Diploma Course
on
Fundamental Rights in Pakistan

The Centre for Civic Education Pakistan is offering a weeklong Diploma Course to enhance understanding of fundamental rights and democracy besides encouraging active participation in the civic life of the country.

The CCE Pakistan will recruit 20 potential young leaders (18 to 35 years) from all over Pakistan through a competitive process. The CCE will seek both geographical and gender balance during the selection process. The CCE Pakistan will arrange a week long course for the selected participants in Islamabad in January/February 2012. The course will be composed of four components: understanding human rights and fundamental rights, democracy in Pakistan, field visits to media organizations/ministry of Human Rights, and the concept of active citizenship. Upon successful completion of the program, the CCE Pakistan will award certificates to program participants.

Send your CV and a brief expression of interest why you want to join this program at contact@civiceducation.org by December 10, 2011.

In collaboration with Higher Education Commission, Centre for Civic Education Pakistan-a HEC recognized research and training institution, arranged a National Essay Writing Competition to explore and examine the way Pakistani youth relate to federalism in Pakistan. Sixty two students from thirty five public and private universities and post-graduate colleges participated in the competition. A panel of judges comprised of senior faculty members from Quaid-i-Azam University, National University of Modern Languages and federalism experts reviewed the essays. The Higher Education Commission facilitated plagiarism test of all essays. On the basis of combined results following students have won top positions:

First: Ms. Zahra Abidi, Institute of Professional Psychology, Bahria University, Karachi

Second: Mr. Muhammad Zubair Khan, National College of Business Administration and Economic, Lahore

Third: Ms. Alia Bibi, Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi

The winners of the first, second and third positions will be awarded cash prizes of Rs. 20,000/-, Rs. 15,000/- and Rs. 10,000/- respectively along with merit certificates and medals.
Along with position holders following finalists will be awarded, “Certificate of Achievement”
1. Ms. Bela Khan, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore.
2. Mr. Muhammad Umar Iqbal, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.
3. Ms. Farah Anwar, Institute of Business Management, Karachi.
4. Mr. Muhammad Ali Raza, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore.
5. Ms. Komal Dilshad, Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi.
6. Ms. Sunnia Farrukh, Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi.

Posters:

Primary School Category (up to grade 5)

First: Ms. Ayesha Siddiqa, Roots School System, Rawalpindi

Second: Mr. Bissmillah, Baacha Khan School, Landi Kotal, Khyber Agency

Third: Mr. Ghulam Rasool, Hazara Public School and College, Changa Manga

High School

First: Ms. Fakiha, Baacha Khan Girls Model School, Peshawar

Second: Ms. Safeena Mushtaq, Hazara Public School and College, Changa Manga

Third: Ms. Bushra Zafar, Hazara Public School and College, Changa Manga

Youth/General Category

First: Ms. Tayyaba Mansoor Khan, Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Lahore

Second: Ms. Malala Khan, Jinnah College for Women, Peshawar

Third: Ms. Asifa, Hazara Public School and College, Changa Manga

Poetry:

Primary School Category (up to grade 5)

First: Ms. Zainab Zafar, Headstart School, Islamabad

Second: Ms. Jalwa, Baacha Khan School, Swabi

Third: Mr. Affan Inayat, Baacha Khan School, Karak

Youth/General Category

First: Ms. Zoya Ashraf and Ms. Anum Farrukh, Kinnaird College, Lahore

Second: Ms. Nazia Rubab, Saeed Waheed FMH College of Nursing, Lahore

Third: Mr. Fayyaz Ahmad, University of Engineering Technologies, Peshawar

Organized by the Centre for Civic Education, Pakistan and Forum of Federations with support from German Foreign Office the conference provided platform to the health officials of all the four provinces for sharing the opportunities and challenges they face in the wake of devolution of health to the provinces.

Dr. Mushtaq Khan Jadoon, a public health policy expert, emphasized that the health related matters could not be limited to the health department alone. “If we do not invest in clean environment we will not be able to achieve much from investment in health.” Dr. Jadoon pointed out some of the challenges that the federal and provincial governments needed to meet. “The subjects of drugs and medicines, poisonous and dangerous drugs, move to the provinces. The provinces are now responsible to control the spread of communicable diseases.” To meet these challenges governments need to get closer to the people and ensure their participation and collaboration so as to develop a sense of ownership among them, he said.

