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The U.S. Department of the Treasury Targets Terrorist Group Lashkar-e Tayyiba’s Political Party



The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), in concert with the Department of State, took action today targeting Lashkar-e Tayyiba (LeT) and its political party, the Milli Muslim League (MML), by designating MML and seven MML officials as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism.  Specifically, OFAC designated seven members of the MML central leadership body, Saifullah Khalid, Muzammil Iqbal Hashimi, Muhammad Harris Dar, Tabish Qayyum, Fayyaz Ahmad, Faisal Nadeem, and Muhammad Ehsan, for acting for on behalf of LeT, a Pakistan-based terrorist group designated in December 2001.  The Department of State today amended the designation of LeT to add the alias MML, as well as another alias, Tehreek-e-Azadi-e-Kashmir (TaK).
As a result of today’s designations, all property and interests in property of these persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.
“Treasury is targeting the Milli Muslim League and a group of seven global terrorists who are complicit in Lashkar-e Tayyiba’s attempts to undermine Pakistan’s political process,” said Treasury Under Secretary Sigal Mandelker.  “The Milli Muslim League is not a recognized political party; further it relies on the leadership of Lashkar-e Tayyiba for guidance and direction.  We will continue to target terrorist organizations like Lashkar-e Tayyiba, even when they attempt to cloak themselves as political parties or hide their extremism behind other facades.  Those working with the Milli Muslim League, including providing financial donations, should think twice about doing so or risk exposure to U.S. sanctions.”
Saifullah Khalid
Saifullah Khalid (Khalid) was designated for acting for or on behalf of LeT.
Khalid was introduced as the President of the MML and spoke about the party’s formation, aims, and objectives, during an August 8, 2017 press conference.
Khalid is also the head of LeT’s Peshawar headquarters, and served on Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD)’s Coordination Committee for Central Punjab Province.  JuD was designated by the Department of State as an alias of LeT pursuant to E.O. 13224 in April 2016, and was added to the United Nations 1267/1988 Sanctions list as an alias of LeT in December 2008.
Muzammil Iqbal Hashimi
Muzammil Iqbal Hashimi (Hashimi) was designated for acting for or on behalf of LeT.
Hashimi is the Vice President of the MML, and during an August 8, 2017 press conference, was introduced as a member of the MML’s Central Body Leadership.  He is JuD’s chief for Karachi, a role he has held since at least 2014.  Hashimi is also the former LeT zone commander for Karachi.
Muhammad Harris Dar
Muhammad Harris Dar (Dar) was designated for acting for or on behalf of LeT.
Dar is the Joint Secretary of the MML, and formerly an officer in LeT’s student wing, the Al-Muhammadiya Students (AMS), which the Department of State added as an alias of LeT in December 2016 pursuant to E.O. 13224.
As of early 2016, Dar provided first aid and firefighting instruction at an LeT training camp.  This camp also included training on weapon skills and assault tactics. 
Tabish Qayyum
Tabish Qayyum (Qayyum) was designated for acting for or on behalf of LeT.
Qayyum is the Information Secretary for the MML, and during an August 8, 2017 press conference, was introduced as a member of the MML’s Central Body Leadership.
Additionally, Qayyum is an assistant of Yahya Mujahid (Mujahid), JuD’s spokesperson, whom the UN and OFAC designated in June and July 2009, respectively.  Mujahid served as the head of LeT’s media department and as an LeT spokesperson for a number of years.
Fayyaz Ahmad
Fayyaz Ahmad (Ahmad) was designated for acting for or on behalf of LeT.
Ahmad is the General Secretary of the MML, and was introduced as a member of the MML’s Central Body Leadership during an August 8, 2017 press conference.  Ahmad is also the former JuD Zone commander for Faisalabad and the zone’s current JUD administrator. 
Faisal Nadeem
Faisal Nadeem (Nadeem) was designated for acting for or on behalf of LeT.
Nadeem is the Broadcast and Publications Secretary of the MML, as well as JuD’s representative in Hyderabad.  In mid-2017, Nadeem served as LeT’s head for Sindh Province, as well as JuD’s administrator for interior Sindh. 
Muhammad Ehsan
Muhammad Ehsan (Ehsan) was designated for acting for or on behalf of LeT.
Ehsan is the Finance Secretary for the MML as well as JuD’s leader for Gujranwala.   He has also served as a spokesman for the MML.

