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Being transgender is not a choice; it’s a learning process to love yourself for who you are….

By
Benazir Shaikh
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0

Being transgender is not a choice; it’s a learning process to love yourself for who you are….

Nature chooses who will be transgender; being so is something over which we have no control. We want people to understand that being transgender is all fine, just like everyone else. Transgender people frequently face harassment, bullying, discrimination, and complete ignorance at every stage of life. When it comes to nationality, most transgender people were not given national identity cards till 2012. Some NADRA offices are accepting and encouraging transgender people to enroll, but most of them do not have their identity cards yet. Some organizations are working for civic education, they are helping them through the proper channel, but still, there is a gap between transgender people and other citizens of the state.

As a nation, we have not considered transgender as equal citizens of our country. They are deprived of their basic fundamental rights; transgender people bear the economic consequences of discrimination. All advertisements for job opportunities are for men and women. I have hardly seen anyone accepting applications from the transgender community because we have set our paradigm that they are not well educated and not socially acceptable. When we say they are not well-educated, we ignore them in getting their fundamental right of education.

The Law of Education for all is not applicable for this particular gender. When we say they are not socially acceptable means we haven’t taught our children through curriculum or other teachings that they also exist, or we need to accept them as they are also a part of society.  So they face poverty and unemployment at a higher rate. Their only source of income is begging or entertaining the audience at parties. There are many health complications transgender people face due to hormonal changes. Still, they hardly visit hospitals due to the known behavior as many doctors avoid touching transgender people. They recommend some medicine without any proper checkups.

So it’s obvious they are not getting any basic health facilities. The world is discussing too much about violence on women, and sexual abuse females face at every stage of life from peers, family members, and colleagues.  But now,  we need to talk about the violence transgender people face. Every other minute, at some corner of the world, a transgender person is assaulted, mentally, and physically abused in multiple ways, but no one takes a minute to rescue them; sadly, everyone enjoys teasing them, including so-called well-educated people. There is not even a concept of safety and security in transgender people’s lives. In addition to this, their civil rights are also ignored, they are discriminated against based on their gender, and they are not respected and treated in the way they should be.

Pakistan has such acts to protect the rights of transgender people as the Transgender Persons Act, 2018. In addition to this, article3 7, 19, the whole of UDHR also seeks the protection of all genders. Of course, Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights says: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” Protecting humans is called Humanity, and the religion of HUMANITY is before all religions.

Indubitably, the world is changing. People have started accepting transgender people as the third gender in some societies, but there is a need for social acceptance and more inclusive behavior towards them. We should encourage transgender people to get enrolled in our institutes and get space at the workplace, and they can work as many of us even better way. The foremost need of the era is to introduce them to educational possibilities and opportunities and give them an environment where they can learn other life skills.  So, they may ask for their rights in a better and more approachable manner. It’s a human struggle from which every transgender person is passing through, and we must support them in the process of getting over it.

“Transgender People Deserve Something Vital, They Deserve Your Respect, And From That Respect Comes A More Compassionate Community, A More Empathetic Society, And A Better World For All of Us”

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Feminism in Pakistan

By
Roshnak Azam Khan
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0

Feminism in Pakistan

I’ve been sitting in front of a blank screen for the better part of a Wednesday night, thinking of an opening statement. Do I begin with the familiar, ‘In the name of the Lord,’ or with the seemingly worn-out determination by Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF) ranking Pakistan as the sixth most dangerous country in the world for women? All roads seem to lead to one question, ‘How can I define the plight of feminists in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan?’

The word ‘feminism’ has often been used synonymously with terms such as ‘vulgarity,’ ‘liberalism,’ and ‘westernization’ in Pakistani society. Notwithstanding the obvious misconstruction of the term, it is necessary to sympathize (at least in part) with the sentiments that directly oppose feminism in Pakistan. There have been countless debates throughout the nation between those who support and those who directly oppose feminist movements. The debate is between what is fundamentally correct and what is morally wrong – for both groups, that is.

The opposition maintains their stance that feminism is not required in an Islamist society because Islam has clearly outlined rights for women in the Quran and reinstated those rights by the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH). The basis of their argument surrounds the notion that feminism is a ‘tool’ employed by the West to uproot and dismantle an established and running family system in Islamic nations.

Some of their arguments are reinforced by the fact that new-age feminism stands for women’s rights, unbounded by limitations of religion. For people in Pakistan, this translates as instigation to transgress from Islam. In official texts, the country is never referred to as Pakistan, but as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan – 96.4% of the nation identifies as Muslim.

Feminism in Pakistan has never followed a streamlined course; The All Pakistan Women’s Association (APWA) held a non-political stance with a primary inclination towards rejuvenation (or creation) of fundamental rights for women post-partition, the Women’s Action Forum (WAF) has been regarded by columnists and experts as somewhat of a politically motivated organization that based its’ principles towards law-making and Cabinet reform in the country. The Aurat March (translated as the Women’s March) is perhaps the most prominent example of new-age feminism in Pakistan.

On the 8th of March in 2018, the first demonstration for the Aurat March was held in Karachi. The event was attended by an appreciable amount and was seen as the nations’ parallel to the concurrent Me Too movement. The theme of the movement was ‘Equality.’ While there was significant opposition to the movement by some, it was chalked up to ‘modern, bored, elitists who had nothing better to do.’ The gross undermining of the event blindsided the opposition when exactly one year later, thousands of women and allies marched through the streets of Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Quetta, and Multan rallying for women’s rights. The theme of the movement was ‘Sisterhood and Solidarity.’

The rise of a feminist approach synced in a millennial mindset has been prevalent across social media platforms, reformations in Cabinet, and reinforcements in media representations. To say that feminism in Pakistan has gained no traction would be undermining the efforts of leaders and visionaries in the nation. However, to say that Pakistan has eliminated disparities amongst men and women in politics, economics, employment, and social aspects would be downright inaccurate.

