as they can potentially play great role in producing food domestically and to sustain food security at the household level.

Climate change is now contributing to uncertain food production and lower food quality. Planning and adaptations must be done accordingly to maintain the food production levels and resilience has to be built among communities to cope with climate change impacts. Alternate food safety mechanisms are needed in the country to increase community-resilience towards food insecurity and climate change challenges.

Efficient families are always food secure; currently the economic pressures on families are also resulting into food insecurity. Livelihood diversity and capacity building of the rural/urban communities to produce food domestically and in processing/preservation of food is important to cope with food shortages and malnutrition at times.

Early warning system must be adopted to save people from climate change impacts and it should have proper policy support. Mobile SMS service should be used for early warning system and to provide other agriculture related guiding messages to farmers and the local community.

International trade agreements are affecting food sovereignty of the country as the free market now determines prices as well as demand/supply (import/export) system. Pakistan has to be very proactive in all such international trade negotiations to avoid any compromise on country’s food sovereignty.

Pakistan is bestowed with diverse topography and ecological zones. Hence, each region must be dealt separately; the local needs, strengths and opportunities might also be different.

Agroforestry is a useful activity from environment point of view. It is recommended that diverse fruit tree should be incorporated in the agroforestry model and fruit trees should be planted on farm sides, canal banks and inside homes so that deprived community members could also have access to locally available fresh fruits.

The way the India has recently passed “Food Security Bill” in the parliament; Pakistan should also follow this so that food security of most vulnerable members of the society is protected.

The multi-national agri-corporations such as Monsanto are now trying to acquire licenses to produce genetically modified food which might upset health of consumers and pollute the physical environment. GM foods are already banned or restricted in many countries. Organic food is however the best and sustainable option available that needs heterogeneous ecological farming.

Research has so far been based on preset approach or the international models. Indigenous and participatory research is strongly recommended in order to find the gaps in local food demand/supply and the government policies at all levels. Advocacy by CSOs therefore be aimed at bridging gaps in policies and practices in the country to be more effective and result oriented.

The civil society forums such as AAHM Pakistan should prioritize one or few most burning food related issues in a year and devise year-wise action plan. CSOs must involve existing research institutions for research and they themselves should be focusing on community awareness, mobilizations and the advocacy.

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Pakistan Civil Society Forum is launched

Pakistan Civil Society Forum is launched

Islamabad Resolution 

by National Consultation of Civil Society Organizations

ISLAMABAD: A representative forum of civil society organisations from across Pakistan met today in Islamabad to discuss ways for effective engagement with federal and, provincial governments and state institutions, civil society and concerned citizens for strengthening a representative democracy, citizenship, and social and economic justice through coordinated and focused lobbying and actions. 

The national consultation held at the Aurat Foundation’s office was convened by South-Asia Partnership- Pakistan and participated by leading civil society organizations endorsed the following resolution :

We RECOGNIZE the significance and importance of this assembly in the back drop of present scenario where the country is faced with serious problems of bad governance including terrorism, lawlessness, rising poverty, energy crisis and other economic challenges. We also note with pleasure the smooth transition of power from one elected government to the other. However, we consider it important to stress on the newly elected government to take the democratic traditions forward and address to the urgent and important issues of public ensuring people centered governance.

We BELIEVE that neither the country’s development nor its policy making adequately involves public participation. As a result of the top down development, the implementation gaps notwithstanding, issues of ownership, ecology, access to resources stand majorly compromised. We emphasise that planning and development must be a bottom-up approach and the state must make an effort to make people’s involvement in their own development and future possible.

We NOTE with concern a gradual indiscernible reversal of devolution through the Constitutional Reforms (18th Amendment) that will deprive the people of Pakistan of a landmark gain through a democratic process. Ambiguities in the responsibilities and authorities of the federal and provincial institutions demand clarity and reconstitution of roles. We believe the constitution and 18th Amendment must be considered as guiding principles to determine the role of the federal government and provincial governments. Federal government’s obsession with trespassing into provinces’ domain will have far reaching ramifications. This approach has intensified a deep rooted distrust among federating units and must be refrained forthwith. There is a need to take devolution process from provinces to district level with substantive institutional reforms and genuine representation of the public.

We are also TROUBLED with issues of gender discrimination, growing intolerance against non-Muslims and the rising trends of ethnic and sectarian violence all over the country.

We are HUMBLED with the contribution and gains of civil society organizations in upholding citizens’ rights, relentless struggle for fundamental freedoms, free judiciary and democratic development. This assembly concludes with this resolve to continue its struggle for further deepening democratic processes and traditions through coordinated and focused actions among diverse civil society groups and institutions.

We RESOLVE forming the Pakistan Civil Society Forum as a joint platform of action, coordination and engagement with government, national and international institutions. We believe this platform will be instrumental in promoting joint actions for citizens’ rights and bridge the gap between government and people, advocate issues of fundamental importance to people and reemphasize important issues in the national agenda. 

THE Forum REAFFIRMS its commitment for continuing its struggle for citizens’ rights and democratic, human and social development in the country.

We REASSURE our constituents to become a viable and effective platform for coordination, collective actions, lobbying and engagement with diverse actors including political parties, federal and provincial governments, media, national and international institutions.

A national level core committee has been formed comprising representatives of all federating units and rights-based organizations. The committee will engage other CSOs, public representatives, state institutions and concerned citizens for further diversifying its support base.

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