Taliban's criticism of Malala 'reflects a mindset'



Date 18.07.2013
A senior Taliban commander has written an open letter to teenage Pakistani activist Malala, accusing her of running a 'smear campaign' against them. Experts say the letter is a reaction to Malala's historic UN speech.
Malala Yousafzai, a 16-year-old activist from Pakistan's restive northwestern Swat area, has become an international symbol of resistance, empowerment of women and right to education. However, in her own country she is looked down upon by many, who accuse her of being a US agent, set out to malign Pakistan and Islam. It is a view spoken out recently by a senior Taliban commander in Pakistan, which experts say is proof that when it comes to matters related to religion and nationalism, many Pakistanis and the Taliban think alike.
Adnan Rasheed, a former Pakistani air force member and now a Pakistani Taliban leader, accused Malala of running a "smear campaign" against the militants in an open letter released Wednesday. Rasheed, who was freed by the Taliban in a mass jail break last year after he was arrested by Pakistani authorities over a plot to murder former president and army chief Pervez Musharraf, said he wished his comrades had not shot Malala but then went on to justify Malala's assassination attempt and his organization's activities. Malala - who is also a blogger - was shot by armed men in October last year along with three other girls in the Swat Valley of Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan. Taliban militants claimed responsibility for the attack and said in a statement that Malala had been attacked for promoting "secularism."
The 16-year-old had been campaigning for girls' right to education in Swat and was a vocal critic of the Taliban before she was shot. She won international acclaim for writing about Islamist atrocities in Swat in a BBC Urdu service blog. She has recently been nominated for the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize.
Malala was sent to the United Kingdom after she received initial medical treatment in Pakistan. Presently, she is residing with her family in the UK.
Historic UN speech
Last week, Malala addressed the United Nations, urging the international community to promote education.
"The terrorists thought that they would change my aims and stop my ambitions," Malala said at the UN youth assembly, "but nothing changed in my life, except this: weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage was born."
She said that "the extremists were, and they are, afraid of books and pens." 

The Taliban commander criticized Malala's UN speech in his letter by calling it "propaganda." "It is amazing that you are shouting for education," Rasheed wrote to Malala, adding that the reason she was shot was not because she was promoting education, but because of her "propaganda" campaign against the Islamists. "What you are doing now, you are using your tongue on the behest of the others." "I advise you to come back home, adopt the Islamic and Pashtun culture, join any female Islamic madrassah near your home town, study and learn the book of Allah, use your pen for Islam and the plight of Muslim ummah (community)," Rasheed wrote. The Taliban have destroyed hundreds of schools across Pakistan's northwestern areas. But Rasheed insisted this happened because the Pakistani military had been using them as their bases to launch attacks on the militants. Symbol of pride Activists and experts say that there is nothing unusual about the remarks and claims Rasheed made in his letter, since the Taliban are known for justifying their "barbaric actions." "Malala posed a threat to the Taliban in the sense that she was setting an example for other girls," Pakistani writer and activist Zahida Hina told DW. "The Taliban attacked her because they wanted to tell others that if they dared to stand against them, they would also meet the same fate."
"Malala Yousafzai is a brave young girl who has already succeeded in transforming adversity into an opportunity to advance a noble cause. She is working for the empowerment of women through education, which can be compared in significance to the abolition of slavery and the fight against racial discrimination," Dwayne Ryan Menezes, a historian at Cambridge University, told DW.
Commenting on her UN speech, Menezes said that Malala had become a model to young people around the world. "She is a William Wilberforce of our time," he said, referring to the English leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. Menezes added that Malala had hit the nail on the head by identifying books and pens as the most powerful weapons. "I was particularly pleased she stressed the importance of providing education not just to women, but also to the sons and daughters of terrorists and extremists."
A controversial figure
Pakistani students and teachers hold posters of Malala Yousafzai while they take part in a demonstration in Karachi, Pakistan on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012 (Photo: Faree Khan/AP/dapd) Loved abroad, Malala is maligned in her own country Despite the fact that Pakistani liberals hail her as a symbol of pride for the country, she has become an extremely controversial figure in Pakistan. A majority of conservatives allege she is working against Islam and the country.
"Isn't it strange that many Pakistanis share Rasheed's views on Malala?" said Shareef Ahmed, a Karachi-based activist. "They are saying the same things against Malala on social networking websites that Rasheed wrote in his letter. I think it shows that the Taliban ideology is a popular ideology in Pakistan. Malala has exposed quite a lot of people, even those who are not hardcore extremists."
Many in Pakistan believe that the local and international media are unnecessarily creating hype around the young activist. Right-wing parties in Pakistan claim that the campaign to promote Malala is proof that there is an "international lobby" behind the whole issue.
"I don't think that Malala deserved to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. I think there are more deserving people in Pakistan who should have been nominated for the award," Karachi-based Shiite activist Syed Ali Mujtaba Zaidi told DW. "Just because you (Malala) got shot by the Taliban does not make you worthy of the award."
Supporters of the 16-year-old say that it is "Malala haters" who are running a smear campaign against the teenager. The Taliban's letter to Malala reflects a mindset, they say.

