Linking hands to learn from one’s neighbours
The New Indian Express, south Indian editions (including Bangalore)
December 21, 2007
By Sakuntala Narasimhan
When over one hundred representatives from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, UK and Europe gathered in Islamabad last week for a three-day discussion and sharing of views on sustainable development in the south Asian region, the Indian media did not cover the event. News about the lifting of the emergency, comments by political leaders in and outside Pakistan, the forthcoming elections and related political ramifications thereof, all got reported (not just in India but worldwide) but who decides that sharing of strategies for the development of the region where poverty and the deleterious consequences of globalization are shared concerns, is not as important as economic growth or political developments?
The Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) of Islamabad, which organizes annual “brain storming” sessions to bring together experts in various disciplines – there were academics, activists, media watchers, bureaucrats serving in foreign trade departments, consumer protection groups, and researchers specializing in gender and development, gathered at this year’s three-day conference which concluded on December 12 -- to share strategies that worked in each others’ socio-economic settings, and to learn from each other.
The overarching theme was, within the context of sustainable development initiatives -- why do we in the Asian developing countries, turn to Washington DC and the World Bank for solutions to our economic problems? Why don’t we learn from each other in the south Asian region, since we share not merely common cultural heritages and social histories but also common problems like poverty and widening gaps between the haves and the have-nots, caused by globalised trade rules? We could learn about what methodologies worked, in each nation, or within specific communities (tribal belts, urban poor, etc) and also from what did not work and needs to be avoided. We talk of SAFTA (south Asian trade association) and SAARC (for regional cooperation, but more in the political context and not in the sense of learning from each other, in terms of tactics developed and implemented by not just national governments but also various NGOs) But we do not focus enough on establishing linkages among neighbouring countries, that too, inter-disciplinary links, between policy makers, politicians, activists, academics and research workers as well as the “people” for whose benefit developmental policies are fashioned, is not stressed strongly enough.
What are the environmental laws, in Pakistan ? Since the northern mountain belt is shared by both countries (and in fact also by Nepal and Bhutan) what kind of shared experiences can the region benefit from? Do we, as separate political demarcations, need to re-invent the circle, or can we quicken the process of ensuring sustainability by comparing notes? Does such sharing have to be dependent on political equations across boundaries, or can NGOs and independent initiatives share their experiences? SDPI’s annual deliberations do just that, by bringing together groups of non-partisan, non-political parties cutting across divisions of disciplines, to see if we can, as a region, “bridge the gaps” -- between policy and ground realities, between the rich and the poor, and between activists and academic theorists.
In some regions of India, women in tribal communities that are marked by low literacy, abysmally low incomes, lack of basic facilities like healthcare and roads, are being empowered by some NGOs through the use of pre-existing folk cultural traditions (folk songs, theatre jathras, puppet shows etc that the women of the community are already familiar with) to impart imformation about sanitation, immunization and simple cures for common ailments, The Infant Mortality rate (IMR) has been brought down from 110 to 65, a significant improvement in health. Maternal Mortality as well as Domestic Violence has also been reduced through the use of innovative strategies like these. (The case of the famous anti-arrack agitation of Andhra Pradesh, where poor, illiterate women managed to fight drunkenness, and even brought down a state government through their collective awareness, is an example.) This is an experiment that other neighbouring countries could adapt and adopt, for faster results in terms of improvements in social parameters. Women in the north western frontier provinces and in Afghanistan too, are likewise, garnering some significant (even if small ) successes that the outside world never gets to hear about. The SDPI conference helped us share such stories and seek solutions outside the conventional, economics-driven perspectives. There are rich veins, of experience and unconventional strategies, waiting to be tapped in this region.
One session focused on how education itself needs to widen its content to take in non-conventional sources of wisdom that the south Asian region in particular is so rich in. (Does a Salumarada Thimmakka, or a herbal medicine dispenser of grandma’s generation, ever get to be heard by a class of undergraduate students?) The colonial heritage that the south Asian countries share, has resulted in a stilted viewpoint on what education should be about, and how economic, social and cultural dimensions should take relative priorities in assessing “development”. SDPI has had nine earlier annual conferences of this kind, each with a specific focus on some aspect of sustainable development in the broader (and more meaningful) sense. And the series is planned as an on-going exercise, that will hopefully bring us and our neighbouring countries closer as developing countries. As one plenary speaker, a leading industrialist who is also involved in corporate social responsibility initiatives pointed out, we as separate countries cannot hope to be stable, or meaningfully progressed, unless the region as a whole pulls together and pools its rich resources, its brains, and its initiatives.