Pakistan has a long way to go in terms of equality for both genders. Disparities exist in practically all walks of life in the nation: women are not equal as they are confined to a gender role reinforced by religious and social values. Feminism is the antonym of vulgarity, but this notion needs to be supported by non-controversial, non-confrontational, and religious foundations for a society that has either been thriving by misogyny or has internalized it.

I began this piece with a question, and I am concluding it with a statement instead of an answer: Feminists in Pakistan are battling for women’s rights, as well as single-handedly uprooting a deeply misogynistic system that has withheld the nation from achieving so much, but that has found its’ basis in religion – something that has largely remained unchallenged out of fear.

Pakistan is not a feminist nation, but we’re trying to start a conversation.

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RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WATER, SANITATION, CLIMATE CHANGE, AND COVID-19

By
Arbaz Khan
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0

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WATER, SANITATION, CLIMATE CHANGE, AND COVID-19

COVID-19, a coronavirus, was generated from the China city Wuhan in 2019. It has drastically disrupted the economies of the countries. Around 80 million people had been infected, and more than 1.9 million died owing to the lethal virus. The COVID-19 pandemic is taking roots speedily across the countries. However, It has impacted the climatic environment in a very fascinating manner, but undoubtedly, the outbreak has proved very lethal for humans. On 11th March 2020, WHO officially declared COVID-19 as a pandemic and suggested some precautionary measures like, Hand washing, Use of Sanitizer and social distancing to mitigate the spread of Coronavirus.

Water plays a significant role to mitigate the spread of Coronavirus. COVIA-19 can be killed by water. According to the research published by the Russian Federal Service For Human well-being, “Resilience or strength of virus is directly proportional to the temperature of the water.” Research also elaborated that Room temperature water: 90% virus dies in 24 hours and 99.9% in 72 hours. Therefore, all Governments must ensure water availability, especially in far-flung areas, densely populated regions. Owing to the lack of basic resources like water, food, and shelter, they are the most vulnerable in this precarious situation.

When it comes to boiling water: Coronavirus dies instantly and completely. The COVID-19 cannot multiply in boiling water. Viruses can remain active for 72 hours. According to the WHO, “The disinfectants of households are one of the most effective ways to reduce the chance of being infected. There should be seminars on the importance of water. So, people can use it wisely for healthy purposes rather than wasting it.

Sanitation and COVID-19 have a very close relationship. It is obligatory for each and every person to clean its proximity to avoid the deadly virus. According to UNICEF, one of the most effective measures to reduce the spread of the virus is to regularly and thoroughly hand wash with soaps.

If we observe the people who are not adhering to safety precautions such as hand sanitizer, even when they sneeze at open places, it can also spread the virus. Similarly, the public toilets, if a COVID positive patient uses then, it will also affect the negative ones.

So, the proper sanitation and toilet cleaners must be there, and they should be cleaned after individual usage.  The lack of awareness among the people is why they are not following S.O.P and do proper sanitation. Therefore, seminars should be arranged to create awareness among the people regarding sanitation and hygiene and emphasize them to adopt all recommended measures by WHO.

It is also important to note here that frequent hand washing with proper hygiene requires a continuous supply of water and sanitation that are operational. Under the challenges of water scarcity and sanitation, Installing the mechanism of proper sanitation and water supply is very hard. So, the first and foremost priority should be to resolve the scarcity of water and sanitation and provide adequate access to every individual to adopt proper handwashing by using sufficient amounts of water. Before the emergence of this pandemic, the world was heading towards industrialization and technology. Amid the industries, the emission of smoke and carbon was increasing with each passing day.

When the pandemic arrived, it compelled the global community to enforce strict lockdown policies that closed all factories that reduced carbon emissions. According to Randolph Bell, Director of the Global Energy Center, elaborated in the Atlantic council that economic recession is linked by the virus is probably to cause a drop in the carbon emission. He further stated that NASA’s satellite image has witnessed that pollution deduction in china followed by the carbon emission had dropped by 25% in four weeks of lockdown. This depicts that lockdown policy has a fascinating impact on climate change.

The major influences of COVID-19 on the environment have been changes in water and air quality. As per the study of research analysts, Barcelona and Spain saw a reduction of 50% of its regular air pollution during the lockdown. According to the United Nations World Meteorological organizations, esteemed scientists observed a hole over the Arctic Ocean that was three times bigger than the area of Greenland now covered completely by a peaceful atmosphere. But, there should be a separate mechanism developed for tackling the heinous issue of climate change in the future. So, we can sustain the reduction of carbon emission that is being detected during the COVID-19.

In my concluding sentences, It is evidently visible from the above discussion that the relationship of Coronavirus is directly associated with water, sanitation and climate change. The availability of water should be ensured in every corner of the world along with the facilities of proper sanitation to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Although, it has some positive impacts on climate change such as reducing carbon emission and air pollution. Once the world releases from the pandemic by introducing vaccines, human beings would have a better environment and air to live peacefully in this world.

 

 

 

 

 

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LIBERATION OF EARTH, A NEXT STEP OF PEACE?

By
Saeeda Sumbul
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0

Liberation of earth, A Next step of Peace? “Oneness v/s 1%”

Nature is beautiful, but unfortunately, it is not what we were blessed with, it’s poisoned, polluted, and alloyed. It is made out of shape for alive and dead. One of the most onerous tasks is to survive this changing climate. Climate Change is a long-term change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average. Climate change may be limited to a specific region or may occur across the whole globe.

Now the question of the centuries arises here, whether this is real or not?

The answer may be traced from the consequences of the menace as:

  1. The temperature is rising day by day.
  2. The sea level is also rising.
  3. Unpredictable weather patterns are seen.
  4. An increase in extreme weather events is also seen.
  5. Land degradation and loss of wildlife and biodiversity.
  6. Undiscovered diseases spread a lot.
  7. And the birth of abnormal children is increasing.

