Journeys to democracy

Ad pubished in The Daily Times, Dec 23, 2011

Please note, the names on the signatories list will be updated as more endorsements are coming in.

PRESS RELEASE, December 17, 2011

Civil society terms “memogate” scandal an attempt to thwart democracy; Says threatening the representative system tantamount to attack on sovereignty of people. Read on for the text of the statement and the signatories’ list

We, the representatives of the Civil Society including non-governmental organisations, labour organisations, academia, women’s rights bodies, and media persons express deep concern over the current political situation in the country where a crisis is being manufactured on frivolous grounds, and is being referred as the so-called “memogate”. This has the potential of subverting democratically elected Parliament and the Constitution.

It is time all conspirators against democracy and the sovereignty of the people be called to account. Sovereignty belongs to the people who have agreed to exercise it through their representatives in a federal, parliamentary, and a democratic system. Any attempt at arbitrarily altering this arrangement is tantamount to an attack on the sovereignty of the people. Various institutions of the state are supposed to function within their defined constitutional parameters and complement each other but they seem to be working at cross-purposes, to the determent of public interest.

We emphasise that the role of political parties and political leaders is to represent their constituents’ interests and arrive at negotiated agreements to differences in agreed political forums.

The role of state’s security organizations is to serve the people through stipulated constitutional arrangements, under the command of the executive, and not to define what is or is not in the national interest.

The role of the judiciary is to protect the rights of the citizens from arbitrary abuse of executive power, and not to itself become a source of arbitrary executive power.

The role of the mass media is to help citizens hold powerful interests groups within and outside the state to promote their legitimate interests and hold violators of rights accountable, and not to itself act as an unaccountable interest group.

In our opinion, parliament is the appropriate forum to discuss and investigate this issue and come up with findings.

We believe that any attack on the sovereignty of the people will be unjust. It will necessarily lead to conflict and must be resisted.

We appeal to the people of Pakistan to stand united and firm in support of democracy and to resist all attempts aimed at its subversion. The people of Pakistan have made great many sacrifices for the cause of democracy and they should not let any vested interests trample their right to have a democratic and an elected representative system run the country.

Undersigned (in alphabetical order by first name)