Malala Yousafzai – loved abroad, maligned at home


Nobel peace laureate Malala Yousafzai has returned to Pakistan for the first time since she was shot by the Taliban in 2012. DW examines why Malala – loved around the world – is not so popular in her home country.
Malala Yousafzai, the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, is currently on a four-day visit to Pakistan. She held talks with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Thursday and was expected to meet with other government officials and civil society representatives during her stay in her home country. But much of her engagements in Pakistan have been kept secret because of security risks, local media said.
Although many of those who attacked Malala in 2012 are behind bars, her life could still be in danger due to potential threats from Islamists. Also, right-wing groups in Pakistan oppose her vehemently.
The 20-year-old delivers lectures all over the world advocating the right to education for girls, but it took her almost six years to return to her own country. Pakistan is still unsafe for Malala and the massive level of security arranged for her is a testimony to the fact.
A global icon
Malala was shot by militants in October 2012 in the Swat valley of Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack and said in a statement that Malala had been attacked for promoting "secularism" in the country. After receiving initial medical treatment in Pakistan, Malala was sent to the United Kingdom where she now resides with her family.
Before being shot, Malala had been campaigning for girls' right to education in Swat and was a vocal critic of Islamic extremists. She was praised internationally for writing about the Taliban atrocities in a BBC Urdu service blog.
Malala has come a long way since then. She has now become an international icon of resistance, empowerment of women and right to education, and has received numerous awards, including the European Union's prestigious Sakharov human righths prize. She was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2016.
But in her own country, she is looked down upon by many, who accuse her of being a US agent, set out to malign Pakistan and Islam.
A polarizing figure
Last year, Malala was named as the UN Messenger of Peace. At a ceremony at the United Nations headquarters in New York, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres gave Malala the top award, saying he was inspired by her "unwavering commitment to peace" and "resolve to foster a better world."
In her speech, the women's rights activist didn't forget to mention her country, where she was shot and wounded by the Taliban. She expressed her love for Pakistan and insisted that the South Asian country not be considered extremist.
"I want people to know that I represent Pakistan, not the extremists, not the terrorists. They are not Pakistan," Malala said.
But do Pakistanis also believe that Malala Yousafzai represents their country?
"Girls like Malala symbolize defiance, and there are many in Pakistan who don't like that, especially if it comes from a female," Karachi-based journalist and documentary filmmaker Sabin Agha told DW.
Despite the fact that liberals hail Malala as a symbol of pride for the country, she has become an extremely divisive figure in Pakistan. A majority of conservatives allege that she is working against Islam and Pakistan's sovereignty.
Many in Pakistan believe that local and international media are unnecessarily creating hype around the young activist. Right-wing parties claim that the "campaign" to promote Malala is proof that there is an "international lobby" behind the whole issue.
"I don't think that Malala deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. I think there were more deserving people in Pakistan who should have been given the award," Karachi-based Shiite activist Syed Ali Mujtaba Zaidi told DW. "Just because she (Malala) got shot by the Taliban does not make her worthy of these prizes," he added.
The mindset
Supporters of the Pakistani Nobel peace laureate say the "Malala haters" are running a smear campaign against the 20-year-old. They argue that until the mindset of the people is changed, Malala can't live permanently in Pakistan.
"Malala has been portrayed as a western agent in Pakistan — a country brimming with anti-West sentiment. Anyone seen as pro-West in the country becomes a target for scorn, ridicule, hatred, and even violence," Farooq Sulehria, a UK-based researcher and activist, told DW.
Filmmaker Agha insists the issue is not just about Malala but the overall situation of women's rights in Pakistan.
"Isn't it ironic that Pakistan is considered a safe place for national and international terrorists but not for its own female population?" Agha asked. "We have to change this scenario, and also the patriarchal mindset which supports violence against women."
Pakistan 'still not safe' for Malala
In 2013, the Pakistani military announced the arrest of the men suspected of trying to kill Malala. But experts say the fact that some of her attackers are now in the military's custody won't make the country any safer for her.
"A country which cannot guarantee the safety of its former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto — who was assassinated during a public rally in the city of Rawalpindi in 2007 — cannot protect Malala or any other activist critical of the Taliban," Sulehria underlined.
Agha says that Pakistan is still not a safe place for rights activists, government and military critics, as well as journalists: "In the past, the army had conducted many operations against the terrorists; however, we have not seen the level of violence go down."
Many analysts and activists accuse Pakistan's powerful military of backing a number of militant Islamist groups to be used as proxies in Afghanistan and India-administered Kashmir. The Trump administration in the US has cut much of its military aid to Pakistan until the Islamic country's army takes decisive action against Islamists. Pakistan denies it is aiding militant groups.