The issue of climate change is inevitable now, the CO2, CO, NO2, and so many other harmful gases, fuels are being produced by vehicles and industries, and the rise in pollution from this is leading this globe to be called the worst of all. The conditions have become so hazardous therefore we need to take some swift measures before it becomes unruly.

Although other issues are far more dangerous than climate change need to be tackled as soon as possible but there is slight change b\w them that lets the climate change lead the list and that is not vague at all, as this issue is being encountered by every single country on this globe whereas other issues may be found related to some specific region, others are merely problems of the 3rd world countries.

The world is heading towards advancement in every field and the inventions in IT, discoveries in medical science are undeniable. It should be noted that the things that have made our lives easier than before are now turned into a real enemy of society, the forests are cut to make drugs to cure many diseases but have we thought even for a minute that they need to be planted again?

Agreements like Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement are the environmental safeguards. But since, we know these bilateral or oligo lateral agreements do not last till the best ending. So, multilateral agreements with many nations together can be a better solution. More “green and friendly environment agreements” should be made that give equal say to every state.

Agreements are the only way of coming up with the issue with ease, diplomacy, and without violence. The only way to handle the global issues is by framing an agreement that seeks betterment for all signatories.

Dr.Vandana Shiva’s “oneness v/s the 1%”

She calls the contemporary world the “fractured world” in her booklet. Her 1% means the entities that harm the globe i.e. the big corporations, giant companies, and large industries. I.e. the big corporations, giant companies, and large industries. She counts them in1% from 100%.

She discusses a simple ontological fact that life is not a manufacturer and an invention and farmers have a right to save an extreme. Since, the only viable ways, she says, to do affordable farming is to do farming in times of the vulnerability of climate change. In “oneness v/s the 1%”, Vanda Shiva takes on a billionaires club of many empires whose blindness to the rights of people and the destructive impact of their construct of linear progress, have rouse havoc across the world. Their single-minded pursuit of profit has undemocratically enforced uniformity and monocultures, division and separation, monopolies and external control over finance, food, energy, information, healthcare, and even relationship. Vanda Sharma further says “the primary threat to nature and people today comes from centralizing and monopolizing power and control”. “The liberation of earth, the liberation of women, the liberation of all humanity is the next step of freedom we need to work for, and it’s the next step of peace that we need to create”

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STREET CRIME – A COMMON SOCIAL ISSUE

By
Saeeda Sumbul
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0

STREET CRIME – A COMMON SOCIAL ISSUE

 

 

Street crime could be a loose term for any criminal offense in an exceedingly public place. The distinction between street crime and pink-collar crime is that street crime is usually violence that happens in a public space whereas white-collar crime is non-violent crime conducted by governments or non-public industries for the aim of economic gain. in keeping with London’ Metropolitan Police Force, “Robbery, often referred to as ‘mugging’ and therefore thefts from victims within the street where their property is snatched and the victim isn’t abused  is additionally thought of as ‘street crime’.”

Alternative samples of street crime embody pickpocketing, the open bootleg medication trade, prostitution within the kind of soliciting outside the law, the creation of graffiti and mischievousness of public property, and assaults. As a generic term, street crime might embody all of those, additionally as offenses against non-public properties similar to the stealing of hub caps.

The bulk of street crimes, as pictured by varied news media, are initiated by criminals seeking fast monetary gains. However, they will even be disbursed by organized people with a typical goal of profiteering. On the opposite hand, not all of these instances are thought of by the law enforcement agency to be “organized crimes” due to the random nature of the crimes themselves. The term “organized crime” doesn’t often embody organized street crimes.

Associate in nursing social group is usually a serious business, consisting of the many individuals related to the common goal of criminal profiteering. In contrast, street crimes are unremarkably conducted by hurriedly and loosely shaped teams of people with the common goal of gaining illicit cash through immediate criminal acts.

What results in street crime?

The motivation for street crimes has been explored by multiple studies, as well as a study cited by Iowa State University, wherever fifty-five street crime culprits were interviewed to see the social links tied to street culture.

When interviewing people who participated in around one zero one occurrences of street crimes, among the principal reasons for these crimes, as well as assault and robbery, were determined to be for social standing and recognition and thrill and excitement. The cultural viewpoint behind street crimes is constructed on the inspiration that the intention of committing these acts comes from shared societal norms that support and reinforce violence.

Street crimes are typically amplified by the enlargement and creation of gangs that propagate and reinforce these varieties of street culture behaviors.

Alternative factors that cause street crimes are poorness, state, and parental neglect. Crime rates in areas that are characterized by higher rates of unemployment and poverty are calculable to be larger than in other well-developed areas.  There’s a greater likelihood of pink-slipped adolescents not solely being offenders however conjointly victims of violence and street crimes. In addition, individuals with low self-control have a better chance of committing street crimes. Once individuals have low self-control, they incline to form choices while not thought, which, results in street crimes. Another underlying explanation for street crime stems from oldsters who touch upon additional monetary or social pressures as they’re at a better risk of active poor parental techniques similar to scarce disciplinary actions, neglect, and ineffective supervision. Such parental actions are doubtless to extend the chance of teenaged participation in street crimes.

Economic and social impacts (Case Study of U.S.A)

In 2016, the government allotted $31.8 billion to the Justice Department, wherever that money was utilized to incarnate criminals, police them and enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States. This not solely takes a toll on the government’s budget however further because the taxpayers and multiple different organizations where money is being subtracted to imprison criminals. To make amends for the accumulated take into account the Department of Justice often, taxes are increased, and overtimes people pay money to stop encountering crime.

Different factors impact people who are victims of those crimes, where they are hard cash on medical care, property damages, and overtimes loss of a gentle financial gain for his or her families. Areas of urban decay, characterized by abandoned buildings and cars, unkempt vacant lots, and broken windows tend to draw in the homeless and increasing criminal activity rather than serving to boost these areas, which might be done by communities, often time the areas begin out with minor offenses however become major events.