Neighbours: Private dosti, political demarcations
Deccan Herald, Bangalore
(www.deccanherald.com)
January 3, 2008
By Sakuntala Narasimhan
The flight from Bangalore to Delhi takes over two and a half hours, while the flight from Delhi to Lahore takes less than an hour. And yet, how little we get to know, about the day-to-day lives of the people just across the border, their preoccupations, aspirations and lifestyles ! We get media reports, to be sure, about the emergency, about political pronouncements by politicians in Pakistan, and about the forthcoming elections.But that does not portray the lives of the Aam Admi of Pakistan, just as the controversy over the Indo-US nuclear agreement does not reflect anything about the daily lives of the average citizen of our country. What is it like, to be a resident of Karachi or Lahore, what do the people think, about their “big brother’ next door, or even about the political decisions on either side? We seldom get to know, because getting through the border is not exactly the easiest of exercises in international travel. And for the media, daily lives are not ‘news’ Which seems sad, judging by the experiences of those who travel across in either direction.
The ‘dosti’ begins even before one lands on Pakistani territory, on the flight leaving Delhi itself. The young woman in the seat next to mine is a highly qualified surgeon in Karachi. One doesn’t think of a Pakistani woman as a surgeon, right? And yet – in spite of the Islamic restrictions that we have preconceptions about, women across the border are doing exactly the same things as Indian women, taking up careers, traveling overseas, teaching, undertaking research, and breaking social constraints with élan in a manner that mirrors the Indian social scene.
The dosti in fact began even before we emplaned – the invitation for a three day conference of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute at Islamabad came with two cartoon figures, one waving an Indian flag and the other a Pakistani one. On arrival on Pakistani shores, human hosts took over where those cartoon figures left off, plying us with hospitality and genuine friendship of a kind that left a lasting impression..
Pakistanis who said they had had the “good fortune” to visit India, recalled the friendliness they encountered everywhere they went, and we (ten of us from India, a mixed group of researchers, academics and policymakers) were remarking at the end of our visit, on the genuine, and often overwhelming, affection that the locals showered us with wherever we went. The people-to-people bonds seem vibrant and strong, regardless of the political equations between the two countries..
The emergency was still on during our visit, and we drove past the Supreme Court of Pakistan, parliament house, the intelligence headquarters and the offices of various VIPs. I saw far less barbed wire, sandbags and armed sentries than I find in the VIP areas of Delhi. We moved freely around, strolling through parks and monuments in the evenings after our conference sessions, and went shopping in the markets that could be from anywhere in our own Kolkata or Mumbai. We got invited to participate in a talk show on TV where we were not gagged in anyway, and were free to air our opinions without censorship. Some television channels were blocked, to be sure, but there were plenty of others where the programmes criticized state policy (I watched fascinated as President Musharraf himself was grilled by a questioner in one telecast).
On my first morning in Islamabad, the waiter at the hotel gives me a wide grin, and asks, “Aap India sey?” His grandfather came to Pakistan as a refugee, and he was looking forward to visiting his ancestors’ village “some day, Inshallah”. Some of the locals were insistent about taking us home for “chai” and seemed disappointed that we could not spare the time. The spicy dal and saffron rice and parathas and halwa reminded one of home (that’s silly, we had to keep reminding ourselves – after all, the two nations were a single entity, within living memory).
I went looking for tapes of some classical musicians who had migrated to Pakistan in 1947, but was offered instead, CDs of the “latest hits” – Om Shanti Om, and Goal and a dozen other recent films, and DVDs of a Jaya Bachchan-Anupam Kher blockbuster. Those, the salesman assured me, were the “fastest moving items”. The music, the language, the cultural strands, the social fabric, are such that one has to keep reminding oneself that one is “abroad”. After all, there is the shared history and heritage of millennia. “We as a people have more in common with India than with other Islamic nations of the Middle east,” remarked a woman economist at the conference. Ponder over that. During my stay there the hotel hosted a typical upper middle class wedding The saris and salwar suits had come from Delhi, the menu was based on fancy Lucknawi nawabi fare. This was like back home, as nowhere else I have seen.
