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Discussion Forum on 23rd
March 1940, Pakistan
Resolution Day
“OPPRESSED NATIONS OF
PAKISTAN:
SELF DETERMINATION, AUTONOMY
AND SOVEREIGNTY’’
Organized by The World
Sindhi Institute (WSI)
March 23, 2007 at National
Press Club, Washington, DC
WASHINGTON, DC: The World Sindhi Institute (WSI)
hosted a ‘Discussion Forum’ held in commemoration of 23rd March
1940, the Pakistan Resolution Day, at the National Press Club, Washington,
DC on Friday, March 23, 2007. The interesting and vibrant event spanned
over two hours from 5:00 to 7:00 pm, during which very open and frank
discussion took place among individuals representing various groups and
organizations from Pakistan, U.S. and other countries, including Saudi
Arabia, Iran, India and Bangladesh. Participants of the forum came from
different backgrounds, including journalists from international media,
members of non-profit organizations, researchers and scholars from
American Universities and Research Institutes, as well as individual
activists and persons interested in the theme of the discussion.
Participants of Pakistani background represented all nations of the
country, including Gilgit-Baltistani, Pashtun, Baloch, Saraiki, Punjabi,
Kashmiri and Sindhi. Four highly knowledgeable Speakers of the event were
as follows:
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Dr. Wahid Baloch: Baloch
Society of North America (BSO-NA)
-
Mohammad
Mumtaz Khan: International Center for Peace & Democracy and
International Kashmir Alliance
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Imtiaz
Hussain: Gilgit Baltistan Thinker’s Forum
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Humaira Rahman: The
World Sindhi Institute
Dr. Haider Nizamani
from
Political Science Department of the
University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada
served as Moderator of the evening
and conducted the program with
tremendous professional command over the subject.
Each Speaker was given fifteen minutes to
express their opinion freely. Time limit was followed with utmost
accuracy, for which the Moderator commended the Speakers in the end of the
session. A general concern expressed by each speaker was that of a highly
centralized governance system prevailing in the country ever since
independence of Pakistan, which demonstrates absolute negation of the
basic principles of the ‘Lahore Resolution’, as it was initially called;
later to be named as ‘Pakistan Resolution’ after creation of Pakistan in
1947. The founder of the country, Mr. Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s aspiration, as
articulated in the document of the Resolution in clear words, that the
newly formed country would be a Federation, with autonomous and sovereign
units, has been simply denied. Each speaker gave considerable account of
the situation of autonomy/ lack there-of in their own individual area with
examples, which gave a clear picture and back ground of the complex issues
hence generated in that particular area as well as in the whole country.
Dr. Wahid Baloch informed the forum about
historical facts evolving the relation of Balochistan and Pakistan since
1940. Balochistan being a separate secular state called State of Kalat
with its own Head of State and Upper & Lower Houses of Parliament did not
participate in the decision of creating a fundamentalist Islamist State,
neither did its Parliament agree to be a part of the newly created country
later. It was a year later, when the Head of Kalat State had to sign an
instrument of accession under duress and without the consensus of his
assembly, due to which a merger was established clearly articulating
autonomy of Kalat State in all administrative decisions, particularly
regarding its resources. Ever since then, Pakistan government has enforced
numerous Military Actions on Baloch people and their leadership and kept
plundering the land’s resources till the latest action still going on.
Thousands of Baloch have been missing, tortured, executed and families
displaced. Due to extreme dictatorial centralization of federal government
of Pakistan, Baloch leadership has now resorted to ask for intervention
from the International Court of Justice. He urged the international
community to take notice of the open violations of human rights practiced
in Balochistan not only in the Pakistan occupied part, but also in the
Iran occupied Balochistan.
Mr. Mohammad Mumtaz Khan pointed towards the
dummy existence of Kashmir Parliament and the supremacy of a Pakistan Army
officer as the head of each major institution and decision making forum in
the so-called ‘Azad’ (free) Kashmir. He termed the two portions of Kashmir
as Pakistan administered Kashmir and India administered Kashmir. He also
mentioned the issue of Islamic fundamentalist influence on his land in the
hands of Islamist regimes in Pakistan.
Mr. Imtiaz Hussain from Gilgit/Baltistan
attributed the issues of his area to the strange situation where the
Gilgiti and Baltistani nations are not only denied their basic identity,
being grouped as the ‘Northern Areas’, but are also denied the right to
vote or to participate in elections. Thus they do not have an Assembly or
representative/s in the Pakistan Assembly, nor can they vote for any
member of the Pakistan Assembly, because they are not considered as a part
of the country, yet they hold Pakistani passports. This confused state of
affairs is superadded by absolute authority of controlling all decisions
about that land by Pakistan Army personals. He declared this situation
being even worse than that of Pakistan occupied Kashmir, where at least a
dummy Parliament exists.
Ms. Humaira Rahman began by expressing concern
over the judicial crisis that Pakistan is currently facing in the hands of
yet another military dictatorship. She narrated the perspective of Sindh
by presenting statistics on the economic indicators and contribution of
Sindh in the growth and development of Pakistan being quite close to
almost half of the rest of the country. She then mentioned the lack of
facilities and opportunities resulting in extreme poverty and backwardness
of this potentially rich land and ascribed it to faulty and centralized
policies of the federation. She insisted on following the principle of
provincial autonomy referring it to be imperative for survival of the
country.
Although each perspective was presented
different from the other according to individual variations in the
regional condition, but the basic fact emphasized by all speakers was that
the only way to manage the country’s affairs is through a decentralized
and equitable approach, failing which the consequences can be grave. It
was also pointed out that precedence of ignoring this fact has already
demonstrated unfavorable consequences for Pakistan in the form of
separation of Bangladesh and it is high time that the authoritative
policies of the center be altered for a better harmonious survival and
growth of all.
During Q&A session, more issues of
international nature came under discussion that drew attention towards the
similarity of the basic problem of centralization in more than one state
in that region. The role of international community and their policies for
South Asia and Middle East also came under discussion. Impact of religious
fundamentalism accentuating the issues of the already oppressed nations
was highlighted.
Finally, most participants were in consensus
that some pro-active and solid measures need to be taken for addressing
the issue of negation of autonomy or ‘Oppression’ of most nations in the
hands of few. This has to be undertaken by all oppressed nations joining
hands and raising a voice against the violation of their basic human
rights from one platform. The idea of a coalition thus emerged, which was
agreed to be followed up over the course of time.
Although the subject had many more aspects to
be explored and the interest of each participant beyond doubt demanded
more thorough discussion, but strict discipline of time compelled the
forum to come to an end. In the end, Dr. Haider Nizamani thanked all
participants for their extremely useful and thought provoking input and
also thanked WSI for taking the initiative of organizing an extremely well
thought forum on a very appropriate occasion. Gratitude was also expressed
for the media for providing coverage and appreciation extended to the
National Press Club for the fabulous arrangement of the meeting.
More detailed report of the Conference along
with pictures and video will be made available later on the WSI website.
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