“A second issue is that increasing public concern regarding the security of the streets has generated vigorous demands for additional police protection and a growing public recognition of the restricted capability of the many police agencies to mount a good program of crime management and prevention. Crime appears to be obtaining out of hand, engulfing new neighborhoods, and erupting within the riotous assault, looting, and burning in the central slum areas of the massive cities. An applied math report that didn’t show additional crime beneath such conditions would appear puzzling so to the standard citizen. An alternate pattern has been set in motion wherever the increasing public readiness to just accept an correct portrayal of the total dimensions of the crime drawback meets an accumulated temperament to produce it. As the iceberg of crime rises to the surface of public visibility the necessity to bring new and additional subtle resources in reality on the enforcement task can become more and more evident.” The social science impact of crime causes societies to feel unsafe and demand the government defend its individuals from criminals, therefore, supply the mass immurement policy inside the United States. There has been a gentle increase in individuals who are incarcerated, ideally in these edges societies however crime has exponentially accumulated over the last decade because of concern. As a result of individual’s fear to measure in communities wherever tiny crimes are prevalent usually these areas are unnoticed and crime rates increase.

Conclusion

There are constant pressures on the criminal justice system to require on roles that it’s historically not been equipped. Given the widespread belief that the planet is beneath military blockade by criminal organizations, those pressures are possible to increase. The popular read is that the world is facing a replacement criminal threat – new crimes and massive will increase within the variety and technological sophistication of previous crimes to which it should respond. Nevertheless, criminal justice should be conservative, irresolute to follow rage and fashion. And, arguably, the degree to that there’s a new, greatly swollen criminal challenge has been exaggerated, maybe grossly. In all probability, the foremost important lesson to be drawn is that the $64000 criminal justice challenge lies in understanding the twilight zone wherever crime and business interact, usually to their mutual benefit. That’s a zone where regulative and different instruments are also higher suited than ancient criminal justice approaches that were created mostly to cope with crimes involving the involuntary distribution of wealth.

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Subjugation of women on literary fronts

By
Younas Jam
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0

Subjugation of women on literary fronts

 

History has been cruelling to women on the literary fronts as well as most of the writers until recent times were men while the literature was biased against women. The blame for it goes to the limitations that were imposed on women. Ancient men didn’t allow women to read and write. The women, however, contributed to the literature through the only available avenue of oral folklore. The folk songs, stories, and poetry told by women throughout history contribute to literature to a significant extent.

 

The Victorian era was the time when the role of women changed from the traditional angelic figures to the ladies who can fight wars at the time of need. Before that, women were presented as physically weaker, innocent, and nothing more than household commodities. Edwardian poetry proved to be the catalyst in the transformation of the role of women.

 

Christina Rossetti’s and Lord Tennyson presented a biased image of women in the works Goblin Market’ and ‘Lady of Shalott’. They gave the perception that women having aspirations and the spirit to achieve the goals are the ones who lose their womanhood during the process. The post-Victorian era symbolizes the beginnings of Modernism. AM Irvine wrote ‘The Probationer’ during these times where she portrayed an independent woman in her professional life. Through this portrayal, AM Irvine showcased the right of modern women.

 

Anita Nair, a well-known author from India, wrote that literature has always been ambivalent in its representation of women. In literature, a general perception is always given that the good women are the ones who accept the social norms of the time. The norms keep changing with time and so does the definition of good women. Ultimately, this has always been decided by the man while women had no say in it. Any literary work by the woman has been overshadowed by the patriarchal literature that gets validation from the patriarchs.

 

Women have said much about their concerns while contributing through poetry, literature, and art. However, their contribution of sexuality, independence, and freedom has been perceived and comprehended frankly by the ones who controlled the literary discourse. The Marxist perspective on literature elaborates that the standard for literature is set by those who have control over resources. Women, being sidelined on the economic avenues, have been paying the cost through misrepresentation in literature while having no say in it.

 

Contemporary women are empowered enough and have the tools to speak up and contribute to the literary discourse. The mentality of men towards women is biased due to their experiences of patriarchal history. History, being the representation of the lived experiences of generations, makes men oppose the demands of equality from women. There is a need to face this opposition on literary fronts so that advancement towards a world with gender equity can be made.

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Iran Nuclear Deal: A predicament for Biden Administration

By
faiz ul-hassan gillani
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2

Iran Nuclear Deal: A predicament for Biden Administration

Middle Eastern region is the most conflicted yet geo-strategically and geo-politically the most important region in the world. Any inter or Intra State conflict in the region has not only the potential to destabilize the peace of the region but have negative repercussions at the global level as well. As much as the region is affected by its most turbulent issue; the Palestine-Israel conflict, many other pressing issues have the potential to derail the leftover peace in the region. The rising onslaught of Iran on the behest of its Proxy policies and its fierce opposition from regional players like Saudi Arabia, Israel and foreign actors like the US have raised stakes for a peaceful co-existence among these rivals in the region. Iran’s growing inaptitude to increase its political and military supremacy in the region through its proxy policies and the nuclear program has alarmed its ideological and geopolitical rivals. In the same way, Iran’s growing power has the US on its feet as well. A nuclear Iran in the Middle Eastern region is not only potentially dangerous for US oil allies like Saudi Arabia, UAE but can also have severe implications for US protectorate Israel as well.

Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons dates back to the 1950s when the US itself assisted Iran in having a civil nuclear plant through its Atoms for Peace initiative. The 1979 Revolution did halt the Iranian nuclear program for a while but the regional settings and structural compulsions have forced Iran to go nuclear against its strategic cum geopolitical rivals. However, the US has always suspected Iran of using its civilian nuclear program to build nuclear grade weapons and this has led to the imposition of economic and nuclear-related sanctions on Iran by the International community specifically the US to curb Iranian nuclear proliferation. While the continuous sanctions have crippled Iran’s economy on one hand cutting short almost half of its oil exports, it has also compelled International actors to hold talks with Iran over this nuclear dispute and put halt to a new proliferation in this region.