Dr. Muhammad Nizamuddin, vice chancellor University of Gujrat, pointed out structural, political and attitudinal problems which could create difficulty in the devolution process. He said that after the devolution from federal to the provincial levels it was now the duty of the provinces to empower, facilitate the district governments in taking up their responsibilities and complete the process of devolution.

Dr Saba Gul Khattak underlined the need to view the capacity of state to deliver from the political economy perspective. She said that for more relevant and effective policy decisions consultation with the people was imperative which could also help in saving the energy and resources. Zafarullah Khan, executive director Centre for Civic Education, said that the money spent on the health sector should not be taken as expenditure but as investment for better human resources.

Dr. Noorul Iman, special secretary health Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Shah Irfan additional secretary health Balochistan, Dr. Syed Talat Iqbal, health department Punjab and Dr. Abdul Rashid Shaikh, Public Health Department Sindh presented case studies about reorganization of health departments of their respective provinces. During these presentations some of the common issues brought forth include; capacity building of provincial governments, new organizational structures and corresponding changes in the rules of business, avenues of participation and collaboration, changing mindsets, to understand about possible mechanisms to evolve benchmarks for quality of services.

Islamabad:16,sep,2011 Senator Mian Raza Rabbani Addressing at a National Roundtable on Education in Federally Organized Countries Challenges And Choices For Pakistan Arranged By Centre For Civic Education and Forum of Federations here on Local Hotel.

Sept. 16, Islamabad: Senator Mian Raza Rabbani Friday spoke his heart out after observing a dangerous trend which may rollback spirit of the 18th constitutional amendment and warned that any such conclusion would be detrimental to the federation of Pakistan.

“Spirit of the 18th amendment is in danger to be rolled back. We must ensure the rollback is stopped. You have the political history of state suppression, state disappearances, and state murder and torture. You have the history where the provinces were denied the rights to promote their languages,” he told a cream of academics in Islamabad.

The Centre for Civic Education Pakistan (CCEP) and the Forum of Federations in collaboration with German Foreign Office organized the roundtable on the important subject of devolution of education sector to the provinces. Eminent educationalists, senior officials of education ministries, chairmen Textbook boards, vice chancellors of major universities from the four federating units and Islamabad, and research scholars attended the roundtable titled “Education in Federally Organized Countries: Choices and Challenges for Pakistan.”

With his bold and critical analysis of post 18th amendment era Senator Rabbani captivated the audience of that intellect in an hour-long speech. Despite his affiliation with the ruling party he blamed the establishment and some elements within the ruling elite of trying to circumvent the process of devolution. Known as chief framer of the 18th constitutional amendment, Rabbani earlier headed a committee to formulate the amendment and later a commission to oversee the implementation process.

He told the participants of the roundtable that President and Prime Minister rendered their full support to process of devolution. “However, some courtiers thought the 18th amendment would never see light of the day. They thought even if it was passed it would not be possible to implement this gigantic amendment.” He deplored that several people with centrist mindset strongly opposed the process of devolution and provincial autonomy which is a blatant attempt to violate the Constitution. “Don’t forget there was a huge trust-deficit between the provinces and the centre which still persists,” he said.

Senator Rabbani reveled the implementation commission faced a strong opposition from several quarters in the second phase of the devolution of ministries to the provinces. He specified that the nation was misled on the question of devolving the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to the Provinces. Making another example he said the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission was supposed to be handed over to the provinces, but several times the Implementation Commission faced resistance from the Prime Minister Secretariat.

Referring to a recently held national conference on syllabi and curriculum, he said the federal government or the Planning Commission had no constitutional or legal authority to organize such a conference after the 18th amendment that empowered provinces to exclusively deal with the issue of syllabi and curriculum.

“It’s no business of the planning commission to call such a conference. I know it is organized to please some international donors so they should continue their funding, he said, adding should the government keep on jumping at the whims of international donors and circumvent the Constitution. He told the participants that a long debate took place whether to empower provinces to device their own educational policy and prepare curriculum and syllabi. The antagonists contended that an East Pakistan situation was being created. They believed empowering provinces to deal with the subject of education would threaten the ideology of Pakistan.

