Date: Saturday, November 26th, 2016.
A landmark law
In a rare display of distilled common-sense the Sindh Assembly has passed unanimously the Forced Conversion Law on Thursday 24th November. The Bill started life as a private enterprise and was originally tabled last year by Pakisan Muslim League — Functional and it was subsequently referred to the standing committee for minority and human rights and then returned to the assembly. Given the generally tardy progress anything relating to human rights and the rights of minorities makes it was taken up with commendable speed. Although not on the agenda last Thursday the Bill’s proposer Nand Kumar after consultation with the Speaker and the PPP saw his proposal put to the assembly where it was passed unanimously.
The passing of this legislation is much to be welcomed as it gives leverage to those seeking to curb an odious and increasing practice — forced conversion from one of the minority faiths to Islam. That it received immediate cross-party approval is equally commendable and one of the finer examples of how a democratic assembly can work for the common good and lay aside traditional party-political divisions.
Those that are the subject of forced conversion are primarily young girls, generally from poor backgrounds with little by way of resources or clout to resist those that prey on them. The new law will give an opportunity for redress, but as ever there will be a gap between the passing of the legislation and the first prosecutions under its provisions. The police in particular are going to be key players in terms of whether this new law remains a paper exercise or have legislative teeth. Forced conversion now has to be criminalised, and the victims given the protection they are going to need, and there are clauses within that define how that protection is to be offered.
For many conservatively-minded people forced conversion is normative and culturally acceptable. They will resist the change and seek to frustrate the new law. That must not be allowed to happen. Human rights generally and the rights of women and minorities just took a step forward in Sindh, let us now see the new law implemented in letter and spirit.
Women that win
Recent years have seen a slew of Pakistani women win an array of international awards from the Nobel Peace Prize to multiple Academy Awards and now the latest — Gulalai Ismail and Saba Ismail have been awarded the prestigious Chirac Prize in Paris. Their award was for ‘conflict prevention’ and is recognition of their work with the NGO they co-founded ‘Aware Girls’ that few will have heard of. They add their names to an impressive honour roll — Malala Yousafzai, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Nighat Dad have all been honoured multiple times internationally but rarely in their own country, and Malala Yousafzai is at such risk of her life in Pakistan that making a visit home is unthinkable.
All of these women are exceptional in some way, and in several instances are something of a thorn in the side of the conservative establishment. They challenge prevailing norms and push back repressive or intrusive legislation. The two latest recipients of the Chirac award have worked since 2002 seeking to strengthen the leadership skills of the younger generation and particularly women and girls. They develop the skills in others that allow them to become change agents, building their capacity as peacemakers and empowering women in communities where women empowerment has never been on the agenda of patriarchal cultures.
Pakistan is to say the least ambivalent about these prize-winning women. For Obaid-Chinoy there is the accusation that she only highlights what is the worst of Pakistan, for Malala that she is a tool of foreign agencies, for Dad that she is a troublemaker. Today Gulalai and Saba join the company of women that make a difference, that have fought and will continue to fight against powerful and malign forces — and Pakistan needs more of them. Moreover, they need to be recognised and honoured within as they are without if the dead weight of patriarchy is to be eroded. Fight the good fight Gulalai and Saba, and we are with you.
PFA in action
In Karachi in January 2015, a young girl consumed a burger that resulted in her most unfortunate demise. In this backdrop of other similar stories, it is enlightening to read, albeit coming out of a different province, that the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) is back in action against the sale of tainted food products after a hiatus. The mass profiteering taking place across the country through the consumption of subpar and often toxic foods is dishonest and highly unethical. Patrons should be promised basic hygiene and quality at the very least if they are paying bills as high as 200 per cent to 300 per cent the restaurants’ actual food costs. Ergo, the crackdown in Punjab is appreciated.
After the leniency period for restaurants to complete a self-check and ensure hygiene, the PFA should have no mercy; it should enforce food laws bearing the potential grim consequences, such as the one cited above, in mind. A meticulously outlined process for food health and safety checks should be published detailing rules and consequences for food expiration labels, kitchen and dining hall hygiene, waste disposal, food recycling and waste, waiter and chef appearance including clean clothes, aprons, hairnets and gloves, along with protocols for fumigation. Restaurants in developed countries, mentioned here because they provide advanced frameworks to aspire to, even discard ingredients hourly, such as milk if in a coffee shop — something for our dessert and dairy shops to consider. For existing restaurants, registrations should be suspended until proper food health and safety practices are in place. For new restaurants, a probational registration could be offered after passing an initial hygiene check. After a probationary period, a surprise visit should occur to determine whether the restaurant maintains hygiene standards upon which a permanent registration can be granted with the condition that annual or biannual checks will be instated. This is a crucial development in consumer health and safety in Pakistan and the spirit must be kept alive, along with expanding such control in other provinces.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 26th, 2016.