A shopkeeper at one store, after asking, “Aap India sey?”, shyly asks me to guess his name. I give up. “Sunil Kumar,” he says with a grin. Are you happy here, I ask him. “If insaan wants to live in peace, he can be happy anywhere, he replies. These kinds of nuggets rarely make it to the media.
We read in the papers about the rocket attack near Peshawar but not about the amazing work that an NGO here is doing, to empower women. Positive stories take a backseat when there are those that showcase violence, trauma and mayhem.
“The polls wont be perfect” , says an American comment on Pakistan – “Look who’s talking”, said an American visitor, recalling the controversy over the election of Bush and the ‘Florida count’.
The keynote speaker at one session, a distinguished international consultant, closes his comments with a quote from Faiz Ahmed Faiz. “Mile kuchh aisey…. We met in such a manner that my heart is leaving not with a scar but with a flower…” You can say that again, Shoab Sultan Khan sahib…..
ڏکڻ ايشيا جي مسئلن جي حل لاءِ پائدار ڪوششن جي ضرور ت
ثناءُالله رستماڻي
ڪنهن به ملڪ جي سماجي،اقتصادي توڙي سياسي حالتن جي بهتري لاءِ لاڳاپيل شعبن ۾ تحقيق جي ذريعي نڪتل نتيجن ۽ سفارش کي ئي وڌيڪ ترجيح ڏني ويندي آهي. ترقي يافته ملڪن جي ترقي تي گهري نظر وجهڻ سان اها ڳالهه سامهون پئي اچي ته سندن ترقي جو هڪڙو سبب اهو به آهي ته اتي مختلف مسئلن جي حل لاءِ سڀ کان پهرين ان مسئلي تي مختلف ُرخن کان تحقيق ڪئي ويندي آهي ۽ ان شعبي سان سلهاڙيل ريسرچر معاملي جي تهه تائين وڃي ان جو غير جانبداري سان تجزيو ڪري ۽ سائنسي انداز ۾ مواد جي جائزي وٺڻ کانپوءِ ڪو نتيجو اخذ ڪندا آهن ۽ آخر ۾ اهڙيون سفارشون عمل ۾ آڻڻ لاءِ واسطيدار ادارن ڏانهن اماڻيون وينديون آهن.
اها ڳالهه هاڻ ڏکڻ ايشيا ۾ پڻ ڏٺي وئي آهي ته مختلف ادارا معاملن جي حل لاءِ سائنسي انداز سان تحقيق کي هٿي وٺرائڻ لاءِ ميدان ۾ لٿل آهن جن ۾ ڪجهه سرڪاري ادارن سان گڏ غيرسرڪاري ادارا پڻ پنهنجو فعال ڪردار ادا ڪري رهيا آهن. ڏکڻ ايشيا جي هڪ وڏي بدقسمتي اڃا تائين اها به آهي ته اتي تحقيق ڪندڙ ادارن ۽ فردن جي ترقي يافته ملڪن جي ڀيٽ ۾ ايتري حوصلا افزائي نه پئي ٿئي. جنهن جي ڪري تحقيق جو ڪم ڪجهه مونجهارن جي ور چڙهيل آهي. بهرحال پوءِ به اها اميد ۽ توقع ڪري سگهجي ٿي ته سرڪارسڳوري نيٺ ان ڳالهه کي محسوس ڪندي ته ملڪي ترقي لاءِ تحقيق جي بنياد تي سامهون آيل نتيجا ئي وڌيڪ فائديمند ثابت ٿيندا آهن. ساڳئي وقت پاڻ کي اها توقع پڻ برقرار رکڻ کپي ته ڪافي مسئلن ۽ پيچيدگين جي باوجود غيرسرڪاري ادارا پڻ سماجي ۽ اقتصادي معاملن تي تحقيق جو ڪم پڻ جاري رکيو ايندا. اها ڳالهه حوصلي افزا آهي ته هن وقت تائين غير سرڪاري ادارن طرفان ان سلسلي ۾ ڪيل ڪم پڻ ڪافي معياري ڏسڻ ۾ آيو آهي.باوجود ان جي ته هو ڪافي مسئلن ۾ گهيريل آهن جن جو پهريائين ئي ذڪر ٿي چڪو آهي.