Senator Rabbani believed teaching students in Punjab about Ranjeet Singh or Bhagat Singh would not harm Pakistan in any away. “Pakistan was created to become a welfare state, but the purpose was changed and the country became a garrison and national security state,” he said, adding the distorted version of history was no longer relevant in the post 18th amendment era. He reminded the 18th amendment was a culmination of the Charter of Democracy signed between Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and Mian Nawaz Sharif.

Pir Mazharul Haq, senior minister Sindh, Dr. Salman Humayun, Farah Hamid, secretary Higher Education, Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa, Mrs. Aftab Anayat, additional secretary Sindh, Dr. Allah Bakhsh Malik, Secretary Literacy Punjab, Akbar Hussain Durrani, secretary education balochistan, Zafarullah Khan of Centre for Civic Education and chairpersons of Textbook boards, Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan also addressed the meeting.

Total days of national life since August 14, 1947 = 23,409

As on September 15, 2011

• We have calculated 2,567 (11.06 percent) from the assassination of Liaquat Ali Khan till the imposition of direct martial law in 1958 in the category of hybrid regimes as bureaucrats like Ghulam Muhammad, Ch. Mohammad Ali and Major General Iskandar Mirza and General Ayub Khan were calling the shots. Even if we exclude these numbers still the military regimes and their hybrids under General Ayub, General Yahya, General Zia, and General Musharraf ruled for 12,097 days i.e. 52.12 % of our national life.
• We have also included 131 (0.56 percent) of caretaker government headed by Mian Muhammad Somroo in the category of hybrid regime as General Musharraf in uniform was president.
• The average ruling span of a military ruler is 3,227 days or eight years and eight months. This figure will further jump for General Ayub, General Zia and General Musharraf as General Yahya had to resign after the East Pakistan tragedy and could rule only for 988 days.
• The average is only 1190 days or three years for pure civilian governments.

In collaboration with Higher Education Commission Pakistan, Centre for Civic Education Pakistan – a HEC recognized research and training institution, run on not for profit basis, is arranging a National Essay Writing Competition to explore and examine the way citizens relate to federalism in Pakistan.
The essay writing competition is for the regular students of public and private universities (age 18-25). It aims to promote writing and analytical skills with futuristic approach among university students along with encouraging research, analysis and argument development on this important theme.

Topic:
The topic for essay is:
What does federalism mean to me?

Guidelines:
1. Students can write on the topic either in English or Urdu.
2. The essay shall be original and unpublished and must not exceed 2,500 words, including footnotes or endnotes.

3. Ensure that all sources for research which are used are given proper reference. Nothing shall be copied from books/newspapers without using references. Plagiarism will be checked through software made for this purpose.

4. The essay must be typed using font 12 in Times Roman and saved in Word file, or typed by using the In-page. For print outs kindly use only one side of the paper.

5. Do not place the author’s name on the text pages. Include a cover page to mention the name, mailing address, phone number, educational institution, (department and registration number) and e-mail address.

Criteria for Judgment
Primary consideration will be given to the essay’s originality and its contribution to new knowledge, insights and creative approach. English and Urdu essays will be judged and awarded separately.

Essays will be judged according to the following criteria:
1. Substance and originality (Understanding and arguments]: 50 marks
2. Idea development [Clarity, creativity, practicality]: 25 marks
3. Writing style, composition and organization: 25 marks

Prizes
The authors of three best essays in English and Urdu will be awarded.
First prize Rs. 20,000, second prize Rs. 15,000 and third prize Rs. 10,000 along with certificates of honour and shields.

Submission
1. Deadline for submission of essays is September 30, 2011. No entries will be accepted after the deadline.
2- Only one submission per student will be accepted.
3. All entries will be the property of the Centre for Civic Education Pakistan and may be published in future with writer’s names.

4- Essay can be submitted either through email to contact@civiceducation.org, mnoor@hec.gov.pk
or by Post to The Center for Civic Education Pakistan, G.P.O. Box 1123, Islamabad

A miracle happened on June 30, 2011 when first-ever Constitutional deadline was adhered to in Pakistan and the provinces got what was due since long. He spearheaded this historic change. The chairman of National Organization of the Progressive Students at the time of the creation of 1973 Constitution will be respected by his fellow citizens for correcting, democratizing and federalizing this social contract between the citizens and the state.