Keeping in view all these factors, P5+1 powers (Us, UK, France, China, Russia, Germany) concluded a historical agreement with Iran in July 2015 known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or commonly called as Iran Nuclear Deal. According to this agreement, economic sanctions on Iran will be minimized as long as it complies with the provisions of IAEA regarding its nuclear program. JCPOA is nothing short of a milestone achievement in this ferocious dispute and it too has had strong opposition at times. A lot of scholarly work has been done so far to explore the historical and strategic factors which concluded this deal and the implications it carried for all its participants especially the US and Iran. The United States withdrawal from the JCPOA has multi-dimensional impacts at various levels. Not only has this undermined the United States supremacy in the region but it has also provided room for Iran to carry out its nuclear ambitions without any moral burden. Iranian Nuclear Deal remains one of the key foreign policy questions for the Biden administration. The peace and stability of the Middle East depend upon the choices and actions of this administration. Returning to the deal might be more complicated than it looks. The United States has repeatedly persisted that Iran should immediately halt its nuclear activities if it wants to melt the ice and ease in sanctions while Iran isn’t ready to trust the Americans once again and demands the prior removal of sanctions to restart the process of negotiations. The new Biden administration has also hinted at its return to the Iran nuclear deal. However, that too is conditioned with other factors such as a review of Iran’s ballistic missiles program and its regional policies.

JCPOA, being an international agreement also involves key European states who have shown active interest since the negotiations begin in the first place. European powers’ stakes in the deal correlate with both the United States and Iran. While the United States has been a key European partner in many ways, Europe’s relations with Iran are mainly economic. The Middle Eastern region and its natural resources are one of the key reasons why JCPOA is equally vital for the Europeans. With the new administration in the United States and its intention to revive the deal, it would also be beneficial for the European powers to weigh in and play their better part in the revival of the deal.

It would not be an overstatement to say that Iran has gained more from the United States withdrawal from the deal than it has lost. The absence of the United States has not only given leverage to the Iranian stance in this whole saga but Iran has also managed to work it for its advantage. Iran’s growing non-compliance with the components of the deal, its notorious expansion on the bank of its proxy policies and an increased Iranian role in the Middle Eastern region are, in a way, the outcome of this development. It is general presumption that the new President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, belongs to the hard-liners who have been immanent critics of this deal since its inception. In any case, it is yet another challenge for the Biden administration to deal with the new leadership and their perception of the deal.

Given the new administration’s priorities, with the pandemic raging all across the world and its severe hit to the United States economy, the Iranian nuclear deal may not be at the top of the agenda list for this administration. This provides Iran with an opportunity to escalate its nuclear activities and increase its nuclear stockpile. While it is not the first choice of the current US administration to make a sudden return to the deal on Iranian terms, delaying this matter may worsen the situation for the future. Therefore, United States should take the first steps to show their commitment to the deal, giving Iran a certain hope and creating a conducive environment in which this process can move ahead without any enmity and grudge from either side. Some of the Biden administration elements have pointed out that while this administration is seriously looking at different prospects for re-joining the Iran deal, it will also look forward to extending and enhancing the deal in its follow-up. This means that there will also be a focus on Iran’s missile program and Iran’s regional activities. The United States has also intended that for better inquisitions, regional players will also be included in the follow-up negotiations. Iran has never shown any positive intent in this regard as there exists a lot of trust deficit among the regional states especially the Arabs and Iran. Moreover, Iran has also rejected to extend the sunset clauses of the deal, and as far as its missile program is concerned, Iran has termed it as its alienable right to enhance its defense capabilities, and it will not accept any limitations as long as its regional rivals acquire defense equipment, especially from the United States. In light of all these findings, the Biden administration must deal simultaneously with all of these issues. The past experiences have shown that coercion and maximum pressure have resulted otherwise. Therefore, the future also depends on a diplomatic engagement that would involve both sides respectively.

It is imminent that the Biden administration brings all the working options to the table while dealing with the Iranian nuclear issue. While the withdrawal from JCPOA caused a certain dent to the United States hegemonic posture in global affairs, it cannot afford yet another policy miscarriage by backing out of the Abraham Accords or the arms deals that Trump signed with the Arabs re-join the JCPOA. Moving on, the United States should actively engage with Iran and other negotiating partners of the deal. The Biden administration’s decision to review the arms sales to its Arab allies can be a welcoming sign for re-engaging Iran in negotiations. Furthermore, the United States needs to take preliminary steps and ease the unilateral sanctions on Iran, which will improve Iran’s economy and trade. Such positive incentives will go a long way in gaining Iran’s trust and compliance. It should also be particularly important for the Biden administration to initiate a multilateral deal with Iran which also covers its ballistic missile programs and its regional activities. Although Iran has repeatedly refused to discuss these matters and declared them non-negotiable, securing a multilateral deal not only to limit Iran’s nuclear ambitions its regional designs as well will not only enhance the security of the region but will also be a great diplomatic success for the Biden administration in the heap of all pressing challenges.

 

 

 

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Forced Conversions & Early Age Marriages

By
Rahul Bansari
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3

Forced Conversions & Early Age Marriages

 

The minorities in Pakistan have always been treated equally and provided freedom of speech.  The Islamic Republic of Pakistan’s constitution, equated in 1973, places great emphasis on the Rights of Minorities.  ”Article 36” – says, ‘ State of Pakistan shall safeguard the interests of minorities and legitimate rights, including their due representation in the Federal and Provincial service.’ Separate reserved seats are allocated to minorities in provincial and national assemblies, and to accommodate their representation in the Public Service Commission Examinations, a separate quota framework is implemented. Besides the civil and political representation, Pakistan’s ideology and its national flag also reflect an equitable share and importance of minorities in the composition of the nation, which will mark 74 years of its existence on August 14, 2021. The founder of Pakistan, Mr. Muhammad Ali Jinnah also made it clear that the state will have no concern with the religion of the citizens of Pakistan. The minorities in Pakistan mainly encompass Hindus, Christians, and Sikhs. History also proves the fact that the most dominating ethnicity is of Hindus.

