Islamabad, 14th February 2022: Parliamentary Leader of the PPP in the Senate, Senator Sherry Rehman, speaking on the US fund unfreeze on Afghanistan, said, “President Joe Biden has made a decision to unfreeze the Afghan Central Bank assets and give half of the seven billion dollars to the victims of 9/11. The US spent several trillion dollars in its war in Afghanistan, which could have been given to the victims of 9/11. Right now, Afghanistan is facing a humanitarian crisis. Over 20 million people, which account for 60% of Afghanistan’s population, including mothers, children and pregnant women are facing famine. According to the UN, 97% of Afghans are living below the poverty line. A perilous fate has befallen the Afghan people who are not responsible for the privations they are being put through .”
She continued, “While we must hold the Taliban accountable for their human rights violations, every great power must also be held to the same standard. That money is Afghan money. We must use this forum today to appeal to the US to defer to its more humane voices and send the money where it belongs. If they do not want to give it to the Taliban directly, third parties can be utilised to funnel that money into Afghanistan and to pull the Afghan people out of the humanitarian crisis; Sanctions have already put a heavy burden on the Afghan people; any more hardship will only turn the country into a republic of famine.”
Speaking on the mob-lynching incident, she said, “The incident of mob-lynching in Khanewal is completely reprehensible and we must strongly condemn this premeditated murder. Mob lynchings are beyond the pale. This barbarism should not be treated as a regular law-and-order problem. Intolerance and extremism have seeped into the bedrock of much of our society which is reflected in the uptick of these horrific incidents. People have now started to take law into their own hands and branded themselves as the judge, jury and executioner. This vigilante justice must be curbed with the strongest measures and our messaging must be clear on this subject. These incidents might happen in India but they cannot go on in Pakistan. I believe that this should be debated in a human rights committee to not only find the root cause of this issue but to strategise to combat it. Critical thinking and self-reflection as a society is severely needed.”
With regards to the NewsOne ban, she said, “NewsOne has been taken off the air, due to a segment in Gharida Farooqi’s show which featured criticism of the government. This decision needs to be reversed immediately. Freedom of speech and freedom of press are enshrined in our constitution and reporters have the right to question and offer due criticism of the government. Journalism is the cornerstone of democracy and Pakistan was placed as the 8th least democratic country in the world, according to Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index 2021. Promoting censorship is no way to rectify this issue. Being a journalist in Pakistan is becoming increasingly dangerous and this draconian push for censorship across the country is highly condemnable.”