Besides the 18th Constitutional Amendment, Senator Raza Rabbani’s distinguished contributions during the current democratic dispensation includes, cobbling-up of “Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan Package” to bring the alienated province back into mainstream. As chairperson of Parliamentary Committee on National Security he has been instrumental in the adoption of a 14-point joint resolution of the Parliament and subsequent Plan of Action to bring the country out of the quagmire of extremism and terrorism. All these contributions could be characterized as “Raza Rabbani model of conflict resolution and democratic transformation” in otherwise a highly divided Pakistani society.

After the successful completion of the implementation process in his first interview, Senator Raza Rabbani spoke to “Pakistani Federalism” and shared his valuable insights. We are pleased to share excerpts of his interview with our readers.

Brief profile:

Born in Lahore on 23 July, 1953 Mian Raza Rabbani is a senior Pakistani politician and Senator from Sindh.

After his early education at the Habib Public School Karachi, he joined the University of Karachi wherefrom he got his B.A. degree in 1976. Thereafter, he opted for education in Law and Jurisprudence and got the LLB from the same University in 1981 when he was in jail during General Zia’s military rule. He started his career as a law professional along with sustaining his political activism from the platform of Pakistan Peoples’ Party. He is the Deputy Secretary General of his party and has championed the cause of democracy, rule of law and Human Rights.

Mian Raza Rabbani served as an Advisor to the Chief Minister Sindh from 1989 till 1990. In March 1994 he was elected as member of the Senate of Pakistan, where he served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the House and in the Senate Standing Committees on Foreign Affairs, Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas and Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. In Benazir Bhutto’s cabinet Senator Raza Rabbani served the nation as Minister of State for Law and Justice. In current government he has served as Advisor to the Prime Minister and Federal Minister for Inter-provincial Coordination. Senator Raza Rebbani is the author of a book, LFO: A Fraud on the Constitution.

Excerpts from the interview:

Zafarullah Khan: To what extent, the 18th Constitutional Amendment has addressed issues of diversity in Pakistan and to provide representation to these diversities in state institutions?

Mian Raza Rabbani: Well, I think the foremost thing to mention is the colonial mindset of our establishment. In the past, they extenuated further the same mindset hence we found ourselves in a state of denial regarding our cultural diversities. We tried either to minimize and suppress our cultural diversities or push them under the carpet fearing if they came to the fore and flourished, they, perhaps, would pose threat to the federation. But, I think the history of the world, particularly that of the third world countries, teaches us a lesson that more you promote and bring the cultural diversities to the fore and allow them to flourish within the structure of the state they induce greater synthesis in the national culture. Pakistani culture becomes rich with the amalgamation of regional cultural diversities. If we cast a glance on our own history, Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto government provided an opportunity to the regional cultures to develop. Sindhi, Pashto and Punjabi folk tunes and dances, earlier limited to their respective areas, came to the national scene and became the part and parcel of the national cultural milieu. This is the only way a Pakistani culture would emerge with the passage of time. What I want to say is that we should not be fearful of diversity rather we should use it to strengthen cohesion and solidarity of the federation.

So far as the 18th constitutional amendment is concerned, it is an endeavor to strengthen, empower, and expand the jurisdiction of the constitutional institutions of the country. The Council of Common Interests (CCI) was already present as a constitutional institution but with a limited role in conflict resolution among provinces and between the federation. Now, any of the provinces can take up the issues particularly issues regarding water distribution can also be brought to the institution. We have expanded its role. Constitution of the CCI in 1973 was a great leap forward and foresight of those who framed the 1973 constitution but, you would be surprised to hear that since 1973 to perhaps up till 2008, only 11 meetings of CCI were held. Now we have made it mandatory to have a meeting of CCI within 90 days. Besides that the dispute resolution and the joint management of resources among provinces and the federation have also been made a part of it. Earlier, the natural resource like oil, gas and other minerals were the properties of the federation solely but now, in the light of the article 172 of the constitution, 50 percent of these resources would be owned by the provinces and 50 per cent would be owned by the federation. Now, the joint management of these and other such resources is the responsibility of the CCI. The CCI now onwards is also the policy making institution for those ministries and departments which fall in the Federal Legislative List–II i.e. shared provincial and federal responsibilities.