ڪجهه ڏينهن اڳ ۾ اسلام آباد ۾ پائدار ترقي جي پاليسي ساز اداري SDPI طرفان هڪ ٽي روزه بين الاقوامي ڪانفرنس sustainable solutions:A spot lighton south asian research (پائدار حل: ڏکڻ ايشيا جي تحقيق جي محور ۾) ڪوٺائي وئي، ان ڪانفرنس ۾ ڏکڻ ايشيا سميت يورپ ۽ آمريڪا جي تحقيقي ماهرن پنهنجن خيالن جو اظهار ڪيو. SDPI جي ان ڏهين ڪانفرنس ۾ سنڌ جي ڪجهه اهم مسئلن تي پڻ ماهرن پنهنجا پيپر پڙهيا. سنڌ جي مشهور ٽيڪنوڪريٽ ۽ سياسي اڳواڻ ابرار قاضي ۽ نيڪ ذوالفقار هاليپوٽي " پاڪستان ۾ ماحولياتي قانون بين الاقوامي گهرُجون ۽ سنڌ ۾ درياءَ جو ڇيڙو " جي عنوان سان پنهنجو تحقيقي پيپر پيش ڪيو. ابرار قاضي صاحب اتي موجود بين الاقوامي اسڪالرن کي سنڌ ۾ درپيش پاڻي جي کوٽ بابت آگاهه ڪيو ۽ ساڳئي وقت بين الاقوامي سطح تي مختلف هنڌن تي پاس ٿيل ڪردارن جو حوالو ڏيندي چيو ته خوراڪ جي تحفظ کان پهريائين اهو ضروري آهي ته ماحول جي تحفظ کي يقيني بڻايو وڃي. هن افسوس جو اظهار ڪندي ٻڌايو ته پاڪستان ۾ ان حوالي سان قانون ته موجود آهن پر اهي عمل ۾ نه پيا آندا وڃن، جنهن جي نتيجي ۾ هڪڙي پاسي سنڌ ۾ ماحولياتي مسئلا جنم پيا وٺن ته ٻي پاسي صوبن جي وچ ۾ اختلاف پڻ سامهون اچي رهيا آهن. ابرار قاضي اتي ان ڳالهه تي پڻ زور ڏنو ته حڪومت تڪراري ڊئمن تي بحث ڪرائڻ بجاءِ پاڻي جي مناسب ورڇ ۽ ان جو صحيح استعمال جي طريقن تي عمل ڪرائي.
هڪ ٻي اسڪالر عمران سڪندر بلوچ انفرميشن ٽيڪنالاجي ۽ فيصلاسازي جي حوالي سان ڳالهائيندي چيو ته اسان جي ملڪ ۾ عورتن کي فيصلا سازي کان پري رکڻ واري لاڙي جي ڪري هڪڙي پاسي سندن زندگين تي ڪجهه منفي اثر پيا آهن ته ٻي پاسي ملڪ پڻ اڌ آبادي (عورتن) جي صلاحيتن مان فائدو حاصل ڪرڻ کان محروم رهيو آهي. هن ان ڳالهه تي زور ڏنو ته سڀني شعبن خاص ڪري انفرميشن ٽيڪنالاجي ۾ جنسي فرق جي بغير افرادي قوت کي مضبوط ڪيو وڃي ته جيئن ملڪ ان فيلڊ ۾ اڳتي اچي سگهي.