It is now or never, say the proponents of the protests led by Imran Khan and Dr Tahirul Qadri, voicing support for their leaders’ demand that Nawaz Sharif step down. They believe that the British era elitist model of governance that only suits the politically and financially mighty ones has outlived its utility. It is a system they decry as anti-poor, and hence their six demands. In a dramatic way, Imran Khan ruled out any compromises on the issue of Nawaz Sharif’s resignation in a Wednesday evening appearance before the press and his supporters. We will not get justice as long as Sharif is prime minister, he said. Over our dead bodies, say the PML-N ministers. As of Wednesday evening, the Sharif camp still sounded sheepish, pretending all was well. That was also manifest in Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s visit to China. The elder Sharif did the pro-democracy chest-thumping in his own way. Addressing the National Assembly Wednesday afternoon, he thanked all his allies and said the collective resolution in support of the current system reflected “the triumph of a vision… which is not about individuals… governments come and go, prime ministers come and go, but principles of democracy and the constitution stay.” It was only this much that Nawaz Sharif could say. And he has only to blame his own party stalwarts and advisors for this because: the course of events since March 17, when the police gunned down at least 14 protestors in Lahore, history has proved that the PML crowd of advisors is expert in surrounding themselves with crisis. the strident behavior – as demonstrated by a few ministers and the Sharifs themselves – suggests that the ruling party lacks a crisis-preemption vision and works at best more as an exclusive interest group than an inclusive political party committed to the ideals of democracy and public accountability. the party functions largely in a state of denial wrapped in a contradictory conduct ie it runs down opponents as power-hungry...

The volatile political crisis in Pakistan has brought public life in Islamabad, the capital city, to a halt – the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), a major opposition party, continues its protest over alleged rigging in 2013 general elections over two weeks. The PTI alleges that the elections were rigged and the people’s mandate stolen. Initially, it demanded verification of the votes polled in four constituencies. The government rejected this demand and the PTI launched aazadi (freedom) march from Lahore to Islamabad on August 14, 2014. The Imran Khan-led marchers reached Islamabad. The participants crossed all barriers, entered the Red Zone and camped in front of Parliament. The sit-in continues and a head-on situation has developed. Both the sides are not budging from their respective positions with the PTI now demanding Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s resignation to ensure transparency of the verification process. The electoral system and procedure are critical to establish legitimacy of the entire election process and build the people’s confidence. The conduct of free, fair and transparent elections is a pre-requisite for democracy. But this is not the case in Pakistan. There are lacunae and loopholes in the electoral process in Pakistan. The results, therefore, can be influenced and manipulated. To plug these loopholes, there is a need and demand for comprehensive electoral reforms. The PTI has taken a position that in the presence of the current system the electoral process cannot be transparent. Accepting one of the PTI’s demands, the government has already formed a parliamentary committee to prepare a package of reforms without which real democracy cannot be established in Pakistan. Among all democracies in the world, Australia is a good example in this regard. Australia is a constitutional monarchy but uses a parliamentary system of government. Parliamentary elections are conducted through electronic voting system and thought to be one of the most efficient...

In recent months Pakistan has witnessed an unusual surge in violence against religious minorities who have faced violence across the country. Not only have Pakistani Christians, Ahmadis, Sikhs, and Hindus suffered at the hands of unknown extremist groups but the Shia community, too, has borne the brunt of extremism and intolerance. Recent cases include the killing of two Hindu brothers in Umerkot, Sindh on August 6, 2014. On the same day a young Sikh trader, who had fled fighting in Fata, was gunned down in Peshawar. Earlier on July 26, 2014, an Ahmadi man was poisoned and shot dead in Gojra in Toba Tek Singh near Lahore, while a few days before that, another Ahmadi was murdered in Nawabshah. In yet another brazen attack on a minority community, two Ahmadi girls, one woman and an unborn baby were burned on July 27 in Gujranwala, Punjab – and the list keeps getting longer. Strangely, the July 27 incident in Gujranwala targeting Ahmadis drew no reaction from Shahbaz Sharif, the Punjab chief minister. The exponential rise in the persecution of religious minorities calls into question Article 25 of the federal constitution which holds all citizens equal before the law and entitles them the right to equal citizenry. The surge in violence against and the increasing discrimination of minorities also reminds us of a speech that the Quaid-e-Azam gave at the Strachey Hall of the Aligarh University on February 5, 1938. “What the Muslim League has done is to set you free from the reactionary elements of Muslims and to create the opinion that those who play their selfish games are traitors. It has certainly freed you from that undesirable element of maulvis and maulanas (as well as (the clutches of the British government, the Congress, the reactionaries and so-called Muslims).” Although Pakistan has been observing August 11 as a national ‘Minorities Day’ since 2011, these celebrations do not reflect what happens to most religious minorities, away from the glittering political...

Data collected for the month of July, 2014 suggests that heinous crimes[1] are on the rise, up from 33 in June to 35 in July. This also indicates that such crimes more than doubled in July when compared with about 14 in the month of May.  Punjab tops the list with reported number of 14 cases of heinous crimes followed by 11 cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), six in the southern Sind and four in the southwestern Balochistan province. Meanwhile, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) are the least affected areas with no occurrence of any such incident in the month under review.  The documented casualties for the month of July are 57 i.e. 31 killed and 26 injured. The number of those killed in Punjab as a result of heinous crimes was 14, followed by six in Sind. This report includes following offences as heinous crimes, using open source information. Brutality Child abuse: Crime by a teenager: Exploitation: Family Rift: Honor Killing: Intolerance: Male domination: Misuse of power: Religious extremism: Sectarianism: Terrorism against children: Violence against women: Heinous Crimes – Statistical Overview Province No. of cases Month May-14 Jun-14 Jul-14 Balochistan 2 1 4 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 4 6 11 Punjab 9 20 14 Islamabad Capital Territory 1 1 Sindh 0 2 6 Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) 0 1 Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) 0 2 Total 16 33 35 Brutality: Date Source City Province Root Cause Narrative 25-Jul-14 The News Gujrat Punjab Brutality Ghulam Mustafa of Chak Bhulla village cut both arms of Tabassum over a dispute with his father.The landlord set an unprecedented example of tyranny as he put the boy’s arms in a harvester machine. 28-Jul-14 The News Lahore, Batapur Punjab Brutality At least six brick kiln labourers were severely tortured allegedly by a kiln owner and his accomplices in the Batapur area Child abuse: Child rapes and murders Date Source City Province Root Cause Narrative...