Here, I would like to address the fears being expressed by some quarters about possibility of conflict or tensions emerging between the CCI and the Federal Cabinet. I think it is not possible. If we strictly follow the constitution, no such thing would happen as the constitution clearly defines the jurisdiction and role of both the CCI and the Federal Cabinet. The Principles of Policy clearly mentions that quota for backward areas, already specified in the constitution should be implemented strictly to bring the remote areas at par with the developed ones. Eighteenth amendment tries to meet the multitudinous diversity of the country. However, the constitution is a growing organ and future parliaments would advance it beyond the 18th amendment.

ZK: The Eighteenth amendment also gives representation to the minorities in the Senate of Pakistan.

MRR: Yes, it has happened for the first time in the history of the country that minorities have been given representation in the Senate of Pakistan. One seat from each province has been reserved for minorities in the Senate and in March 2012 Senate Elections the minorities’ member would be elected.

ZK: No doubt, the 18th amendment is a good start of a process but military dictators have made the constitution a strange document in our national life. What are the factors which make the constitution a strange document? When constitution was promulgated, Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had said that people would protect it, what is the situation now?

MRR: The fundamental problem is the particular mindset of Pakistani establishment. Unfortunately, that mindset has been prevailing since 1947 and its first manifestation was the dissolution of the first legislative assembly. The establishment wants to restrict all the powers of policy making to a particular group or segment. It is actually an elitist concept of rule of law which is rooted in an old maxim ‘The burden of Whiteman to Rule’. Besides that there has been an illusion that those who speak of their political and provincial rights actually want to weaken the federation. So much so that they were labeled as the foreign agents and were blamed for conspiring to disintegrate the country. In view of the emerging internal and external situation, if we fail to recognize constitutionally the rights of the people of Pakistan and do not develop a constitutional system wherein provinces feel that they are part of the federation and citizens feel that they have some stakes in Pakistan, it would be very difficult to keep the federation as a cohesive body. In fact, provincial autonomy and the Council of Common Interests were present in the 1973 constitution but it was held in abeyance deliberately and was not implemented. Some articles of the constitution were circumvented and interpreted in a way to strengthen the centrist forces and to fortify Islamabad. This led to intensify the tension among provinces and between the federation and the provinces. Such a situation emerged in Musharraf’s dictatorial era and was prevailing when the incumbent parliament came into existence when all the powers had been centralized. Musharraf’s devolution is much talked about but his devaluation plan, if analyzed and understood in depth both in historical perspective and with reference to its effects, actually gave birth to the centralism and strengthened the centralization. Musharraf’s devolution plan ignored provinces and strengthened the districts by funding them directly. The districts started looking towards Islamabad, the center. The middle cadre of the provincial governments and provinces was eliminated and made redundant to give impetus to centralization that led to increased interprovincial friction and resentment between provinces and the federation.

ZK: Do you think the 18th Amendment has addressed these issues adequately?

MRR: There may be flaws in the 18th amendment but, in my view, if it is not implemented fully at this point of time, it would send a very dangerous message. I see the 18th amendment from different perspective and I think it has political aspect also. Baloch nationalist parties were not only on board in the process of 18th and 19th amendments and their implementation but were also the signatories of the amendments and they voted for it. I want to pay tribute to the Baloch nationalist parties and leaders for they not only accepted the political fallout but also put their lives at stake for being part and signatories of the amendments. However, they delivered a very significant message that rights can be achieved by adopting the path of political parlays, within the orbit of the constitution, confines of federation and advancing the political struggle on these lines. In juxtaposition, it is strong message for those who have resorted to politics of guns for their political rights. If the 18th amendment is not implemented now we would provide an opportunity and justification to those involved in the armed struggle to say that they adopted the path of political dialogue and constitution and became the part of constitutional process and its implementation, they voted for it but when time came to reap the fruits by implementing the entire process in practical sense, Islamabad once again washed its hand of. In such a situation they would say that they have no other choice but to pick the weapons for their rights. God forbid! If any such situation develops it would be very dangerous for Islamabad and for the federation. Through your program, I would like to invite and suggest all those who have adopted the path of armed struggle that viewing this complete process of constitutional amendment and its implementation they should follow it. I invite them to come at table for talks. Nevertheless, the 18th amendment is not the final testament but only a beginning of the provincial autonomy.

ZK: One can’t deny that it is a historic step and you played a vital role in the amendment and its implementation. However, questions are being raised that if the curriculum is handed down to the provinces it would divide one nation into four. Another question is about the capacity of the provinces to shoulder the responsibility of new ministries and departments in terms of finance, administration and manpower. How do you see this situation?