1. Abdulrahman Rafiq, Founder & Operations Coordinator SA Relief
2. Abrar Qazi, Awami President Awami Jamhori Party
3. Adam Malik, Human Rights Activist
4. Adnan Rehmat, Executive Director Intermedia
5. Aisha Gazdar, documentary filmmaker
6. Ali Asghar Khan, Aman Ittehad, Pakistan
7. Ali Raza, Shirkat Gah
8. Amir Aziz Syed, businessman
9. Anis Haroon, Women Action Forum
10. Arif Hasan, Architect, Urban Planner,
11. Arshad Mehmood, Executive Director Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child
12. Arshid Mirza, Baidarie Sialkot
13. Asad Mufty, columnist daily Jang.
14. Asad Rahman, Sungi Foundation
15. Asad Sayeed, Director, Collective for Social Science Research, Karachi
16. Ayesha Ijaz Khan, lawyer, writer
17. Ayesha Tammy Haq, journalist
18. Aziz Abbasi, President Watan Dost Mazdoor Federation
19. B. M Kutty, Secretary, Pakistan Peace Coalition
20. Babar Ayaz, journalist
21. Beena Sarwar, Independent Journalist
22. Bushra Khaliq,
23. Danial Noorani, social worker
24. Dr Haroon Ahmed, President Pakistan Mental Health Association
25. Dr. Abid Qayoum Suleri, Executive Director Sustainable Development Policy Institute
26. Dr. Aly Ercelan, Senior Development Economist
27. Dr. Arif Azad, Development Consultant and Campaigner
28. Dr. Badar Siddiqui, Ex-President, Pakistan Medical Association,
29. Dr. Jaffar Ahmed, Irtiqa Institute of Social Science,
30. Dr. Kaisar Bengali, Senior Economist
31. Dr. Manzoor Ahmed Awan, Director Program Operations, Sungi Development Foundation
32. Dr. Mohammad Taqi, Columnist/Physician
33. Dr. Pervez Tahir, Economist
34. Dr. Taimur Rahman, Laal
35. Faiza Haswary, Lecturer, Hameed Law College, Karachi
36. Farooq Tariq, Spokesperson, Labor Party Pakistan
37. Fatima Zafar, National Focal Point, Youth Peer Education Network Multan
38. Fauzia Viqar, Shirkat Gah
39. Ghulam Fatima, Executive Member BLLF
40. Haider Nizamani, Human Rights Activist
41. Haris Gazdar, Independent Economist
42. Harris Khalique, Development Consultant
43. Hassam Qadir Shah, Lawyer
44. Hoori Noorani, Publisher
45. Human Fouladi, Aman Ittehad Balochistan
46. Ibrahim Malick, Technologist, Social Entrepreneur
47. Idrees Kamal, Coordinator Pakhtunkhwa Civil Society Network
48. Iqbal Alavi and Friends of Irtiqa and National Council of Academics
49. Iqbal Tareen
50. Irfan Ali, Aman Ittehad, Balochistan
51. Irfan Mufti, South Asia Partnership -Pakistan
52. Ishaq Mangrio, Independent Journalist,
53. Jaffar Memon, We Journalists,
54. Jami Chandio, Executive Director, Centre for Peace and Civil Society,
55. Jugnu Mohsin, The Friday Times
56. Kamran Noorani, Businessman
57. Kamran Shafi, Columnist
58. Karamat Ali, Executive Director, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research,
59. Kausar S. Khan, Women Action Forum
60. Khawar Mumtaz, Shirkat Gah,
61. Lala Hassan, Co-convener Asian Muslims Lawyers Human Rights Network for South
62. Lateef Mughal, General Secretary, Peoples Workers Union KESC
63. Mansoor Ahmed, SAP-Pakistan
64. Maqbool Dal, President, Village Community Development Organization Mirpur Khas
65. Marvi Sirmed, Columnist Daily Times
66. Masood Punjabi, trade union activist Sweden
67. Mehnaz Rehman, Regional Director Aurat Foundation,
68. Mirza Abdul Shakoor, Executive Director, Community Development Concern, Sialkot
69. Mirza Yusuf Agha
70. Mohammad Ali Shah, Chairperson Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF)
71. Mohammad Tahseen, Executive Director, South Asia Partnership Pakistan,
72. Mohammad Waseem, IRC Lahore
73. Mohsin Sayeed, journalist
74. Mola Bux Leghari, Executive Director, SPEACH Development org, Dadu, Sindh
75. Mumtaz Mughal, Aman Ittehad Punjab
76. Naeem Mirza, Aurat Foundation
77. Naeema Malik, South Asia Partnership -Pakistan
78. Najam Sethi, anchor, Geo TV
79. Najma Sadeque, Women Action Forum
80. Naseer Memon, Chief Executive, Strengthening Participatory Organization, SPO,
81. Nasir Iqbal, Lahore Social Forum
82. Nasir Mumtaz, Kashf Foundation
83. Nasreen Azhar, Women Action Forum
84. Naushad Shafkat, lawyer
85. Nausheen Ahmad, Advocate
86. Naziha Syed Ali, journalist
87. Nazim F Haji, industrialist, Former Chief Citizens Police Liaison Committee,
88. Nazir Ghazi, Godh Lahore
89. Nazish Brohi, Women Action Forum
90. Nighat Saeed Khan, ASR Resource Centre and Women Action Forum
91. Noman Quadri, student, Karachi
92. Omar Ali, Columnist and Moderator Asia Space
93. Peter Jacob, National Commission for Peace and Justice
94. Prof. Arfana Mallah, President, Sindh University Teachers Association,
95. Prof. Dr. Ijaz Khan, Chairman, Department of International Relations, University of Peshawar
96. Punhal Saryo, President, Sindh Hari Porhiat Council,
97. Qamar Hayat, Executive Director Sahara Development Foundation,
98. Rabia Khan, Women Rights Activist, Karachi
99. Rahat Saeed, Acting Secretary General, Progressive Writers Association Pakistan
100. Raja Abbas, ANCE Lahore
101. Rana Bilal, Youth Parliament Pakistan
102. Rana Riaz Saeed, Development Activist and Lobbyist
103. Rashida Dohad, Omar Asghar Khan Foundation
104. Raza Rumi, writer/columnist
105. Raziq Fahim, Director, College of Youth Activism and Development
106. Rehana Shaikh, Institute of Social Policy
107. Rubina Jamil, NTUF
108. Sabahat Ashraf, “iFaqeer” Communicator, Citizen
109. Sabiha Shaheen, Bargad Foundation Gujranwala
110. Saeed Ahmed Rid, Commonwealth Scholar, Peace Studies, University of Bradford, UK & Lecturer, National Institute of Pakistan Studies (NIPS), Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.
111. Saeeda Diep, Institute for Peace and Secular Studies
112. Salima Hashmi, Artist and Academician
113. Samina Khan, Executive Director Sungi Development Foundation
114. Sayed Masud-ul Hassan
115. Shahvaar Ali Khan, musician, writer, ad man, peacenik
116. Shahzad Ahmad, Country Coordinator, Bytes for All, Pakistan
117. Shaikh Tanveer Ahmed, Chief Executive HANDS Pakistan
118. Sheema Kermani, Tehreek –e- Niswan
119. Sheen Farrukh, Inter Press Communications,
120. Syed Ali Abbas Zaidi, Chair & Founder Pakistan Youth Alliance, Central Executive Committee, Khudi Pakistan
121. Tasneem Ahmed Siddiqui, Chairman, Saiban, Former Chief Secretary Sindh,
122. Ume Laila, Home Net Pakistan
123. Uzma Noorani, Council Member HRCP
124. Waseem Akram, SAP-Pakistan
125. Zahid Islam, Director, SANGAT-Lahore
126. Zia Banday
127. Zia Rehaman, AWAZ CDS Multan
128. Zohra Yusuf, human rights activist, Karachi
129. Zubaida Noor, Noor Education Trust, Peshawar
130. Zubair Faisal Abbasi, Development Consultant
131. Zubair Malik, STEP, Khushab
132. Zulfiqar Halepoto, Sindh Democratic Forum
133. Zulfiqar Shah, Institute for Social Movements Pakistan

Filed under: Progressive politics | Tagged: Activism, civil society, democracy, memogate, Pakistan |