Pakistan today is in need of a strong institution that stands for protecting and promoting the fundamental rights of the citizens of Pakistan. It is very unfortunate that even after 75 years of our independence, majority of our citizens have barely any rights which have been clearly defined in our constitution, whether it is the right to clean water, right to education, right to free speech, rights of minorities, etc. and I can go on and on.
PILAP is such an institution whose fundamental reason to exist is to promote and protect the fundamental rights of the citizens of Pakistan. Citizens’ Assembly class of membership was created in Jan 2022 to help drive both PILAP’s strategy and sustainability. Citizens’ Assembly is already 40-member strong and growing.
USA was in the same predicament a century ago when US citizens created the ACLU (American Civil Liberty Union) which has been playing a leading role in protecting the rights of US citizens (https://www.aclu.org) — in fact, it was ACLU which took the Trump administration head-on when his administration started discriminating against minorities and their rights as US citizens. The founders of PILAP felt that is exactly the model Pakistan needed and hence PILAP was born.
PILAP seeks to make the system of justice more effective and accessible by adopting a multi-pronged strategy that begins with engaging the through
The Arabian Sea receives vast quantities of unfiltered municipal and industrial waste each year. This water travels through the rivers in Karachi and ends up in the sea. Not only is it adversely impacting the environment, but exposure to heavy metals, industrial chemicals and human waste is extremely harmful to human health. PILAP has organized a group of environmental experts and advocates to seek their input as it researches into this serious public interest, with the possibility of filling a petition against concerned government authorities before the Sindh High Court.
This is one of the top 5 cases voted upon by the Citizens’ Assembly during its July 2022 session. In September PILAP arranged an online informational session with Naeem Sadiq, a social activist in his own right, who has been working for the fair treatment of sanitation workers for many years. He has researched extensively on the issue and has successfully obtained an order from the Sindh High Court requiring Cantonment Boards across the country to pay at least the minimum wage to all sanitation workers within their respective jurisdictions. During the session he spoke about the problem at length; that many sanitation workers receive a salary that is much below the minimum wage, are not registered under EOBI or social security, do not get medical leave or 4 days leave in a month.
As a strategy to tackle the issue, he recommended a three-pronged approach: research (in-depth research into the matter), writing (to the concerned Government authorities to have the problem addressed) and advocacy. PILAP proposes to follow this recommendation.
CONTEXT: The Houbara Bustard is a species of bird that has been declared “vulnerable” by the IUCN Red List. It is also included in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) which has been ratified by Pakistan and given effect through municipal legislation. The said Appendix includes those species that are threatened with extinction. At the same time, the Government of Pakistan continues to recommend issuance of Houbara Bustard hunting licenses to foreign dignitaries. While it is the Provincial Governments that issue the licenses, it is the Federal Government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that gives recommendations for such issuance.
PILAP ACTION: PILAP wrote an RTI to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs asking details about the recommendations, as well as the regulation of the export of Houbara Bustard specimen as per Pakistan’s international commitments and domestic legislation. When the Ministry did not respond, PILAP appealed to the Pakistan Information Commission (PIC). At a hearing summoned by PIC, the Ministry responded by saying that the question was one concerning relations with foreign states, and hence, under the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017, it was under no compulsion to respond. PIC upheld this response, even after PILAP appealed a second time.
CONTEXT: The 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference took place in Halifax, NS, Canada this summer. News stories circulated about a 25-member Pakistani delegation, accompanied by respective families, that had traveled to Canada to attend the conference. The news also mentioned that the delegation stayed at a 5-star hotel and used a rented limousine to move around town. At a time of economic strife in the country, and especially the loss to the exchequer caused by devasting flooding, this is hardly a time for the Government to be spending on non-essential luxuries.
PILAP ACTION: PILAP wrote an RTI to the National Assembly Secretariat asking about the list of delegates who attended the conference, whether they were accompanied by family members, and if so, how many, whether the expenses of family members were covered by public funds, and a complete budget break-up of the tour.
The Secretariat responded by saying that, in fact, while the National Assembly was entitled to send a 5-member delegation, it chose to send two members, one of whom was the National Assembly Speaker. Regarding the budget break-up, the Secretariat informed that travel and accommodation expenses had been borne by the High Commission in Ottawa, to be debited to the National Assembly, as per authorization granted to the High Commission. The said debit had not yet been raised against the National Assembly.
CONTEXT: Right to information is a fundamental right, safeguarded by article 19A of the Constitution. It has also been enacted into law by Parliament under the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017 which lays out the details of requesting information, what kind of information constitutes public information and what is excluded from the public domain etc. It also sets up the Pakistan Information Commission and the procedure for requesting information.
Strategy: A Write Petition on the enforcement of Article 25A instituted by PILAP is already pending before the Sindh High Court. Following the filing of the petition, the court appointed a commission to come up with an education plan for the Province of Sindh. PILAP plans to file similar petitions in other Provinces. PILAP held an informational session with Naeem Sadiq (see above) for its members to better understand the issue and come up with possible solutions.
Strategy: PILAP is preparing to file a court petition in an attempt to address this serious environmental concern.
Strategy: PILAP has written RTIs to various Government bodies asking about the treatment of sanitary workers. Many of them are not paid the minimum wage, are not registered with EOBI or even have access to safety equipment or other measures when unclogging sewers. We have joined a country-wide campaign against these injustices.
Strategy: Most miners in Pakistan risk their lives during unregulated and dangerous mining operations, and hundreds are killed each year. PILAP has written RTIs to various Government Ministries and Departments, inquiring into the occupational health and safety measures taken for miners. We plan to continue communicating with concerned authorities to address this serious issue. We will be hosting Jalila Haider, a lawyer who has worked on justice for mine workers, at an online informational session in early November.
| Date | Topic | PILAP Strategy |
|---|---|---|
|
August
2022 |
Right to Information |
Engage with Government authorities
to make RTI more robust in practice |
|
September
2022
|
Justice for Sanitation Workers |
Under the Research, Writing and
Advocacy (RWA) approach |
|
October
2022
|
Problems with the Malir
Expressway and urban planning
in Karach |
|
|
November
2022
|
Justice for Mine Workers |
|
1. Champion a Cause: By championing, we mean take a public interest issue close to their hearts and lead its execution with the PILAP team. Help finance the expense and drive the issue to its proper resolution. We have examples such as:
PIF is a private-sector-driven and donorsupported non-profit organisation charged with promoting innovation across the Pakistan Society, particularly within the Corporate Sector of Pakistan. It delivers through a three-pronged strategy of awareness-building, reward and recognition, and research and advocacy.
The Centre for Excellence in Journalism was set up in 2014 under a grant from the US State Department with the intention to set up a state-of-the-art training centre to be used by journalists and journalism students at the Institute of Business Administration, Karachi.
Over the course of 20 years, Ziauddin University has earned the place of being one of the leading institutions of Karachi. This status has been earned due to the administration’s constant effort to introduce new programmes and faculties.
It is an NGO providing health and education services for the underprivileged in Pakistan. It’s major activities include provision of health care through hospitals, and maternal and child health centres. In addition, child education is provided through formal and informal schools.Vocational centers provide computers and vocational training for youth.
Concerned citizens and civil society organisations of Karachi have come together to initiate a city-wide movement called IAK. I AM KARACHI aims to collectively rebuild the diverse social and cultural fabric of the city by providing a platform for like-minded organisations and individuals committed to promoting socio-cultural activities and campaigns as vehicles for peach building through the arts, culture, sports and dialogue.