MRR: Well, it is just a part of negative propaganda unleashed by the centrist forces. It is my personal perception developed during past two years that at the early stage many people particularly the centrist forces were not expecting that the 18th amendment would even actually take place. Disappointing views were being expressed that so many parties would not reach a consensus on the solutions of tricky issues and the committee would stuck up on issues like quantum of the autonomy to provinces and renaming of Khyber-Pukhtoonkhuwa etc. But the committee and the parliament proved that the political leaders and politicians understood the current political situation and had the cognition of the critical time. They understood very well that if the 18th amendment failed in terms of legislation then we could undergo a movement similar to what we are witnessing in the Arab countries. All the germs for such a movement were present here in Pakistan. I think the 18th amendment has built a huge dam against such a movement in Pakistan.

After the 18th amendment was passed by the parliament the centrist forces believed it would not be implemented that is why opposition of the 18th amendment started in the middle of the second phase. In my view, it was because of two reasons; first, some centrist forces realized that the amendment is going to be implemented anyhow hence they started creating hurdles like hype on the issue of education and devolution of Higher Education Commission and by raising the issue of capacity of the provinces to handle it.

So far as curriculum and syllabus are concerned, it has been explicitly mentioned in the concurrent list. We invited public suggestions through newspapers but no one objected to it. Matter was discussed in the committee’s meetings and conscious decision was made that it should be handed down to the provinces. Later both the houses of the parliament discussed it but none made it the point of discussion. Later on the issue was raised that it would disperse the federation.

I fail to understand why we think that only Islamabad has the certificate of being patriot; aren’t provinces patriots or they are less patriotic than the centralist? I am not ready to buy this argument. If any province wants to teach its regional history besides the national history by making it a part of curricula what is wrong with it. If the students of Punjab are taught about the role of Ranjit Singh or Bhagat Singh, what is wrong with it? Very frankly, I want to say that we have distorted our history; we have tried to adapt our history into a particular paradigm to make the country a security state. Therefore, I do not think that shifting the curriculum to the provinces would pose any threats to the federation. Then, mechanisms to put the things in right place are already there. A committee consisting of Chairmen of the boards meets every three months, if there is any gross diversion or severe violation with respect to disturbing the national curricula they can take cognizance. Interprovincial Coordination Committee is also in place and is in touch with the provincial ministers to develop a mechanism to meet after every three or four months to discuss different issues. Above all the CCI is in place, if any province has any complaint against the other or federation has reservations regarding curricula the matter can be brought there for resolution. Checks and balances are well in place.

So for as the issue of capacity of provinces is concerned, federating units have the required capacity as most of the ministries which have been transferred to provinces already had line departments in the provinces. Secondly, these ministries and departments were being run by the federation for the last 63 years. What kind of international benchmarks the federation has achieved that we argue that the federation has capacity but provinces lack that capacity. Granted that some lack of expertise might be there but when they would shoulder the responsibility they definitely would deliver. I do not think there are any tangible arguments that devolution should be stopped. Most of the centrist forces confuse the devolution, provincial autonomy and independence. These are different concepts, but remember in co-operative federations all these matters are provincial subjects.

ZK: Name of our country is Islamic Republic of Pakistan; we taught only ‘Islam’ and left the ‘Republic’. The fundamental rights are not being taught. What measures do you think should be taken to stop the debate that the constitution does not give anything to people?

MRR: It is very fundamental thing and this very question was raised in the meetings of the committee? There are attempts to trivialize the importance of the constitution. The same mindset is behind it as General Zia had said that the constitution was nothing but a few pages and he could tear them off whenever he liked. Continuity of that mindset is still there and is trivializing the constitution by isolating it from the people. In fact, it’s the constitution that knits all the federating units of Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pukhtoonkhuwa, Baluchistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Tribal Areas, all the beads of the same chaplet, the federation of Pakistan. Governing the country, running the affairs of the government, proceedings of the parliament, provincial assemblies, and how to legislate, functions of judiciary all is defined in the constitution. The constitution also defines the rights of the citizens and provides protection to individuals against any excesses committed by the state. The constitution defines economic and linguistic rights of every citizen and provides protection against discrimination of every sort either in the name of gender, religion, region or ethnicity. Constitution protects equal religious rights for minorities and also it is the constitution that protects all these constitutional provisions. If the Constitution is put aside the country would be like an emperor without clothes. If anyone wants to trivialize the constitution it means he / she does not want to respect the law and abide it.