 

People belonging to one of the oldest civilizations are argued to be the most loyal individuals of our society, and the past has shreds of evidence to accompany the claim. At the time of partition in 1947, innumerable Hindu families remained in Sindh and Baluchistan for their unquestionable endearment for the country. Pakistan is the shelter to the world’s 4th largest Hindu population. The religion of Hinduism, followed by 4 percent of the 200 million population and is the second-largest religion in Pakistan after Islam. Unfortunately, till the late ’90s, there were no proper laws available to safeguard the rights of minorities, and the need was felt when several incidents related to forced marriages, child marriages, and forced conversion took place, which led to insecurity amongst the community. According to Pakistani Hindu Council sponsor Ramesh Kumar Wankwani, “The state has a responsibility to ensure that all forms of protection for minorities in the country, including Hindus, from any ill-treatment, and to ensure that they enjoy the same rights, are responsible like any other person in the country.”

 

Article 18 of the ICCR,” International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights” declares: “Everyone has the right to freedom of conscience, thought, and religion. This right includes the right to freedom to have or accept a religion or belief of one’s choice, as well as freedom, individually or in community with others, publicly or privately, to express one’s religion or belief through worship, observance, practice, and teaching. No one should be subjected to coercion that restricts their freedom to adopt the religion or belief of their choice. “The Aurat Foundation and the Solidarity and Peace Movement (MSP) estimates that more than 1,000 women and girls from religious minorities are kidnapped, forcibly converted, and then exited each year. The Pakistani Amarnath Motal Commission notes that 20 or more Hindu girls are abducted in Pakistan every month converting to Christianity.

 

Pakistan signatured the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and ratified the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, Article 16 of which affirms the right of every woman to marry “only with her full and free consent.” Pakistan ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

According to article 14 (1): “The participating States must respect the child’s right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion”.

This is detailed in a report from the University of Birmingham, which says that several MPs (members of parliament) worked in Pakistan to support action under the Raja’s Forced Conversion Act. Zafarul Haq (PMLN), the leader of the Senate, said that in November 2016 there are no problems with the Sindh Criminal Law (Protection of Minorities) Bill passed by the Parliament of Sindh province, and this law is badly needed. It is argued that the adopted bill, together with the teachings of Islam, contradicts someone’s obligation to convert to another faith. On October 22, 2017, Prime Minister Imran Khan spoke out against the violent conversion of non-Muslims. Lal Chand, trying to get parliament to pass the 2016 Minority Protection Act. Likewise, Hina Pervaiz Butt recently proposed a similar bill to the Punjab parliament. In addition, Azra Fazal Pechuho, raised the issue in parliament, calling for a law on the kidnapping and rape of Hindus. Sherri Rehman is another prominent Pakistani politician who has also joined the issue, an established human rights activist who has demonstrated a commitment to the values ​​of freedom and the empowerment of women. Miss Sherri Rehman founded and headed the Jinnah institute, which promotes progressiveness.

In addition to the support provided by several MPs and the Constitution of Pakistan, the need was still felt to propose legislation to cater to the problems faced by the minorities. The attempts were made to enact the Child Marriage Restraint Act, Sindh Criminal Law (Protection of Minorities) Bill, and Hindus Marriage Act, but both the bills failed to resolve issues because of undue political pressure and domination. The Hindus Marriage Act was brought to life; a landmark piece of legislation that mainly covers the matters related to Hindu marriages that seem to have produced some positive results. Before this Act, there was no proper registration for marriages, which led to injustices against women. Therefore, due to the lack of marriage evidence, they could not get legal status in the property and were forced to marry Hindus under 18. However, on a broader aspect, this landmark legislation did not restrict the marriages happening with non-Hindu. All in all, it did not provide any solution to forced conversions or early child marriages.

 

Moreover, the Child Marriage Restraint Act enacted in 2013, published officially in June 2014, enhanced the prohibitory age from the current 16 years to 18 years. Also, it increased the relaxation in child marriage to a maximum of 3 years of severe imprisonment alongside a fine. The given law has made the offense cognizable, non-compoundable, and non-bailable. It is also noteworthy that the featured piece of legislation was not specified to any religion and applied to all citizens living in Pakistan. Children’s rights were one subject that the prior law caters to. At the same time, some religion law undermines the Child Marriage Restraint Act. According to Sherri Rahman, several Muslim countries, including Bangladesh, Egypt, Turkey, Morocco, Oman, and even UAE, have declared 18 an age to marry. UNICEF reported that early child marriages violate Article 2 of the UNHCR code of conduct, and it leaves affects both the genders,  girls are disproportionately affected, especially in South Asia.

 

Furthermore, the prominent piece of legislation which was solely drafted to address the problems of forced conversions – was the Sindh Criminal Law (Protection of Minorities), Bill. This bill was all the way agreed by the Sindh Assembly in November of 2016. HRCP and Hindu American Foundation argued that this rule was well-intended and embark upon many of the issues related to forced weddings as it attempts to mandate specific instruments of implementation as well as laying legal guidelines. Unfortunately, this bill never reached its conclusions and remains a mystery.