جڏهن ته SDPI سان لاڳاپيل ريسرچ اسڪالر ڊاڪٽر ڪئرن آسٽرڊ پاڪستان جي زرعي شعبي ۾ خاص ڪري وونڻن جي فصل ۾ عورتن جي شراڪت ۽ حصيداري جي حوالي سان ڳالهائيندي چيو ته زرعي شعبي ۾ عورتن جي حقن جي پاسداري لاءِ اهڙيون قومي ۽ بين الاقوامي پاليسيون جوڙيون وڃن جيڪي ڦٽين جو چونڊو ڪندڙ عورتن جي مسئلن طرف توجهه ڏين. جڏهن ته فاطمه جناح وومن يونيورسٽي راولپنڊي جي ڊاڪٽر رخسانه حسن چولستاني عورتن جي حوالي سان ڳالهائيندي چيو اتان جون عورتون ڪجهه سماجي پابندين جي ڪري سماج ۾ مناسب ڪردار ادا ڪرڻ کان رهجي ٿيون وڃن. ان موقعي تي ”شرڪت گاهه ڪراچي“ سان وابسته نالي واري سماجي شخصيت نجمه صادق چيو ته ٽيننسي ايڪٽ 1997 جي باوجود به حڪومت عورتن کي زمين جي ڀائيواري طرف ڪوبه توجهه ڪونه ڏنو آهي. هن ان امر تي زور ڀريو ته زندگي جي هر شعبي ۾ تبديلي ۽ بهتري آڻڻ لاءِ اهو اڻٽر آهي ته عورتن کي مراعتون ڏئي کين همٿايو وڃي. عورتن جي حقن جي حوالي سان ڪراچي سان لاڳاپيل نازش بروهي،پشاور مان ثمينه آفريدي ۽ ايس ڊي پي آءِ جي اڳوڻي ايگزيڪيوٽو ڊائريڪٽر ڊاڪٽر صبا گل خٽڪ پڻ خيالن جو اظهار ڪيو.
ٻي پاسي پاڪستان،ڀارت ۽ بنگلاديش جي گڏيل تاريخ جي حوالي سان ٿيندڙ سيشن ۾ اسڪالرن ڏکڻ ايشيا جي سياسي تاريخ کي نئين سر لکڻ تي زور ڀريو. ان موقعي تي مشهور نقاد ۽ روزانه ڊان جي ليکڪ آصف فرخي پاڪستان ۽ بنگلاديش جي تاريخ جي حوالي سان جنم وٺندڙ ادب خاص ڪري فڪشن جو ذڪر ڪيو. هن چيو ته تاريخ ۾ حقيقت کي لڪائڻ سان ٻارن جي ذهن تي عجيب مونجهارا جنم وٺن ٿا ان ڪري تاريخ جون حقيقتون واضح نموني پيش ڪيون وڃن. ڀارت جي دهلي يونيورسٽي جي پروفيسر ڊاڪٽر وسالڪشي مينن چيو ته تاريخ جي تلخ حقيقتن ۽ يادن کي لڪائڻ ۽ ٽوڙي مروڙي پيش ڪرڻ جي بجاءِ انهن تلخ حقيقتن ۽ يادن کي وائکو ڪرڻ گهرجي. ان موقعي تي موناش يونيورسٽي آسٽريليا جي ڊاڪٽر انيلا بابر ۽ جنيوا مان آيل ڊاڪٽر نيٿلين رينالڊر پڻ تاريخ جي مختلف رخن تي روشني وڌي.
جڏهن ته ڏکڻ ايشيا، برطانيه،ڪئنيڊا ۽ سئٽزرلينڊ مان آيل اسڪالرن ڄاڻ (ناليج) جي مثبت ۽ منفي رخن تي روشني وجهندي چيو ته اڄ جي جديد دور جي شاگرد کي اهڙي قسم جو نصاب پڙهايو وڃي جنهن جي ذريعي هو حالتن ۽ واقعن جي تجزيي ڪرڻ وارو علم حاصل ڪري سگهي. هنن وڌيڪ چيو ته يونيورسٽي سطح تي اهو ضروري آهي ته اتي تحقيق جي ماحول کي سازگار بڻائي شاگردن ۾ تحقيقي ۽ تجزياتي رجحان کي هٿي ڏني وڃي. هنن ان ڳالهه تي به زور ڏنو ته ڏکڻ ايشيا جي شاگردن ۽ تحقيقي اسڪالرن جو پاڻ ۾ رابطو قائم رکڻ لاءِ ادارن ۽ حڪومتن کي اڳتي اچي پنهنجو ڪردار نڀائڻ گهرجي.