What should be done to highlight its importance, I think media has to play a very significant role. Media have to inform the people and educate them about the significance of the constitution and benefits of respecting and abiding the constitution. Secondly, the ruling class has to implement and enforce the rule of law on itself. If the ruling class would not impose the rule of law on it and would expect that its enforcement should take place down the line, it is not possible. If constitutional provisions are not implementable on me then they are not implementable on anyone else and no one would respect them. Thirdly, we will have to say goodbye to the culture of flouting the law. We think if we flout the law, we have some status. We need to understand that no matter how big or powerful positions we are occupying we are subservient to the law of the land. Earlier, there was a subject of civics in the syllabus which has now perhaps been removed from the curricula. It taught us the duties, rights and responsibilities of a citizen. I think the subject should be revived in the syllabus and expanded even further to teach fundamental principles of the constitution and how constitution interacts in individual’s life in schools and universities.

ZK: How do you see the future, if the old and the new articles of the constitution are implemented in letter and spirit in the country, what kind of federation Pakistan would be?

MRR: I am very much optimistic about this. I think the people of Pakistan have shown resilience on every occasion. I do not want to dig deep in the history but limit myself to the processes of 18th and 19th amendments and their implementation. In prevailing situation, emerging from the political polarization, confrontation, and tension among the political parties, terrorism and extremism, and because of external pressures interacting with Pakistan in the form of drone attacks and threats to the sovereignty of Pakistan, we have been successful in incorporating such a huge structural change in federal and provincial structures and have negated the foreign propaganda that Pakistan, God forbid, is a failed state. I am hopeful that if the 18th amendment is implemented in real sense and with the help of people of Pakistan terrorism and extremism are checked and brought under control, Pakistan will emerge as the best federation. We have all the elements and ingredients. The only thing we need is that the nation has to make these changes work for their betterment.

ZK: Thank you very much for sparing some time for us.

Members:

Balochistan:

Barrister Adnan Kassi-Principal Law College, Quetta

Mr. Shahzada Zulfiqar, Journalist

Islamabad (Federal Capital):

Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa

Dr. Fouzia Saeed-Women rights Activist

Mr. Aniq Zafar- Entrepreneur

Mr. Zafarullah Khan-Civic educator

Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa:

Dr. Ijaz Khan-Educationist

Dr. Khadim Hussain-Educationist

Dr. Sarfraz Khan-Educationist

Punjab:

Mr. I. A. Rehman-Human Rights Campaigner

Dr. Saeed Shafqat-Educationist

Dr. Rasul Bakhsh Rais-Educationist

Mr. Iftikhar Ahmed-Journalist/Anchor

Mr. Raza Rumi, Journalist/Researcher

Mr. Amjad Bhatti-Researcher

Mr. Mohsin Aziz-Entrepreneur

Sindh:

Prof. Dr. Syed Jaffar Ahmed-Educationist

Dr. Muhammad Ali Shaikh-Educationist

Ms. Fauzia Shaheen-Journalist

The first meeting:

Some leading civil rights activists, academicians, independent constitutional experts and journalists from four provinces and the federal capital areas in a meeting held on February 26, 2011 agreed on formation of the Citizens’ Group on Constitution (CGC). Organized by the Centre for Civic Education the Citizens’ Group defined its role for creating informed and active citizenry to promote Constitutionalism and Rule of Law in Pakistan.

Purpose of this Group is to play an active role in order to cultivate and promote democratic culture in the country, to examine developments that impact supremacy of the Constitution, to review the pace of implementation of the 18^th Amendment from citizens’ perspective, identify gaps and offer policy suggestions to the Implementation Commission.

Sharing views on low level of public awareness about the Constitution and fundamental rights the Group members identified following gaps: lack of participation and input from the citizens in the representative institutions and functional aspects of Pakistani democracy. Attributing this disinterest to the lack of civic education curriculum in Pakistan’s public education system the Group agreed to make efforts to fill the gap.

To achieve this purpose the Group agreed to hold meeting after every three months, to issue public statements and articulate policy positions, to produce periodic performance cards and monitoring reports and to interact on regular basis with the relevant institutions.