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A Shifting Regional Paradigm and Pakistan: Afghan factor and beyond

By
Mohsin Malik
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10

A Shifting Regional Paradigm and Pakistan: Afghan factor and beyond

“Regions develop, not a country alone” claimed Prime Minister Imran Khan few days back. While west realized this immediately after World War 2, it took us 75 years to comprehend this basic political scheme. In post-World War 2 era, two competing theoretical frameworks emerged for this nuanced and subtle regionalism. One, those who were protagonists of Federalists approach, advocating pooling up of sovereignty and establishment of federal body (political/intergovernmental) for political, cultural, economic, and strategic integration of the region. On the other hand Functionalist approach was advocated by many based on philosophical understandings of Jean Monnet and later on developed by David Mitrany and Earnest B.Hass. They advocated non-political tradeoffs and extension of cooperation over transnational technical issues subordinating political one. It was aimed that this may spill over into political domains.

Upon this idea European Steel and Coal Community(non-political) was established with membership of only 6 countries. Functionalist cooperation generated a spillover effect that triggered the process which resulted into treaties like, Treaty of Rome, establishment of European Parliament, common currency and came long way to negotiations for European Constitution in 2004. A whole new era of transformation and development took place with forging of inclusive identity out of havoc and cracks. In post-cold war era significance of Regional Political Settings multiplied many folds and we saw a massive proliferation of Regional Organizations and Regional Trade Agreements which offered massive dividends.

Fortunately, very notion of Prime Minister is manifestation of paradigm shift from geostrategic orientation of Pakistan’s regional engagement to geo-economic one. China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) envisioned for new regional world order also leverages this strategic shift in Asia aiming for Integration. CPEC on the one hand is an infrastructure-based project from its initial outlook but, it’s extension to Gulf region, Central Asia, inclusiveness with south Asia and connection with larger BRI connectivity programs to connect south Asia and Gulf Region to Eastern Europe is key for it’s potential as game changer.  Environment is ripe for regional alignments for prudent acceleration of national interests, even if a functionalist one, keeping in view the prevailing circumstances, history and distinctive realities of Asia.

Having a look at all those theoretical frameworks and needs for cooperation, on ground realities of South Asia are irking and complex enough to execute all those ideas. I am going to touch upon only some of the key developments that cast an impact and impede the very nascent dawn of regionalism in south Asia.

First, the ongoing turmoil in Afghanistan and its consequences dissuade the needs and what is going to happen. Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan will possibly result in scapegoating Pakistan to pacify American public outrageous sentiments and face saving globally over its miscalculation and frustration in Afghanistan. If Taliban again lingers on to extreme sharia laws and provides sanctuaries to international extremists, they will face sanctions and international isolation. Pakistan cannot escape the similar tightening in that situation as we are key stake holder. Pakistan is already trying to maintain a balance between Beijing and Washington with strategic hedging as former is key for regional strategic stability and later is important for Islamabad due to its position in international financial institutions and how it can exploit vulnerable economic condition of Pakistan.

Afghanistan in an immediate and ad hoc basis will put itself into Chinese orbit for sustainability and survivor. US pressure and Chinese gravity will push both Afghanistan and Pakistan into Beijing’s camp completely. Iran is already more aggressive under Ibrahim Raesi and ascendance of right-wing hard line in Tehran makes any settlement over JCPOA difficult. Israel under Neftali Bennett is also more aggressively lobbying against reinstallation of JCPOA. Indian investment over Chabahar port was aimed for connecting Iran via Afghanistan to central Asia for trade linkages of New Delhi. Under Taliban regime any such plausible developments seem ambiguous to India. India has already reduced its trade with Iran as it is facing US sanctions.

A natural alignment erodes between Iran and India with skepticism over Chahbahar’s ability to connect India with Central Asia via Afghanistan and eventually entering to Eastern Europe. Keeping this background in view, Tehran shakes hands with China and later has already announced some massive investments for Tehran. This makes a Pakistan-Iran-Afghanistan block heavily tilted towards China for their stability and natural overlapping of national interests.

Eventually it will tip the regional balance of power in favor of China against USA, endangering US vital strategic interests in the region. To balance this situation, USA will further leverage India Strategically, economically and diplomatically. Indian naval and missile defense programs are key components of this support. This perpetuates the security dilemma in South Asia and indo-pak equation will deteriorates further accordingly. If India successfully develops its Nuclear Missile Defense System, it can even undermine the nuclear deterrence of Pakistan, which guarantees strategic stability in South Asia.

This inevitably brings cold war 2 and its intricacies into south Asia with loyalties of member states to opposing global camps which infringe and can’t let the environment become conducive for regional cooperation. US vulnerability and its dependence on India makes it complacent with its ever-increasing oppressive policies and marginalization of Kashmiri and other Indian Muslims.

Public Opinion in all above mentioned Muslim countries will turn against India over institutionalization of Hindutva and its ripple effect across the region. China is also skeptical of Indian policy. Iran-Afghanistan-Pakistan will join Chinese block and India with countries locating to its northeastern and eastern part under its influence will toe the lines of USA.

Secondly, Iran’s alignment with Pakistan and Islamabad’s role over its efforts to integrate Iran with China doesn’t go well with Saudi Arabia and its gulf allies. Saudi Arabia is already under US influence tightening the space for Pakistan. US sanctions on Afghanistan and Washington’s strategic manipulation will hold back KSA and its gulf allies to explore the Central Asia, China, and Eastern Europe via Pakistan and CPEC, which is prerequisite for Pakistan to become transit economy.

Thirdly, volatile and destabilize Afghanistan on the one hand will gift us with refuges and on the other hand it will provide save heavens to TTP and another militia to terrorize Pakistan. Refuges influx has already changed the ethnographic composition of some of cities of Pakistan like Karachi dramatically and ethnic polarization can seriously destroy internal security apparatus. Another dimension of Afghanistan conundrum can be its impact on Uighur issue. China shares 76km long border with Afghanistan in Himalayan range.

Destabilized Afghanistan can spill over into Uighur as some irredentist element can mobilize themselves across borders and enable them to operate against China from mountains in Afghanistan. This can even threaten net security provider of the region in post-withdrawal scenario. A blame game will follow this and resulting in chaos.