#PAKISTANI DEOBANDIS HUMILIATED AFTER SAUDI PRINCE ADMITS WAHHABISM SPREAD UNDER US POLICY

Pakistan-based allies of Saudi kingdom and its Wahhabism have felt themselves humiliated after the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman confessed that Saudi Wahhabism spread under US-led West’s anti-USSR cold war policy.

Deobandis of Pakistan were prime beneficiaries of Saudi funding for seminaries and mosques that were required to recruit and brainwash proxy fighters who were later given the title of mujahideen or holy warrior and their proxy fighting was declared jihad or holy war in Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s former foreign minister Sartaj Aziz had also disclosed it in his memoir Between Dreams and Realities but now Saudi Crown Prince himself confessed how seminaries and mosques and entire network of Wahhabis (and their allied Deobandis) were established.
Saudi Crown Prince’s admission was reported by Washington Post on March 22, 2018 in a report by Karen De Young. Prince MBS disclosed so in an off the record meeting with the Washing Post editors/reporters in Washington. His admission vindicated the stance of those true Muslims who always declared that Saudi Wahhabism is a US brand Islam or American Islam.

http://www.shiitenews.org/index.php/pakistan/item/33760-deobandis-humiliated-after-saudi-prince-admits-wahhabism-spread-under-us-policy

Pakistani Christian beaten to death by hospital security guards and doctors



A Pakistani Christian has reportedly died after being brutally tortured by a security guards, medical staff and doctors at a hospital in Lahore. 


Sunil Saleem, 26, was killed when he went to deliver food to his sister at the Services Hospital. 

His pregnant sister, Kiran Saleem went to see a gynaecologist but the lady doctor was allegedly on the phone and asked a nurse to see Kiran. 

When Kiran insisted on being seen by a doctor, an argument broke out and the doctor reportedly slapped Kiran, after which her brothers called the local news channel. 

Johnson Saleem, Kiran’s brother claims the security guards on duty put the shutters down and threatened his brothers Sunil Saleem, Anil Saleem and brother-in-law Kashif Shafeeq. 

Eventually a brawl broke out and the guards and doctors started beating the three men. 

Johnson claims the security guards and at least three doctors beat Sunil for about 30 minutes and he was hospitalised in a critical condition. 

However, there was no doctor to attend to him and he later died. 

An FIR invoking Section 302 has been registered at the Shadman Police Station, Lahore.

Nasir Saeed, Director CLAAS-UK expressed his concern over ongoing hatred and persecution against Christians in Pakistani society.

He said that Pakistan had recently marked another Pakistan day which meant nothing for religious minorities as the promises made to the minorities by the Quaid e Azam are not being honoured, but there are sustained attempts to push Christians and other religious minorities out from the Pakistan.

Mr Saeed added: “I am very concerned by the government’s inactions as perpetrators are continuing to take the law into their own hands and kill innocent people with impunity. 

“It is sad that that country that was created with the support of religious minorities has increasingly becoming a minefield for them. 

“They are living under constant fear for their lives and as their worship places, their honour and lives are not safe and the government of Pakistan has failed to protect them or assure them protection. Many are fleeing the country to find sanctuary in other countries.”