جڏهن ته گذريل سال سنڌ ۽ بلوچستان ۾ ٿيل تباهه ڪارين جي حوالي سان مون سنڌ ۽ بلوچستان ۾ ڊزاسٽرمينيجمينٽ پاليسين جي حوالي سان پيپر پيش ڪيو. جنهن ۾ سنڌ جي ٻوڏن جي گذريل هڪ صدي کان مختصر تاريخ ٻڌائيندي فورم آڏو موقف پيش ڪيو ته سنڌ ۽ بلوچستان کي قدرتي آفتن خاص ڪري ٻوڏن کان بچائڻ لاءِ ان وقت تي ضرورت ايندڙ امداد جي بجاءِ پائدار حل جي ضرورت آهي. مون پنهنجي تحقيقي پيپر جو خلاصو پيش ڪندي کين ٻڌايو ته ٻوڏ کان بچاءَ لاءِ ضروري آهي ته بچاءَ وارن بندن جي وقت سر مرمت ڪرائي وڃي ۽ جديد ٽيڪنالاجي جو استعمال ڪندي اتان جي علائقي جي ماڻهن کي ريڊار سسٽم ذريعي اڳواٽ آگاهي ڏيڻ واري پروگرام کي متعارف ڪرايو وڃي ۽ ٻوڏ دوران تباهه ٿيل روڊن، ُ پلن ۽ عمارتن جي مرمت ڪرائي وڃي. ساڳي وقت چوپائي مال جي وئڪسينيشن ڪرائي پڻ وڃي. فورم کي اهو پڻ ٻڌايو ويو ته ٻوڏن جي تباهين کان بچڻ لاءِ ضروري آهي ته ايف پي بند ۽ مين نارا ويلي ڊرين MNVD جي مناسب مرمت ڪرائي وڃي ۽ حمل ڍنڍ کان وٺي منڇر تائين پاڻي آڻيندڙ واهه کي مضبوط ڪري ان جي اوچائي وڌائي وڃي ۽ حمل ڍنڍ کان وٺي منڇر تائين هڪ ٻيو ڪئنال پڻ کوٽيو وڃي جيڪو صرف ٻوڏ دوران استعمال ڪيو وڃي پر ان لاءِ ماهرن جي معائني ۽ مقامي ماڻهن جي راءِ کي پڻ شامل ڪيو وڃي. انهي ساڳي سيشن ۾ ڀارت جي اسڪالر ِشري ڪانت گپتا ۽ ايڪشن ايڊ پاڪستان ڪشمير سان لاڳاپيل ايڊم پلٽر ۽ عبدالخالق پڻ ڊزاسٽر مئنجمنٽ تي ڳالهايو. انهي شين جي اسڪالرن جي پيپرن تي راءِ ڏين لاءِ سارا ترمزي ۽ ڊاڪٽر سرفراز لاشاري کي مدعو ڪيو ويو.
جڏهن ته ڀارت کان آيل نامور اسڪالر ارون شريواستا هماليه جبلن ۾ ميگا پراجيڪٽس جي شروع ڪرڻ سان هماليه جي جابلو سلسلن ۾ ٿيندڙ ماحولياتي گدلاڻ ۽ ان جا اتان جي جيوت تي پوندڙ منفي اثرن جو ذڪر ڪندي ان ڳالهه کي اهميت ڏني ته هماليه جي قدرتي سونهن کي بچائڻ لاءِ ضروري آهي ته اتي پاڻي مان بجلي پيدا ڪندڙ منصوبن کي ترجيح ڏيڻ بجاءِ geo Thermal وسيلن ذريعي توانائي پيدا ڪرڻ واري منصوبي تي عمل ڪيو وڃي. ان موقعي تي پاڪستان ۾ ماحولياتي تحفظ واري اداري iucn جي ملڪ سهيل پڻ پنهنجا ويچار ونڊيا .
