September 9, 2005	Friday	Sha’aban 4, 1426

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ISLAMABAD, Sept 8: People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) MNA Sherry Rehman has said human rights situation has worsened in the country, forcing the international organizations to arrange a protest demonstration outside the United Nations when Gen Pervez Musharraf will be speaking to the UN General Assembly on 17th.

Talking to a group of reporters here on Thursday, the PPP MNA regretted that instead of doing legislation, the government was busy organizing seminars and conferences on the issue of violence against women.

Ms Rehman said she had submitted a bill to the National Assembly regarding empowerment of women, but the government was not allowing its presentation in the assembly. She questioned as to why the culprits in Mukhtaran Mai, Dr Shazia Khalid and Sonia Naz rape cases had not been punished so far.

The PPP legislators also criticized the government for not running the National Assembly sessions in a serious manner. She said due to the non-serious attitude of the members on treasury benches, the assembly had become a joke in the eyes of the nation. She said it was strange that Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Sher Afgan was allowed by the speaker to continue his speech on the usage of ‘lota’. “What can one do if a minister feels proud of being called a lota,” she said.

She alleged that the government had broken all records of rigging in the recently-concluded local government elections which was evident from the fact that its own ministers and coalition partners were crying over it.

Ms Rehman said it seemed that the government was afraid of its own members and that was why it was running the National Assembly sessions for short periods. The criticism on the government from its own members had exposed the internal rifts among the ruling coalition parties. She said the whole setup of Gen Musharraf was crumbling and about to fall.

The MNA said the call for observing countrywide strike by all opposition parties had proved that all opposition and democratic forces were united in the struggle for the restoration of the 1973 Constitution and sovereignty of the Parliament. She said the opposition parties would continue their struggle till the restoration of the Constitution to the position of October 12, 1999.

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