Religious intolerance against religious minorities in Pakistan has reached a dangerous level and there is an urgent need to pay attention and stop these ongoing atrocities against religious minorities, instead of turning a blind eye. 

The international community and human rights organisations must take notice of the ongoing persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan and remind Pakistan of its obligations under the international conventions Pakistan has ratified.

Four killed in attack on Christians in Pakistan's Quetta



By


Members of same family targeted outside relative's home while visiting southwestern city to celebrate Easter holiday.
At least four people have been killed in an attack targeting Christians in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, officials say, the latest violence to target members of the minority in the South Asian country.
The four men, all members of the same Christian family, were shot to death outside a relative's home in the Shah Zaman neighbourhood of the city on Monday evening.
"One young girl has been wounded, and four people have been killed, they were all Christians," Ali Mardan, a senior police official, told Al Jazeera by telephone.
"They were shot dead."
The family had travelled to Quetta to celebrate Easter with relatives, a family member told Al Jazeera.
"They were guests of ours, they came from Punjab [province] to celebrate Easter. As they left the house to go to the bazaar after dinner […] they were fired upon," said Tariq Masih, a relative to the victims.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
At least four people were killed in a separate, unrelated shooting incident in Quetta on Monday, officials said.
That incident was related to a personal enmity, police said.
Attacks on minorities
Pakistan has been battling armed groups including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its allies, who seek to impose a strict interpretation of Islamic law on the country, since 2007.
Violence has dropped in recent years, as a series of military operations have succeeded in displacing the TTP and allied groups from their strongholds in northwestern Pakistan, but sporadic large casualty attacks continue.
Attacks often target Pakistan's minorities, including Shia Muslims as well as Christians, Hindus and members of the Ahmadiyya sect.
In December, a suicide bomb and gun attack targeting Sunday services at a church in Quetta killed at least eight people and left dozens of others wounded.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group claimed responsibility for that attack in a statement, but provided no proof of its involvement.
ISIL, also known as ISIS, has claimed responsibility for several attacks targeting civilians in Balochistan province, of which Quetta is the capital, in recent years, including an attack on a Sufi shrine and multiple attacks on Hazara Shias. On Sunday, a Hazara Shia man was killed and another wounded in a targeted attack in a Quetta bazaar, local media reported.
In all, at least 242 people were killed in attacks in Balochistan province in 2017, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal research organisation.

