Active public role and support to implement laws, policies urged

Speakers at a 'Youth Capacity Building' Workshop at Women University, Mardan, highlighted importance of active role and public support in implementation of laws and policies. The capacity building workshops as part of Ulasi Taroon initiative are an attempt to sensitize young future leaders on the need for critical thinking, for judging life and thoughts of others with respect and tolerance.
"Deviation from the Constitution and giving up on rule of law not only lead to the conflict and fragility but also destroy social fabric of the society," said Imtiaz Gul, Executive Director (ED) of the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRS), speaking at the workshop. He said as future leaders, youth should be considerate of the criticality of the core constitutional values as a recipe for social peace and harmony in the society.
"Human rights education is critical for any society to not only prevent but also pre-empt the violation of law and conflict," he said, urging that we need to believe in the social values and abide by social contract to create respect for others. He said he believes only by sticking to the constitution, promoting respect for the universal declaration of human rights, and by creating awareness on the UN indicators for rule of law and equal citizenry, we can help rationalize the conversation on governance, national unity, peace and harmony. For this, he said, critical thinking is the first tool, to create a critical human mass that could potentially serve as the harbinger of critical thinking and thus contribute to the goal of peace and social harmony. Imtiaz Gul said, unfortunately, the element of critical thinking is largely missing in our society.
Shagufta Khalique, an educationist, said that men and women; both are born with equal rights. They have equal rights according to the constitution and universal declaration of human rights. They are considered equal by every religion of the world. Human rights education can not only help protecting ones' own rights but also the other's rights in the society. The corruption of money is not the only challenge Pakistan is posed with but also the corruption of time, roles and responsibilities, she said. Amna Sardar, Member KP Assembly and Secretary Women Parliamentary Caucus, said women were doing exceptionally well in all walks of life and they aspired for more prominent positions in the future. The government and its institutions cannot implement the laws and policies alone, without the active role and support of public.
She said the citizens' consideration to cast vote should not be based on family association, gender, colour, cast or creed, but, it should be the true representation of issues of public concern. She said a corruption-free society cannot be expected without holding yourself accountable first. The youth ought to realize the importance of seeking knowledge in all circumstances and it has nothing to do with degrees. For this, they need to be regular readers, critical thinkers and observers, she said, adding it is extremely critical to sensitize and cultivate the ideals of democracy, governance and accountability among future leaders.