The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has been informed that some 1,000 journalists of Islamabad had applied for plots after the government launched new sectors in Islamabad and invited applications from the general public, government servants and others as part of a uniform policy to give plots to those who were permanently living in Islamabad and did not have any property. A two per cent quota was also fixed for Islamabad-based journalists. A high-powered committee comprising government officials and senior journalists was formed which after careful scrutiny of the applicants, had recommended names of 172 journalists who were given plots against payments. The PAC is in possession of a list of 172 journalists who were given plots in the federal capital in line with their two per cent quota in G-13 and G-14 sectors (Express Tribune, November 2010). The names of journalists who were given plots against payments were:

Four journalists Rauf Klasra, Amir Mateen, Khaleeq Kiani and Javed Ch were given plots in light of the Lahore High Court decision of 2006 in their favour after their names were deleted from the final list on the orders of the then prime minister Shaukat Aziz.

The list also contains the names of PTV employees who were given plots. They include Nazir Tabsum, Qamar Mohiuddin, Nisar Baloch, Syed Javed Ali, Khalid Iqbal Warriach, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Ayub Minhas, Asmatullah Khan Niazi, Muzamil Ahmed Khan, Majeed Afzal Khan (Sajan Khan), Awaid Butt, Rashid Baig, Ramzan Khalid, Muhammad Arshad Saleem, Muhammad Zakariya, Musadiq Kaleem, Arif Mahmood.

Please note, the names on the signatories list will be updated as more endorsements are coming in.

PRESS RELEASE

Civil society terms “memogate” scandal an attempt to thwart democracy; Says threatening the representative system tantamount to attack on sovereignty of people.

December 17, 2011

We, the representatives of the Civil Society including non-governmental organisations, labour organisations, academia, women’s rights bodies, and media persons express deep concern over the current political situation in the country where a crisis is being manufactured on frivolous grounds, and is being referred as the so-called “memogate”. This has the potential of subverting democratically elected Parliament and the Constitution.

It is time all conspirators against democracy and the sovereignty of the people be called to account. Sovereignty belongs to the people who have agreed to exercise it through their representatives in a federal, parliamentary, and a democratic system. Any attempt at arbitrarily altering this arrangement is tantamount to an attack on the sovereignty of the people. Various institutions of the state are supposed to function within their defined constitutional parameters and complement each other but they seem to be working at cross-purposes, to the determent of public interest.

We emphasise that the role of political parties and political leaders is to represent their constituents’ interests and arrive at negotiated agreements to differences in agreed political forums.

The role of state’s security organizations is to serve the people through stipulated constitutional arrangements, under the command of the executive, and not to define what is or is not in the national interest.

The role of the judiciary is to protect the rights of the citizens from arbitrary abuse of executive power, and not to itself become a source of arbitrary executive power.

The role of the mass media is to help citizens hold powerful interests groups within and outside the state to promote their legitimate interests and hold violators of rights accountable, and not to itself act as an unaccountable interest group.

In our opinion, parliament is the appropriate forum to discuss and investigate this issue and come up with findings.

We believe that any attack on the sovereignty of the people will be unjust. It will necessarily lead to conflict and must be resisted.

We appeal to the people of Pakistan to stand united and firm in support of democracy and to resist all attempts aimed at its subversion. The people of Pakistan have made great many sacrifices for the cause of democracy and they should not let any vested interests trample their right to have a democratic and an elected representative system run the country.

Undersigned (in alphabetical order by first name)