#Pakistan - Investing in girls







The scale of our educational problems is so huge that without public-private partnerships, without social enterprises and innovative solutions, we will likely remain unable to fix them. 
We did not have access to a girls’ middle/secondary school in our neighbourhood so my cousin who is my age (14-15 year-old) was married. If you can’t go to school then getting married is the only option left to girls. I will go to school now.”
The girl who made this observation dropped out after primary school because she did not have access to middle school. She is now back in school because her neighbourhood primary school recently joined the Sustainable Transition and Retention in Delivering Education (STRIDE) programme. Under this programme, the primary school operates as a middle/secondary school in the afternoons.
Her words and enthusiasm about getting back in school spoke volumes about the life-changing effect of this initiative. There are more than twenty girls in her neighbourhood who have joined this afternoon middle school. All of them had earlier dropped out of education for the same reason.
In another district, an older girl now married and mother of a child, came back to school to re-start her education after the same programme started an afternoon middle/high school in her neighbourhood primary school.
The STRIDE programme works in partnership with provincial governments and was conceived by the Institute for Social and Policy Science (I-SAPS). STRIDE is an innovative solution that aims to improve access, retention (staying in school), and transition rates (promotion from one grade to the next) for girls and boys. In addition to setting up afternoon schools, the programme is also testing the impact of subsidised transportation to school in the form of transportation vouchers.
UNESCO estimates that around 263 million children of school-going age are out of school worldwide. Of these, 95.8 million children are from South Asia, with Pakistan contributing about 20 million children to this figure. The group of out of school children (OOSC) is complex, not only in its makeup (age, sex, and region) but also because of the reasons that keep children out of school.
In Pakistan, the group of OOSC comprises 4.9 million primary school-aged children (of which 62 per cent are girls), 5.4 million middle school-aged children (of which 53 per cent are girls), and 9.5 million secondary school aged children (of which 52 per cent are girls). This is the education emergency we find ourselves in right now. In such circumstances, STRIDE and similar programmes have a vital role to play.
The group of out of school children (OOSC) is complex, not only in its makeup (age, sex, and region) but also because of the reasons that keep children out of school.
STRIDE is only one of many innovations being supported by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) through its Ilm Ideas 2 programme. “We’re especially interested in ideas that improve education for girls,” says Helen Kamal, who leads the Ilm Ideas 2 team. “Educating a girl is one of the best investments her family and society can make, yet still the majority of girls in Pakistan are excluded from education, let alone quality education.”
People often ask if development aid makes a difference. It is a difficult question to answer. However, the case for aid is easy to make when you see first-hand how people’s lives are being affected, especially the lives of little girls.
Re-read that statement of the little girl at the beginning of the article, because it is profound. Unavailability of schooling alters the course of any child’s life in an irreversible way, but the consequences are even greater for girls. In many cultures, unavailability of schooling for any reason means young girls are married off, bear children when they are still children themselves, endangering their health, development, and wellbeing.
DFID’s chief economist Rachel Glennerster talks about her work in Bangladesh and suggests that if girls can stay in school until the end of high-school (or at least until the age of 17) their chances of negotiating continuation of education increase manifold, even if they are married at that age. However, girls who are married at an earlier age drop out and are unlikely to return. Keeping a girl in school only a few more years increases the likelihood of enhancing her quality of life.
However, staying in school alone does not guarantee a resolution of equity issues. Messages of gender stereotyping are so strong that, according to a study published in the journal Science, by age 6, girls have already internalized that boys are smarter than them. The messaging to that effect comes from various sources including reinforcement of such stereotyping from parents, teachers, and even learning materials, which seldom include relatable content for girls and boys.
A cross-country analysis of government secondary school textbooks, found that women and girls were represented in just 24 per cent of cases (text and pictures combined). In addition, girls and women were found to be underrepresented in prestigious and high-income professions and are mostly shown in domestic roles, whereas men are not represented in domestic roles at all.
AZCORP, a comic developer, is creating exciting educational content for Pakistani children and young adults in the form of comic books. They are intervening at an age where children are the most impressionable and when girls are likely to start internalising that intelligence is associated with gender.
The development of AZCORP’s latest series of comic books is supported by Ilm Ideas 2. The series, based on the National Curriculum, is titled ‘Sheeba and Private Detectives’. Sheeba, a 13-year-old girl, is the lead character. She comes from Dhobi Ghat and solves problems in her community by using her knowledge of math and science. Her friends include two girls, a boy, a dog and a donkey. The series seeks to help children develop a love of reading, while at the same time helping them understand important concepts in math and science.
However, equally importantly, staying true to their philosophy of challenging stereotypes, by having a girl lead these adventures, AZCORP is giving little girls a relatable role model who is not afraid of leading or of math and science. At the same time, they are, “instilling in young boys the value that men and women can exist as equals and that they should not only accept female leaders but also support them in their work. Young boys will grow up to question gender-based assumptions,” say Imran Azhar, CEO, AZCORP.
Imran proudly mentions an anecdote from one of AZCORP’s many research sessions conducted in different schools in Lyari and Malir where students are asked to help design relatable heroes for their comics. After attending these sessions, a little girl said, “I was told girls are not meant to study more, neither they can have dreams as they have to look after homes but my parents are supporting my education and I am allowed to have dreams and pursue them because now they know, ‘I Am A Hero’.”
Parwaan’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) programme, funded by Ilm Ideas 2, is a great example of how social enterprise can help create jobs for the hardest to reach populations. Parwaan provides a pathway into employment for those women and men who are either trying to enter the job market or looking for a secondary means of income. Parwaan’s ECE model provides young men and women training to become entrepreneurs in the field of early childhood education.
Bushra is one of the entrepreneurs living in a middle-income locality of Multan. After obtaining her B.Ed. followed by two years of job search, she could only find a private primary school teaching job offering a salary of Rs3,000 per month. After receiving training in early childhood pedagogy, entrepreneurship and business-management skills under the Parwaan programme, she established her own ECE centre in Multan. Bushra now makes around Rs20,000 a month. To date, 29 pre-primary age group children are enrolled at her centre. She has also enrolled three marginalised children who cannot afford to pay the monthly fee, free of cost. Her Parwaan centre is frequented by polio workers for immunisation and she regularly engages parents by organising sessions on hygiene and child nutrition.
Today, Bushra is not only herself financially independent but is expanding her ECE centre and employing other young women of the community as caregivers and teacher assistants. She aspires to accommodate 200 pre-primary age-group children by growing and expanding her ECE centre.
These are just a few examples of Ilm Ideas 2-funded projects that are making concrete differences in the lives of girls and women while solving some of Pakistan’s biggest problems. The scale of our problems, be it access to quality education or employment opportunities, is so huge that without public-private partnerships, without social enterprises and innovative solutions we will likely remain unable to fix them. Indeed, the scale is such that deploying conventional approaches to these problems is so expensive as to make them unrealistic. If nothing changes, in just a few years Pakistan’s youth bulge, touted as its strength today, will become a massive liability.
As someone put it succinctly, Pakistan may grow old before it grows rich. So, once we can identify the approaches that work and have the desired impact, the government and the private sector need to step in to provide the support necessary to help sustain, adopt, and scale them.