ٽن ڏينهن واري ان بين الاقوامي ڪانفرنس ۾ پاڪستان ۽ ڀارت ۾ Communalism واري مسئلي تي پڻ هڪ سيشن رٿيو ويو. جنهن ۾ “پائلر“ ڪراچي جي اڳواڻ ڪرامت علي ۽ ڀارت جي اسڪالر وسالڪشي مينن خيالن جو اظهار ڪيو.ڊاڪٽر مينن ان موقعي تي ڳالهائيندي چيو ته وسندين جي وچ ۾ ٿيندڙ جهيڙا ڀارت جي سيڪيولرازم هئڻ واري دعويٰ تي خراب اثر وجهن ٿا. هن چيو ته عام
طور تي اها ڳالهه مشهور آهي ته ڪميونزم فقط اتر ڀارت ۾ آهي، مگر حقيقت اها آهي ته ڏکڻ ڀارت جنهن کي وڌيڪ سيڪولر سمجهيو پيو وڃي، اتي پڻ ڪميونزم پنهنجون پاڙون مضبوط ڪري رهيو آهي. ان موقعي تي سماجي تنظيم پائلر ڪراچي جي اڳواڻ ڪرامت علي ڳالهائيندي چيو ته ڪميونزم وچ ۾ جهيڙن جا اصل سبب ڏکڻ ايشيا ۾ برطانيه راڄ جو اثر آهي. هن چيو ته مسلم ليگ ۽ ڪانگريس ٻه اهڙيون ناليواريون جماعتون هيون جن پنهنجن اقتصادي مفادن خاطر سوسائٽي کي مذهب جي نالي ۾ جدا جدا ڪيو. هن چيو ته ڏکڻ ايشيا ۾ صورتحال ِاها آهي جو پنجن مان چئن قومن جو بنياد مذهب تي آهي ۽ انهي جي ڪري ئي ويجهي ماضي ۾ ڀارت ۾ ڪميونٽين جي وچ ۾ تڪرار وڌيا آهن. پروگرام جي ٻي سيشن ۾ صحت جي موضوع بابت دي نيٽ ورڪ جي ڊاڪٽر طالب لاشاري پڻ قومي صحت پاليسي 2001 جو تنقيدي جائزوپيش ڪيو.
ان موقعي تي پروگرام جي ميزبان ۽ ايس ڊي پي آءِ جي ايگزيڪيوٽو ڊائريڪٽر ۽ ناليواري ليکڪ ڊاڪٽر عابد قيوم سليري پنهنجي تقرير ۾ ان ڳالهه جو مطالبو ڪيو ته پائدار ترقي حاصل ڪرڻ لاءِ ضروري آهي ته SDPI جيان آزاد تحقيقي ادارا جوڙيا وڃن ۽ اهڙن ادارن کي اعلي تعليمي ڪميشن HEC طرفان تسليم ڪري کين فنڊ مهيا ڪيا وڃن ته جيئن ڏکڻ ايشيا جي مسئلن تي سائنسي انداز ۾ تحقيق ڪئي وڃي
Book Review: Sustainable development: probing for the missing links
May 03, 2008
Uzma T. Haroon
Weekend Magazine (May 03 2008): 'Missing Links in Sustainable Development: South Asian Perspectives' makes a useful reading for students, teachers, researchers, scholars and those who wish to keep themselves abreast of issues pertaining to sustainable development.
Based on 17 chapters, the book is divided into three sub-themes: Gender and Human Security; Economics of Globalisation; and, People's Rights and Livelihoods.
The anthology comes out of Sustainable Development Policy Institute's Ninth Sustainable Development Conference that was held in December 2006. After a year-long publication process during, which the chapters were peer reviewed, the book was launched in December 2007 at SDPI's Tenth Sustainable Development Conference.
The collection provides a broad spectrum on sustainable development with authors sharing their researches in areas ranging from women in human security issues in Pakistan and Bangladesh; gender and economic integration in South Asia; Indian garment sector and its lack of solidarity; to the rights of tribal communities in India; livelihood issues of people in the Northern areas of Pakistan; and looking at the impact of a public-private partnership in the water sector.
As pointed out by SDPI's former Executive Director, Dr Saba Gul Khattak, in her preface, "This anthology aims at identifying the missing links in Sustainable Development for South Asia and proposes fillers for those. Questions addressed in this anthology include why benefits of globalisation have failed to trickle down to the region's vast population and calls for a process of global economic integration that benefits the marginalised.
"... research papers look at the channels that exclude women from access to resources, such as land, decent work, and human security, and how these structures can be changed.