1. Abdulrahman Rafiq, Founder & Operations Coordinator http://SARelief.com
2. Abrar Qazi, Awami President Awami Jamhori Party
3. Adam Malik, Human Rights Activist
4. Adnan Rehmat, Executive Director Intermedia
5. Aisha Gazdar, documentary filmmaker
6. Ali Asghar Khan, Aman Ittehad Pakistan
7. Ali Raza, Shirkat Gah
8. Amir Aziz Syed, businessman
9. Anis Haroon, Women Action Forum
10. Arif Hasan, Architect, Urban Planner,
11. Arshad Mehmood, Executive Director Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child
12. Arshid Mirza, Baidarie Sialkot
13. Asad Mufty columnist daily Jang.
14. Asad Rahman, Sungi Foundation
15. Asad Sayeed, Director, Collective for Social Science Research, Karachi
16. Ayesha Tammy Haq, Journalist
17. Aziz Abbasi, President Watan Dost mazdoor feder
18. B. M Kutty, Secretary, Pakistan Peace Coalition
19. Babar Ayaz, journalist
20. Beena Sarwar, Independent Journalist
21. Bushra Khaliq,
22. Danial Noorani, social worker
23. Dr Haroon Ahmed, President Pakistan Mental Health Association
24. Dr. Abid Qayoum Suleri, Executive Director Sustainable Development Policy Institute
25. Dr. Aly Ercelan, Senior Development Economist
26. Dr. Arif Azad, Development Consultant and Campaigner
27. Dr. Badar Siddiqui, Ex-President, Pakistan Medical Association,
28. Dr. Jaffar Ahmed, Irtiqa Institute of Social Science,
29. Dr. Kaisar Bengali, Senior Economist
30. Dr. Manzoor Ahmed AwanDirector Program OperationsSungi Development Foundation
31. Dr. Mohammad Taqi, Columnist/Physician
32. Dr. Pervez Tahir, Economist
33. Dr. Taimur Rahman, Laal
34. Faiza Haswary, Lecturer, Hameed Law College, Karachi
35. Farooq Tariq, Spokesperson, Labor Party Pakistan
36. Fatima Zafar, National Focal Point, Youth Peer Education Network Multan
37. Fauzia Viqar, Shirkat Gah
38. Ghulam Fatima, Executive Member BLLF,
39. Haider Nizamani, Human Rights Activist
40. Haris Gazdar, Independent Economist
41. Harris Khalique, Development Consultant,
42. Hassam Qadir Shah, Lawyer
43. Hoori Noorani, Publisher
44. Human Fouladi, Aman Ittehad Balochistan
45. Ibrahim Malick, Technologist, Social Entrepreneur
46. Idrees Kamal, Idrees Kamal Coordinator Pakhtunkhwa Civil Society Network
47. Iqbal Alavi and Friends of Irtiqa and National Council of Academics
48. Iqbal Tareen
49. Irfan Ali, Aman Ittehad, Balochistan
50. Irfan Mufti, South Asia Partnership -Pakistan
51. Ishaq Mangrio, Independent Journalist,
52. Jaffar Memon, We Journalists,
53. Jami Chandio, Executive Director, Centre for Peace and Civil Society,
54. Jugnu Mohsin, The Friday Times
55. Kamran Noorani, Businessman
56. Kamran Shafi, Columnist
57. Karamat Ali, Executive Director, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research,
58. Kausar S. Khan, Women Action Forum
59. Khawar Mumtaz, Shirkat Gah,
60. Lala Hassan, Co-convener Asian Muslims Lawyers Human Rights Network for South
61. Lateef Mughal, General Secretary, Peoples Workers Union KESC
62. Mansoor Ahmed, SAP-Pakistan
63. Maqbool Dal, President, Village Community Development Organization Mirpur Khas
64. Marvi Sirmed, Columnist Daily Times
65. Masood Punjabi, trade union activist Sweden
66. Mehnaz Rehman, Regional Director Aurat Foundation,
67. Mirza Abdul Shakoor, Executive Director, Community Development Concern, Sialkot
68. Mirza Yusuf Agha
69. Mohammad Ali Shah, Chairperson Pakistan Fisher folk Forum (PFF)
70. Mohammad Tahseen, Executive Director, South Asia Partnership Pakistan,
71. Mohammad Waseem, IRC Lahore
72. Mohsin Sayeed, journalist
73. Mola Bux Leghari, Executive Director, SPEACH Development org, Dadu, Sindh
74. Mumtaz Mughal, Aman Ittehad Punjab
75. Naeem Mirza, Aurat Foundation
76. Naeema Malik, South Asia Partnership -Pakistan
77. Najam Sethi, anchor, Geo TV
78. Najma Sadeque, Women Action Forum
79. Naseer Memon, Chief Executive, Strengthening Participatory Organization, SPO,
80. Nasir Iqbal, Lahore Social Forum
81. Nasir Mumtaz, Kashf Foundation
82. Nasreen Azhar, Women Action Forum
83. Nausheen Ahmad, Advocate
84. Naziha Syed Ali, journalist
85. Nazim F Haji, industrialist, Former Chief Citizens Police Liaison Committee,
86. Nazir Ghazi, Godh Lahore
87. Nazish Brohi, Women Action Forum
88. Nighat Saeed Khan, ASR Resource Centre and Women Action Forum
89. Noman Quadri, student, Karachi
90. Omar Ali, Columnist and Moderator Asia Space
91. Peter Jacob, National Commission for Peace and Justice
92. Prof. Arfana Mallah, President Sindh University Teachers Association,
93. Prof. Dr. Ijaz Khan, Chairman, Department of International Relations, University of Peshawar
94. Punhal Saryo, President Sindh Hari Porhiat Council,
95. Qamar Hayat, Executive Director Sahara Development Foundation,
96. Rabia Khan, Women Rights Activist, Karachi
97. Raja Abbas, ANCE Lahore
98. Rana Bilal, Youth Parliament Pakistan
99. Rana Riaz Saeed, Development Activist and Lobbyist
100. Rashida Dohad, Omar Asghar Khan Foundation
101. Raza Rumi, writer/columnist
102. Raziq Fahim, Director College of Youth Activism and Development
103. Rehana Shaikh, Institute of Social Policy
104. Rubina Jamil, NTUF
105. Sabahat Ashraf, “iFaqeer” Communicator, Citizen
106. Sabiha Shaheen, Bargad Foundation Gujranwala
107. Saeed Ahmed Rid, Commonwealth Scholar, Peace Studies, University of Bradford, UK & Lecturer, National Institute of Pakistan Studies (NIPS), Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.
108. Saeeda Diep, Institute for Peace and Secular Studies
109. Salima Hashmi, Artist and Academician
110. Samina Khan, Executive Director Sungi Development Foundation
111. Samina Khan, Sungi Foundation
112. Sayed Masud-ul Hassan
113. Shahzad Ahmad, Country Coordinator, Bytes for All, Pakistan
114. Shaikh Tanveer Ahmed, Chief Executive HANDS Pakistan
115. Sheema Kermani, Tahreek –e- Niswan,
116. Sheen Farrukh, Inter Press Communications,
117. Syed Ali Abbas Zaidi, Chair & Founder Pakistan Youth Alliance, Central Executive Committee, Khudi Pakistan
118. Tasneem Ahmed Siddiqui, Chairman, Saiban, Former Chief Secretary Sindh,
119. Ume Laila, Home Net Pakistan
120. Uzma Noorani, Council Member HRCP
121. Waseem Akram, SAP-Pakistan
122. Zahid Islam, Director, SANGAT-Lahore
123. Zia Banday
124. Zia Rehaman, AWAZ CDS Multan
125. Zubaida Noor, Noor Education Trust, Peshawar
126. Zubair Faisal Abbasi, Development Consultant
127. Zubair Malik, STEP, Khushab
128. Zulfiqar Halepoto, Sindh Democratic Forum,
129. Zulfiqar Shah, Institute for Social Movements Pakistan