Karachi resonates with 'release Qadri

KARACHI - Scores of religious activists rallied in the city on Saturday demanding release of Mumtaz Qadri, the self-confessed killer of former Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer. The call for the protest rally was given by the Sunni Ittehad Council. Marching from Old Numaish roundabout to Tibet Centre, participants of the rally, who were carrying placards inscribed with writing in favour of Qadri, chanted slogans against the government. They announced that they would organise a march from Karachi to Rawalpindi on November 20 against the government that had failed to resolve problems of the masses. Addressing the rally, Jamaat Ahl-e-Sunnat (JAS) chief Amir Maulana Allamaa Shah Turabul Haq Qadri said that the people would not bow down before the anti-Islamic forces. He said the people wont allow US diplomats to go scot-free for creating anarchy in the country. He termed the conviction of Qadri against Islamic injunctions, and pressed the government for his early release. Sunni Tehreek Chairman Sarwat Ijaz Qadri recalled that US spy, Raymond Davis, who killed three Pakistanis in broad daylight was released following the intervention of US government. He regretted the award of death penalty to Qadri, who according to him, acted upon true principles of Islam. He also criticised the incumbent government for plunging major national institutions, including the Pakistan Railways and Pakistan International Airlines, into severe financial crisis through its weak policies. He said all religious groups stand by the Army to fail those forces looking to destabilise the country. He demanded the government to release Qadri in larger interest of the country. SIC Secretary General Haji Hanif Muhammad Tayyab and Sahabzada Fazal Karim also spoke on the occasion. Trends in breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices: Breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices have profound implications for maternal and child health status of a society. Feeding practices in Pakistan are suboptimal, leading to adverse outcomes on child health, a report in International Breastfeeding Journal 2011 said. In Pakistan, Maternal, Neonatal & Child Health (MNCH) Program, in collaboration with several international organizations, including WHO and UNICEF, is working to improve these feeding practices in the country. Estimates on various indicators for infant and young child feeding proposed by WHO were analyzed in light of Pakistan Demographic & Health Surveys (1990-91 & 2006-07) and several other national studies conducted since 1995. Nearly half the core and optional indicators have improved over the years, though modestly; others have demonstrated no statistically significant improvement over the years. Of five indicators required in the WHO tool for assessment of infant and young child feeding, introduction of complementary foods, bottle-feeding, and early initiation of breastfeeding, stand in the poor category, while exclusive breastfeeding and duration of breastfeeding fall in fair category, suggesting an overall poor status. There is considerable scope to improve breastfeeding and complementary feeding in Pakistan. Further programs should focus on improving the following indicators that have shown no significant development: early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding under six months, continued breastfeeding at two years. , age appropriate feeding, and bottle feeding. Effective implementation of interventions that are known to improve breastfeeding practices is imperative, as is further research to yield data that can lead future endeavors.