Youth Parliament Pakistan

	Second Session Summary
		Second Session of 5th Youth Parliament Pakistan Concluded at Islamabad April 23, 2013 - April 27, 2013
	Tuesday April 23, 2013 The session began with a calling attention notice to discuss the alarming situation of deadly terrorist attacks against politicians during the election campaign to undermine the democratic system of Pakistan. The members demanded adequate security measures for the 2013 elections for a secured environment for the people to vote. Ms. Zaib Liaqat (YP26-PUNJAB09) presented a view that the overseas Pakistanis should be given the right to vote which will impact the three million Pakistanis living abroad. The attainment of which is possible by introducing a "postal balloting" along with the establishment of polling stations at the embassies and consulates in foreign jurisdictions and the embassy officials. The Youth Opposition leader Mr. Kashif Ali (YP51-SINDH03) was of the opinion that the Election Commission of Pakistan and the Embassies of Pakistan are not capable of holding free, fair and transparent elections in this short notice. He also said that the political appointment in the embassies can derail the goal of free, fair and transparent elections. Mr. Ejaz Sarwar (YP21-PUNJAB04) presented a resolution on the issue of Kashmir dispute for which there should be visa regime and trade liberalization so that both countries gradually move towards the resolution of the Kashmir issue which holds a central position in Pakistani foreign policy. Members were of the opinion that the issue of Kashmir lies in the non-violent solution hence talks between the two countries should take place as soon as the new Pakistani Government is sworn in. Wednesday April 24, 2013 Dr. Ijaz Shafi Gillani, Chairman Gallup Pakistan, addressed the Member of the Youth Parliament with his views on the importance of youth in the electoral process. He was of the view that "Lawlessness is one of the major problems in Pakistan which needs to be addressed at its earliest". He further added that the rule of law must always be enforced and everyone should answerable before law. He stressed on the importance of youth participation in the upcoming elections by saying that political parties have now given importance to youth as part of their manifesto like never before. He urged the youth of Pakistan to patiently follow their political ideologies and not be part of any violent campaign. In the end, he said that these elections will be vital for the future of Pakistan. Youth Shadow Minister Foreign Affairs and Defence, Ms. Sitwat Waqar (YP12-KP02) presented a policy on Pakistan-Iran relations and the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline. The Shadow Minister stressed on the importance of the project and said "IP project will produce 4,000 MW which will greatly alleviate Pakistan's energy crises". Ms. Bushra Iqbal Rao (YP60-SINDH12), Ms. Sarwat Malik (YP10-ICT02), Mr. Junaid Ashraf (YP01-AJK01), Mr. Hasham Malik (YP09-ICT01) and Mr. Muhammad Faizan Idrees (YP36-PUNJAB19) presented two resolutions. The first called for a uniform system of education all across Pakistan which can help bring every Pakistani child to a level playing field leading to the equality of opportunities for all. The second asked for a deliberation on the Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution of Pakistan, which according to them is being misused as a mechanism to disqualify candidates. Both the resolutions were passed in the house. Ms. Shahana Afsar (YP42-PUNJAB25) and Mr. Abdul Samad Khan (YP16-KP06) moved a resolution in the House that stressed the need to focus on Urdu and to revive the understanding of its literature. Mr. Amin Ismaili (YP15-KP05) brought the attention of the House to the issue of extortion, illicit trafficking of arms and the unauthorized possession of arms. Thursday April 25, 2013 Mr. Reyyan Khan Niaz (YP23-PUNJAB06) and Mr. Umer Naeem (YP48-PUNJAB31) moved a resolution in the House which insisted the Government to make the use of article (6) and trial all individuals who have either abrogated or suspended the constitution of Pakistan. The resolution was moved by which was passed unanimously. Mr. Mateeullah Tareen (YP04-BALOCHISTAN03), Mr. Rafiullah Kakar (YP02-BALOCHISTAN), Mr. Hazrat Wali Kakar (YP06-BALOCHISTAN), Mr. Usman Jilani (YP13-KP03), Mr. Inamullah Marwat (YP14-KP04) and Ms. Sharmeen Qamar (YP43-PUNJAB26) moved a resolution in the House that urged expediting the process of repatriation of Afghan refugees. Endorsing the resolution, Ms. Sonia Riaz (YP03-BALOCHISTAN02) argued that the Afghan refugees are not only responsible for introducing the "Kalashnikov" and "heroin" cultures in Pakistan but also damaged its already dented education, health and services sectors. Where Mr. Arslan Ali (YP52-SINDH04) was of the view that one sided picture is provided to the People of Pakistan, Afghans are not entirely responsible for the damage caused to Pakistan, they have also benefitted Pakistan such as their participation in transport business, low-priced hotels etc. Later, Ms. Sitwat Waqar (YP12-KP02), Mr. Najam us Saqib (YP59-SINDH11) and Mr. Ejaz Sarwar (YP21-PUNJAB04) moved a resolution which discussed the grim conditions prevalent in Balochistan since its annexation with Pakistan. Highlighting the economic and geostrategic importance of Baluchistan, Mr. Iqbal Zehri (YP06-BALOCHISTAN04) condemned the use of force against Baloch people and moved forward recommendations for mitigating the crisis in Baluchistan and Mr. Hasham Malik (YP09-ICT01) recommended that a Parliamentary Committee shall be constituted with the mandate to negotiate with the Baloch insurgents and resolve the grievances of Baloch people. Friday April 26, 2013 The house resumed the discussion on a resolution which asked to uplift the ban on Youtube as it was against the freedom of information enshrined in the article 19 of the constitution. Mr. Arsalan Ali (YP51-SINDH04) and Mr. Kashif Ali (YP50-SINDH03) were of the view that ban on Youtube is not the appropriate measure against an act which is of one individual and not even of any state. Member from both treasury and opposition benches both agreed that learning from the life of Holy Prophet such measures have no value but rather peaceful protest from the public and the highest authorities were appropriate. Where as Mr. Yasir Abbas (YP08-GB01) was of the view that Muslims should have come up with a counter strategy like making a movie that defines the beauty of Islam and the personality of the Holy Prophet, Ms. Bushra Iqbal Rao (YP60-SINDH12) said that it was the right time for all the Muslim countries to unite at a forum like the OIC, to ensure that certain rules are formulated that discourage hate speech, Ms. Shahana Afsar (YP42-PUNJAB25) was of the view that peacefully this issue could have been resolved but due to the mishandle of Public, media and Government the issue was exacerbated. Later Mr. Muhammad Faizan (YP36-PUNJAB19), Mr. Hasham Malik (YP09-ICT01), Mr. Junaid Ashraf (YP01-AJK01) and Ms. Bushra Iqbal Rao (YP60-SINDH12) moved a resolution in the House to restrict the media from discussing subjudice matters in public as they hamper the process of due justice. Media should not to impose its opinion on the masses. Saturday April 27, 2013 Last day began with a "Calling Attention Notice" moved by Mr. Arsalan Ali (YP52-SINDH04) and Mr. Ejaz Sarwar (YP21-PUNJAB04). The House condemned the recent deadly attack on ANP meeting in Mominabad, Karachi which resulted in the loss of eleven lives which is highly denounced. Later a resolution was moved in the House by Mr. Ummar Awais (YP34-PUNJAB09), Ms. Zaib Liaqat (YP36-PUNJAB09) and Mr. Bilal Ahmad (YP37-PUNJAB20) which demanded that students unions without any political affiliation should be allowed to operate in universities/colleges under National Union of Students. Another resolution was moved by Ms. Nabila Jaffer (YP07-FATA01), Mr. Assadullah Chatta (YP38-PUNJAB21), Mr. Rafiullah Kakar (YP06-BALOCHISTAN05), Mr. Mateenullah Tareen (YP04-BALOCHISTAN03) and Mr. Hazrat Wali Kakar (YP06-BALOCHISTAN05) which defined initiatives to bring FATA into Federal mainstream policies. The resolution asked that an executive order should be extended in FATA through penal code to replace FCR with FATA council as a short term solution. The second session of the Youth Parliament Pakistan was prorogued sine die.

Youth Parliament of Pakistan