Institutions become weak by meddling in each other’s affairs: Bilawal


Institutions become weak by meddling in the affairs of each other, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Sunday.
While talking to journalists in Hyderabad, Bilawal spoke about the recent tiff between the executive and judiciary, saying the latter should do its work and leave the politicians to do their job.
If politicians are failing at their work then the public has the authority to vote them out, he added.
Bilawal criticised Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, saying the party has weakened institutions. But judicial activism should be decreased, he said.
Moreover, the PPP chairperson also said that space for politics of ideology was diminishing.
About Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s statement regarding the Senate chairperson, Bilawal said the premier should take back his words.
The premier, in a direct reference to Senate Chairperson Sadiq Sanjrani had said: “The Senate chairman also serves as the acting president and it is a disgrace to the country that a man who bought votes became the leader of the upper house. Can there be any respect for the country after that?”
http://www.thesindhtimes.com/sindh/04/institutions-become-weak-meddling-others-affairs-bilawal/

ملالہ واپس برطانیہ روانہ ہوگئیں

ساڑھے پانچ برس بعد وطن آنے والی نوبل انعام یافتہ ملالہ یوسف زئی اپنے والدین کے ہمراہ اسلام آباد سے برطانیہ واپس روانہ ہوگئیں۔
ملالہ یوسف زئی نے پاکستان میں 4روزقیام کیا، ان کی روانگی کے موقع پر اسلام آباد کے بے نظیر انٹرنیشنل ایئرپورٹ پر سیکیورٹی کے سخت انتظامات کیے گئے تھے، وہ براستہ دوحا برطانیہ جائیں گی۔
ملالہ ساڑھے پانچ برس بعد 29اپریل کو بدھ اور جمعرات کی درمیانی شب والد ضیاء الدین یوسف زئی، دیگر اہل خانہ اور سی ای او ملالہ فنڈ فرح محمد کے ہمراہ وطن واپس آئی تھیں۔
انہوں نے اپنے پاکستان کے دورے کے دوران وزیراعظم شاہد خاقان عباسی سمیت اہم شخصیات سے ملاقات کی، جبکہ اپنے آبائی علاقے سوات کا دورہ بھی کیا۔
ملالہ یوسف زئی کی وطن آمد پر ان کے لیے سیکیورٹی کے سخت انتظامات کیے گئے تھے۔
12 جولائی 1997ء کو سوات کے علاقے منگورہ میں پیدا ہونے والی ملالہ یوسف زئی پر 9 اکتوبر 2012 ء کو اسکول سے واپسی کے دوران دہشت گردوں نے حملہ کیا تھا،جس میں وہ شدید زخمی ہوئیں، انہیں علاج کے لئے پہلے پشاور اور بعد ازاں برطانیہ منتقل کردیا گیا تھا۔
12 جولائی 2013ء کو اپنی سالگرہ کے دن ملالہ یوسف زئی نے اقوام متحدہ کے اجلاس سے خطاب بھی کیا تھا، انہیں 2014ء میں صرف 17 سال کی عمر میں امن کا نوبل انعام ملا۔
ملالہ یوسف زئی مسلسل 3 سال دنیا کی بااثر ترین شخصیات کی فہرست میں شامل رہیں جبکہ ان کو کینیڈا کی اعزازی شہریت بھی دی جاچکی ہے ،انہیں عالمی سطح پر 40 سے زائد ایوارڈز اور اعزازات سے نوازا جاچکا ہے۔
https://jang.com.pk/news/472675