The Group also proposed to publish simplified versions of the selected parts of the Constitution in all major languages of the country so that to expand peoples’ understanding of the Constitution and its relevance as a vibrant contract between the citizens and the state. It was also proposed to make the Public Service Broadcasters and independent private media organizations to fulfill their public service obligations by devoting a fair amount for civic education messages and programs.

The second meeting:

The Citizens’ Group on Constitution (CGC) held its second meeting on May 29, 2011 to review the progress on implementation of the 18^th Amendment, to plan for public awareness campaign on the 18^th Amendment, to demand for declaring first of July as the Day of Provincial Autonomy and to discuss the impact of recent developments on the rule of law in Pakistan.

The meeting resulted in a detailed discussion to understand and examine the process of devolution the group members shared views based on their observations and identified challenges posed by the centrist mindset, certain vested interests and a lack of ownership among the provinces. The CGC members observed that the provincial governments, civil bureaucracy, media and civil society organizations had yet not realized the role they were expected to play in the on-going process of democratic devolution. To address these multiple challenges, the Group proposed forming of a coalition of civil society organizations to initiate efforts to sensitize the media about different aspects of the devolution process.

It was also decided to expand the scope of public awareness campaign on 18^th Amendment and design it in a way that could engage different audience groups in the debate on Constitution. For this, the groups proposed to organize different activities to engage different audience groups such as national and provincial decision-makers, youth, students, politicians, civil bureaucracy and the media. The CGC also announced to hold week-long festivity beginning from the first of July to rejoice the process of devolution of powers to the provinces which started after the 18th Amendment and is set to be completed by 30^th of June, 2011. For this, the CGC decided to send a letter to the President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan demanding to declare first of July as the ‘Day of Provincial Autonomy.’ “The centralized One Unit was dissolved on 1^st July, 1970. Now after 41 years, provinces will be getting autonomy after abolition of Concurrent list,” observed the members of the Group.

The process of devolution shall not suffer due to any political expediency and the hollow concern of provincial capacity, said the members terming transfer of policy, planning and resources to province ‘making of a new federal Pakistan.’ The Group observed that only adherence to rule of law and constitutionalism can hold Pakistan together and offer better future to its 180 million citizens.

“Provinces were yearning for provincial autonomy and time has come to exhibit ownership of the devolution under the 18^th Amendment,” urged the group comprised of leading academicians, civil society activists and media professionals. “The provinces have to become proactive in crafting new policies, enacting effective laws, rearrange institutions and taking the spirit of democratic devolution down to districts,” they highlighted and urged the universities, professional and civil society organizations to join hands with the provincial governments to realize this transformation.

The third meeting:

The third meeting of the Citizens’ Group on Constitution was held on July 31, 2011 in Lahore and the participants reviewed the implementation of the 18^th Amendment. The Group noted with a sense of satisfaction that for the first time a Constitutional deadline has been adhered to. However, the Group expressed its concern over the creation of three new federal ministries. “This development negates the spirit of democratic devolution. New federal ministries shall be created only after consensus among the provinces or at least an endorsement by the Senate,” the group observed.

The Group viewed that in absence of Local Government in the country the state of Pakistan is constitutionally incomplete. Provinces appear to be least interested to fulfill the constitutional command regarding the local government. The Charter of Democracy, article 140-A of the Constitution that calls for fiscal, political, administrative devolution to districts, and the manifestos of all political parties promise local governance, still people are deprived of vibrant local government. The Group asked to translate the multiple criteria for resource distribution of National Finance Commission in the Provincial Finance Commissions to offer equitable development to districts.

The group proposed to prepare a comparative analysis of 1979 and 2000 Local Government and design an effective system.

The group also stressed that politics must define the national political discourse. Today neither politicians, nor intellectuals are framing it rather electronic media has assumed this role. The pattern of electronic media is to perpetuate conflicts by highlighting differences. The points of consensus are rarely highlighted. The Group examined reports from the provinces about the steps being taken and examined various concerns and confusions prevailing in provincial capitals.

Members of the CGC also met Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa, senior Advisor Punjab at the Chief Minister secretariat. The Senior Advisor briefed the participants about steps being taken by the Punjab Government to make democratic devolution a success. He also responded to the questions and concerns raised by the members of the group. He informed that Punjab has written to the federal government to complain about the incomplete devolution.