ANP calls for joint Saarc Parliament, Supreme Court, common currency

Awami National Party (ANP) senior leader Haji Muhammad Adil said that there should be a joint Saarc Parliament, Supreme Court and Common Currency so that people of the region could get maximum benefit of each others resources. Senator Haji Muhammad Adil while speaking on the second day of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute's (SDPI) thirteenth annual conference, 'Peace and Sustainable Development in South Asia.
The way forward' here on Wednesday said that the democracy-deficit is an important reason for the slow regional integration within South Asia. He said that education could play a leading role in averting and resolving a number of regional issues, adding that the educational institutions of the South Asia must promote peace, co-existence, and mutual respect not war within the region.
Former Chairman Wapda, Shamsul-Mulk while speaking on Indus Water Treaty said that both Pakistan and India should adopt a rational approach over natural resources of the region for the betterment of the inhabitants. In a panel on financing climate change, Shafqat Kakakhel, former Ambassador and Acting Executive Director United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) underlined the need to respond to climate change challenges in South Asia. He said that in this part of the world many glaciers were melting due to climate change and the regional governments have to take appropriate measure to check unbalanced industrial growth.
"Pakistan must not wait for the global community to address the climate crisis; we must stand up and meet these imminent challenges ourselves" he added. Experts pointed out that climate change is the result of historic emissions of greenhouse gases by today's developed world and urged that the developed countries to provide much needed financial and technical assistance to developing countries compelled to confront the devastating impacts of climate change.
In a panel on chemical management, the speakers urged the government to regulate many carcinogenic, hormone disrupting and toxic chemicals used by the cosmetic industry. They urged for containing contamination from the 50,000 different chemical substances used daily in agriculture, industry and by the household. "Sound management of chemicals is essential if we are to achieve sustainable development, including the eradication of poverty and disease, the improvement of human health and the environment, and the elevation and maintenance of the standard of living in countries at all levels of development" said Dr Mahmood Khwaja of SDPI.
In the session on the role of think tanks in development, while acknowledging the unprecedented contributions made by research institutions, the experts identified the problems of brain drain and the donor-driven research agenda as important impediments in improving local research environment. They agreed that linkages between research and policy could be strengthened through the increased role of the media and educational institutions in improving the effectiveness of research.
During the session on poverty reduction and social exclusion, experts including Dr Parkash C. Tiwari and Dr Azra Razaq from India, Faisal Shaheen from Canada, Ms Priyanthi Farnando from Srilanka and Dr Babar Shahbaz from Pakistan emphasised the need for effective policy responses to climate change and resource degradation.
A large proportion of South Asia is facing the problem of social exclusion due to endangered livelihoods, which has to be addressed seriously by regional governments, they underscored. Safety net programmes like the Benazir Income Support Program must be expanded, while politicisation of such programmes must be avoided.
In another panel, experts agreed that livelihoods across South Asia face increasing vulnerability, as a result of the increasing frequency of natural disasters as projected under climate change. Climate change thus presents a serious security risk and sustainable development strategies must be immediately implemented in the interest of peace and human security in the region, they added.
During the session on violence against women, the panellists highlighted the unconventional role of men in confronting the issues of violence against women. They discussed institutional gaps, local perceptions of masculinity as "gatekeepers or protectors of women", as well as the important role of educational institutions in forming gender perceptions.
In a session on IMF and World Bank impact in South Asia, experts and participants raised concerns about negative effects of Structural Adjustment Programs on women. They also highlighted the problem of agricultural land acquisition by foreign investors, which is supported by the World Bank and facilitated through the structurally adjusted open economy.
Antonia Settle from Australia said agricultural land acquisitions in Pakistan may do more harm than good to Pakistan as a nation at the economic, ecological and political levels. She maintained that the lack of legitimacy in foreign acquisition policy in the eyes of local communities reflects poorly on the government at a time when civilian democratic governance must secure legitimacy from the people to stay in place and for the democratic system to permanently take roots in Pakistan.
The resistance to the acquisitions policy is being most loudly voiced by those representing various separatist struggles, such as Seraiki, Sindhi and Boluchi nationalists, respectively, and that only in upper Punjab is the issue, voiced by the AMP's campaign, being seen as something resembling a class, as opposed to an ethnic struggle, she noted.
In the panel 'Peace through development', speakers discussed the plight of Malakand division, neglect of Rod Kohi affected communities in district Rajanpur, and the alienation of Pakistani youth and the difficulties faced by IDPs. It was noted that the Malakand division has faced military operations, floods, land disputes, climate change and fluctuating strategic interests, which have changed the dynamics in the region with far-reaching consequences.
Improving public service delivery infrastructure especially educational facilities and ensuring employment to youth was highlighted, as crucial to combating extremism, terrorism and conflicts. The conference will conclude on Thursday (today). Syed Naveed Qamar, Federal Minister for petroleum and natural resources would chair the concluding ceremony.