Many sound ideas about tackling deforestation, compliance, sustainability and livelihoods problems in the fisheries sector, the connections between conflict in the public sphere and its intensification in the private sphere, how globalisation can benefit gender equality and women's empowerment in South Asia, the role of trade and aid in peace and progress, are proposed.
Among the prominent Asian authors are names like Walden Bello; Urvashi Batalia; Nazish Brohi; Dawood Mamoon; S. Mansoob Murshed; Ajit Menon and others. Some of the SDPI's own research scholars who have contributed chapters towards this anthology include Abid Qaiyum Suleri; Saba Gul Khattak; Shaheen Rafi Khan; Karin Astrid Siegmann; and Kiran Habib among others.
Some Excerpts:
Women and Human Security in South Asia: The Case of Pakistan and Bangladesh by Saba Gul Khattak and Kiran Habib
"In the case of Pakistan, religious extremism, authoritarian control of military bureaucracy and slow pace of normalisation of relations with India due to the Kashmir conflict are some of the main obstacles in advancing human security and development.
Another factor that is a major hurdle to advancing human security and development in Pakistan is the very nature of the post-colonial state. Big landowners still dominate the political scene of Pakistan.
Interrogating Peace: A Perspective from the Margins by Urvashi Batalia
"This paper asks: what does peace man? More specifically, what does it mean from the perspectives of those who are on the margins of society, who usually have little or not direct investment in war/violent conflict, and who are discriminated against even in what are known as 'normal' times.
Taking examples from South Asia, the paper argues that women-who are the basic subjects of this paper-are not among the primary 'makers' or instigators of war and conflict, although they do figure in large number among their victims, and the activities they conduct during times of violent conflict, are often those very activities that prepare the ground for peace to return."
The Crisis of the Globalist Project: Civil Society's Role and Response by Walden Bello
"Ten years ago, we were told that state policies no longer matter and that soon, corporations would dwarf states. In fact, states still do matter. The European Union, the United States government, and the Chinese state are today stronger than they were a decade ago as economic actors.
Indeed, over the last ten years interventionist government policies have spelled the difference between development and underdevelopment, prosperity and poverty. Malaysia's imposition of capital controls during the Asian financial crisis in 1997-98 prevented it from unravelling like Thailand or Indonesia.”
Trade, Aid and Security: Prospects for Peace and Progress by Oli Brown and Mark Halle
"Limited market access, complex regulations and perverse domestic subsidies in the developed world inhibit the efforts of developing countries to diversify their economies.
At the same time, developing countries are being pushed to adopt uncompromising market liberalisation, which can reduce government revenues and undermine livelihoods, serving to increase the prospects for political instability and competition over scarce resources.
This is especially the case in the absence of effective domestic institutions capable of mitigating economic shocks and satisfying competing demands for resources.”
State of Livelihood Assets in the Earthquake Affected Areas: A Way Forward by Sobia Nazeer Ahmad and Abid Qaiyum Suleri.
"Since the 8 October 2005 earthquake in Pakistan, relief efforts have given way to recovery and rehabilitation initiatives. Numerous non-government organisations are supplementing the government in efforts to revive the economy of those living in the earthquake-affected areas.
Policy-makers are presently focusing on strategies to rebuild livelihoods of vulnerable groups based on their financial losses as a consequence to the earthquake. However, these strategies target rebuilding lost financial assets (for example donating livestock and poultry), rather than ensure sustainability by strengthening capital assets and diverting livelihood dependency on income that is less vulnerable to shocks.
Therefore, there is a danger that interventions may not result in ensuring sustainable livelihoods."
Myth or Magic? Assessing the Impact of a Public-Private Partnership in the Water Sector of Pakistan by Peter Lund-Thomsen.
"An increased role for public private partnerships (PPPs) in the developing world was one of the most novel outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002. At the same time, the UN Global Compact encourages companies to participate in partnership projects with UN agencies and civil society organisations.
While the number of PPPs and intergovernmental backing for these initiatives are significant, we still need to know more about their effects on workers' conditions, the environment, and public service delivery. This paper makes a contribution to on-going debates about whether, and if so how, we can empirically assess both the potential, limitations, and actual impacts of PPPs in developing countries."
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