CRSS Note: Since 2011, Pakistan celebrates national “Minorities Day” on August 11. The first “Minorities Day” was observed to the context of  the cold-blooded assassination of former minister of  minorities affairs Shehbaz Clement Bhatti  on March 2, 2011. CRSS is releasing this article as its commitment to equal rights for religious minorities living in Pakistan. Pakistani Constitution &Religious Minorities “What the Muslim League has done is to set you free from the reactionary elements of Muslims and to create the opinion that those who play their selfish games are traitors. It has certainly freed you from that undesirable element of maulvis and maulanas (as well as (the clutches of the British government, the Congress, the reactionaries and so-called Muslims)”   Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Founder of Pakistan, in a speech at the Strachey Hall of the Aligarh University on February 5, 1938.  And on August 10, Pakistan’s Minister In-charge for National Harmony Dr Paul Bhatti in a message on the Minorities’ Day also recalled what Jinnah had said decades ago. “The day we celebrate every year on August 11, recalls the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah with reference to his speech and the contribution of non-Muslim communities to Pakistan. The celebration of Minorities’ Day provides us with an opportunity to re-assure that despite belonging to different faiths we are one nation that continues to march for a united and prosperous Pakistan,” Dr.Bhatti said. Several events, seminars and social gatherings were arranged across the country by members of various religious minorities as well as the Ministry of National Harmony to commemorate But away from these ceremonial gestures, the situation of religious minorities is not comforting at all; Pakistan today finds itself in the clutches of exactly the same elements that Mohammad Ali Jinnah – also known as the QuaideAzam - spoke about three-quarters of a century ago. These elements bear down heavily on the religious...

CRSS Note: Since 2011, Pakistan celebrates national “Minorities Day” on August 11. The first “Minorities Day” was observed to the context of  the cold-blooded assassination of former minister of  minorities affairs Shehbaz Clement Bhatti  on March 2, 2011. CRSS is releasing this article as its commitment to equal rights for religious minorities living in Pakistan. Pakistani Constitution &Religious Minorities “What the Muslim League has done is to set you free from the reactionary elements of Muslims and to create the opinion that those who play their selfish games are traitors. It has certainly freed you from that undesirable element of maulvis and maulanas (as well as (the clutches of the British government, the Congress, the reactionaries and so-called Muslims)”   Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Founder of Pakistan, in a speech at the Strachey Hall of the Aligarh University on February 5, 1938.  And on August 10, Pakistan’s Minister In-charge for National Harmony Dr Paul Bhatti in a message on the Minorities’ Day also recalled what Jinnah had said decades ago. “The day we celebrate every year on August 11, recalls the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah with reference to his speech and the contribution of non-Muslim communities to Pakistan. The celebration of Minorities’ Day provides us with an opportunity to re-assure that despite belonging to different faiths we are one nation that continues to march for a united and prosperous Pakistan,” Dr.Bhatti said. Several events, seminars and social gatherings were arranged across the country by members of various religious minorities as well as the Ministry of National Harmony to commemorate But away from these ceremonial gestures, the situation of religious minorities is not comforting at all; Pakistan today finds itself in the clutches of exactly the same elements that Mohammad Ali Jinnah – also known as the QuaideAzam - spoke about three-quarters of a century ago. These elements bear down heavily on the religious...

CRSS Note: Since 2011, Pakistan celebrates national “Minorities Day” on August 11. The first “Minorities Day” was observed to the context of  the cold-blooded assassination of former minister of  minorities affairs Shehbaz Clement Bhatti  on March 2, 2011. CRSS is releasing this article as its commitment to equal rights for religious minorities living in Pakistan. Pakistani Constitution &Religious Minorities “What the Muslim League has done is to set you free from the reactionary elements of Muslims and to create the opinion that those who play their selfish games are traitors. It has certainly freed you from that undesirable element of maulvis and maulanas (as well as (the clutches of the British government, the Congress, the reactionaries and so-called Muslims)”   Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Founder of Pakistan, in a speech at the Strachey Hall of the Aligarh University on February 5, 1938.  And on August 10, Pakistan’s Minister In-charge for National Harmony Dr Paul Bhatti in a message on the Minorities’ Day also recalled what Jinnah had said decades ago. “The day we celebrate every year on August 11, recalls the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah with reference to his speech and the contribution of non-Muslim communities to Pakistan. The celebration of Minorities’ Day provides us with an opportunity to re-assure that despite belonging to different faiths we are one nation that continues to march for a united and prosperous Pakistan,” Dr.Bhatti said. Several events, seminars and social gatherings were arranged across the country by members of various religious minorities as well as the Ministry of National Harmony to commemorate But away from these ceremonial gestures, the situation of religious minorities is not comforting at all; Pakistan today finds itself in the clutches of exactly the same elements that Mohammad Ali Jinnah – also known as the QuaideAzam - spoke about three-quarters of a century ago. These elements bear down heavily on the religious...