LAHORE - A seminar on “Our Rights Our Freedom” was organised yesterday, in connection with 16 Days of Activism on Violence against Women and International Human Rights Day.
The event was organised by Punjab University’s Department of Gender Studies in collaboration with SPO, MDM, Aurat Foundation and Ministry of Human Rights.
Human Rights Activist and Politician Miss Mehnaz Rafi, Regional Head of SPO Salman Abid, Institutional Development Manager Ms Roohi Maqbool, Director, Ministry of Human Rights Ms Lubna Mansoor, Regional Head of Aurat Foundation Miss Mumtaz Mughal, lecturers Ms Nudrat Kamal and Ms Nazia Abdul Ghaffar and a large number of students were present on the occasion.
In her address, Mehnaz Rafi said: “We need to be aware of our basic rights but along with it there is also a need to be remindful of our duties towards humanity and our community. “Only by respecting others’ rights, we can achieve the goal of peace and prosperity.”
Salman Abid said the development of infrastructure was useless without investing on human development.
Roohi Maqbool said it was significant to raise voice against violence and achieving human rights goals. She stressed the importance of Youth and its role in eradicating social evils from the society.
Lubna Mansoor said that all human beings belong to one family and they have duties to respect others’ rights. She showed great hope that youth and students particularly will play their role as citizens along with state to overcome the challenges.
Mumtaz Mughal said that people in Pakistan were facing different kind of violence and human rights violations. She said that men, women, children and elderly all have basic human right to secure a favorable environment in the society which channelize their potentials and secure their needs.
Nazia Abdul Ghaffar said that we should live a life of principles based on mutual respect and dignity. “Discussions and debates in seminars can only be fruitful if we practice it in our life with its true spirit and letter,” she added.
In the event, Chaanan Theatre Group performed a theatre on “Gender Based Violence”.
FALL OF DHAKA: Punjab University’s Pakistan Study Centre (PSC) organised a lecture on Fall of Dhaka in the Committee Room of the Centre. PSC Director Prof Dr Massarrat Abid, Dr Amjad Magsi, faculty members, research staff and PhD/MPhil scholars of the Centre participated in the event.
In her address, Dr Massarrat emphasised the need for introspection to evaluate the factors responsible for the sad incident. She said that people of East Bengal had played leading role in the struggle for Pakistan but after the creation of the state the negligence of their social, political and economic share led to the mistrust between the two wings.
She said that the widening of the gulf between the two parts could not bridge by the civil-military leadership of the country. She said that seeds of the separation of the East Pakistan were sowed in the first decade of Pakistan.
She blamed General Ayub Khan’s centralisation of power furthered the socio-political alienation of the people of East Pakistan, adding that elimination from decision making process disintegrated the East Pakistan.
She said that in final episode loop holes in Yahya Khan’s Legal Frame Work Order (LFO) created the political deadlock and the enemies of Pakistan exploited the already worsened situation for their nefarious designs. Dr Amjad Magsi also expressed his views about the failure of the leadership of Pakistan to redress grievances of the people of East Pakistan.
He said that non-recognition of majority rights of the East Pakistan later on developed into political crisis, economic suppression, political alienation and cultural diversification played role in the distrust of eastern wing.