To sum up the discussion I argue, if handled well the post-withdrawal scenario will be vantage point for stability and development and provides impetus for regional cooperation If 1) Taliban shows some flexibility and tend to cooperate with some international norms and secure internal legitimacy through Loya Jirrga or via any other process. 2) Regional actors, especially Pakistan, China, India, and Iran play a constructive role and try to assimilate the Afghanistan in regional and international trade and economic developments avoiding proxy engagement for showing the muscle to maneuver it and proliferate regional influence unilaterally.

3) US cooperates with Pakistan and uses Islamabad as bridge to link any new government in Afghanistan coming to power according to their own indigenous mechanism. Instead of blame game US should engage the new government by trade, investment, and strategic partnership to stabilize Afghanistan if Washington wants to end extremism.

Changing environment of South Asia and global developments requires a very careful and logical foreign policy decisions from Pakistan to strengthen its domestic, regional, and international position. Rapid regional changes offer Islamabad some vital opportunities to validate its position and at the same time create problems for us. We need to tape on all the opportunities with inclusive and realistic policies. Above all, we need to learn from our past mistakes and come up with nuanced, inclusive, and better diplomatic foreign engagements to safeguard our interests.

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The Legal and Ethical Issues of the Spread of Misinformation during COVID-19

By
Fatima Shahid
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14

The Legal and Ethical Issues of the Spread of Misinformation during COVID-19

Nowadays, everyone relies on digital platforms in order to gain any kind of news or information. In recent research, it has been found that 48 percent of the Australian population depend upon social media platforms to keep themselves updated. But the issue nowadays is of misinformation and accuracy of news. This became a major problem during the COVID-19 pandemic when misleading information about the disease, its cure, the possible treatments, and its source has surfaced on social media like fire. For this purpose, social media platforms have been alarmed when The World Health Organization implemented rules to limit the spread of misleading information.

Australian Communications and Media Authority, also known as ACMA, took this matter extremely seriously and developed a code for all the media platforms to follow which comes under the legal and ethical framework. Following this approach, platforms would be able to easily draw the line between any kind of interference with their policies and to achieve a balance with the freedom of speech and the right to express.

The Story

When the COVID-19 started spreading globally, many false and misleading information was to be seen on social media platforms. From using bleach as a disinfectant to cocaine consumption being the cure for the disease, the government had to tackle the issue to control more diseases spreading due to such myths.

Research by News Guard on Facebook helped identify approximately 31 pages that were spreading misinformation on COVID-19. These 31 pages reached a total of 21 million searchers. The extent of untrue infection related news on Twitter was found by Bruno Kesler Establishment (Mostrous, 2020). With this story developing and people believing in such myths, the government and the social media platform owners had to take any action in order to avoid massive destruction.

These stories raised the question of the integrity and trustworthiness of information spread globally on social media platforms that led to chaos and confusion as to what to do and what not to if anyone acquires this disease.

Digital platforms and freedom of speech

When misinformation spreads, the quality of online content cannot be trusted. It becomes really difficult for people to make a judgment for the reliability of the information provided online. There has been an increase in the spread of online misinformation that has been noticed by the public health departments. Online information spreaders are the ones who think that the new piece of information posted is correct and has enough weightage for it to be taken seriously by the public.

People take freedom of speech for granted and even take laws into hands not taking care of the ethical or legal issues it might cause. The internet is known as the only place where one can express himself/herself freely. But people need to know that that there are limitations to freedom of speech. Through this platform, every kind of informational access is given to the users and its spread is way faster than anything else. The Director-General of the WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the press that fake news spreads faster than the COVID-19 disease itself.

Baseless stories, conspiracy theories, and all kinds of myths tend to make things worse when it comes to spreading news publicly. After this matter took a serious turn of events and the time to act came to a joint statement from Facebook, Google, Reddit, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter, and YouTube was issued which made sure that to provide quality content on their respective platforms by joining hands with other companies as well. Its main purpose was to keep people safe keeping intact their freedom of speech through social media platforms. The content not deserving of any platform would be removed in the future.

To deal with such issues, the Australian government took several steps in order to ensure the safety of people while keeping in mind the ethical and legal issues of misinformation. Under the law of Australian Consumer, it is prohibited to provide any misleading or false information. The ACMA code was introduced during the pandemic to lessen the impact of false information, to make sure that the users identify the quality of the information provided, and to reinforce the transparency of the news provided.

To further make sure the implementation of ACMA, ACMA will conduct various workshops with social media platforms, agencies of the government, and academia. This will help in monitoring the development in implementing the framework. The ACMA website states that if these laws are not followed, the Federal Court will issue orders for the civil penalty. The Communications Legislation Amendment Act in Australia empowers the ACMA more.

Does the new law interfere with the freedom of speech?

While many people, especially health workers, are quite satisfied with the introduction of laws like ACMA, there has been a campaign launched that says to ban ACMA to protect the freedom of speech. ACMA has been named as a threat to free speech not only on social media but according to some people, it places a tight restriction on radio and television journalists with the help of Codes of Conduct. While some Australians think that this law harms the nation, the government has still implemented it no matter what.

With everyone’s doubts keeping in mind, the ACMA makes sure that the local government including the law enforcement agencies present in the country not only removes false and misleading information on any platform but also makes commendable steps for users to provide health content and trustworthy news that people could rely upon in these testing times. This is meant to promote media that is respectful to the standards of the community. The system of law in Australia which protects the right of freedom of speech. Free speech is protected at all costs irrespective of the fact that ACMA law requires limited content on social media

Conclusion

Freedom of speech and removing harmful content on social media platforms go hand in hand. The Australian government took initiatives to make sure that the content seen by the users must not, in any case, harm the public, especially during the ongoing pandemic. The spread of misinformation can be seen throughout the social media platforms, with very little authentic information given out to people. Although the Australian law takes time to implement, the design of this framework was quickly implemented, and people are warned with the help of social media owners. To ensure public safety, these measures were important to take during these times.

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