ROD News: December 2007

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Lawyer observe International Human Rights Day as Black Day for the Judiciary

Written by: Jawad Mazhar (ROD)

Sargodha, Pakistan, Dec 10^th, (ROD): Lawyers of Sargodha Bar Council (SBC) observed international day of human rights as Black Day for the Constitution and Judiciary of Pakistan, on Monday Dec 10^th. Several civil society rights and advocacy organizations adjunct Lawyers in their protest and lambast the regime of Musharraf for promulgation of the State of Emergency, imposition of PCO, suspension of the country’s constitution, deposition of the 50 judges both from the apex court and the lower courts, house arrests of the deposed judges, curbs on the media and arrogating the Judiciary.

Advocate Shahid Nazir Khan told ROD that many civil society organizations including Taangh Wasaib Organization, Rays of Development, Organization, Sahil Welfare Organization, Safe life Society and SPARC accompanied Lawyers of the SBC inn their protest. The enthusiastic participants were carrying banners and placards inscribed with anti-emergency and anti-government slogans. The protesters were chanting slogans for the freedom of Judiciary, restoration of the 1973 constitution, immediate obliteration of the State of Emergency and retrieving the deposed Judges of the Supreme and High Courts of Pakistan.

The procession started from the Bar Room of the SBC and took on the roads, while shouting slogans against the policies of the President Musharraf. At Toop Chowk demonstrators stage a sitting for half an hour and continued hollering anti-government slogans and demanded immediate end of the emergency, restoration of the constitution and deposed judges. All the protesters dispersed peacefully after the protest at Sargodha Bar Council.

Dr Arshad Shahid, election runner for the national assembly of conservative Islamic political party, Mutihida-Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) and Abdul Razzaq Dhillon provincial assembly hopeful of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) also participated in the protest to show solidarity with the Lawyers and Judiciary.

A nationwide wave of anger and protest ha stormed the country after the promulgation of emergency since Nov 3^rd, 2007. The momentum and intensity of the protest is escalating day by day in Pakistan.

Khan added that if government fails to end emergency the lawyers would boycott the upcoming general elections.

During the protest many private news channels were also accompanying the lawyers of SBC; these news channels included Rang TV, ARY TV, Appna Channel and Geo TV.

A large number of policemen holding batons and fire arms surrounded and cordoned the peaceful procession of the lawyers and civil society witnessed ROD fact finding team.

For more details visit:

www.raysofdevelopment.org
jawadmazhar.spaces.live.com

Or Write to:

rays_of_development@live.com ,
jawad_mazhar@gmail.com ,
jawad_mazhar@yahoo.com,
rays_of_development@yahoo.com

Call:
009232160325046, 00923216012462, 00923068989406, 0092483722407

An introduction to Rays of Development Organization

Vision

Rays of Development Organization (ROD) loves and respects every human being as loved and respected by God, regardless of their color, creed, sect, race, gender or dialect. It speaks up for those who can not speak for themselves.

Rays of Development Organization wishes to build a society with Justice, Peace, harmony, health & education for all, democracy without any sort of discrimination, happy and healthy people enjoying equal rights and greener mother earth.

Ambitions of the ROD

It is Rays of Development’s utmost effort to facilitate, educate and forge understanding among the underprivileged and uncared residents of the most neglected, undeveloped and far off bucolic areas, about;

Health care
Education
Rights of Women and Children
Interfaith peace and harmony
Protecting the environment

Moreover

1) ROD highlights violation of human rights and atrocities in the local, national and international media. ROD points out muggers and tries to eradicate the motives/elements behind such atrocities, through peaceful means.

2) Rays of Development Organization conducts seminars, symposia, dialogues, lectures, rallies, walks and study circles to evoke awareness

about the human rights and social issues at the grass root level in the society.

3) As majority of the Pakistani people are illiterate, therefore Street theater is one of the most successful techniques implemented by ROD to convey messages of mass interest very easily and effectively such as protection of women and children’s rights.

Registration

Rays of Development Organization is a registered non-government, non-political, no-religious charitable organization. Its registration number is 243 under Societies’ Act 1860, since Dec. 2006.

Area of work

Pakistan is a developing country with four provinces namely Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and North West Frontier province (NWFP), a huge majority of the Pakistani populace live in villages. Residents of these villages and ghettos are illiterate and they depend entirely on the crop growing for the bread and butter of their families. The wages of these villagers are very, very low (equivalent or less than 1.5 $) and most often in the form of fruits, vegetables or wheat. For this reason they are in an appalling socio-economic condition. Unlike the land lords or elite of the country, they are incapable of

educating their children or providing better facilities to themselves or their children.

Thus the lack of education, consciousness and prosperity, consequences in to the terrorism, usage of drugs, violation of the rights and abuse of women, interfaith intolerance, child abuse and labor, exploitation and usurping the privileges of common man, ignorance about environment and health.

Rays of Development Organization has accepted the challenge and it has been operating in the most rustic and remote areas of Pakistan. At present ROD is focused in the villages, slums and other backward localities.

Area of Operation

ROD has reached to these places and conducted seminars, rallies, study circles, street theater plays and media coverage. Hitherto, ROD has worked hard pertaining to the protection of women’s rights, civil liberties, health care, vocational training, children’s rights and reduction/prevention of drugs.

In the future ROD plans to keep up and expand its efforts in the best interest of deprived humankind. ROD desires to eliminate all sorts of discrimination on the basis of gender, religion, sect, race, language, social status or color. ROD is significantly toiling to establish educational & vocational training centers in the future, so that people might be able to generate more income in a respectable manner. ROD wants to provide health facilities to every individual, living any where in Pakistan and wishes to see a better and greener mother earth in the future.

ROD News

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Lawyer observe International Human Rights Day as Black Day for the Judiciary

Governing Body and Volunteer/Staff of ROD

ROD efforts

Help ROD in educating the deprived and uncared Children

Projects of ROD.

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Hands in hand with URI

Rays of Development Organization, Sargodha, Pakistan.

An introduction to Rays of Development Organization

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