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Journalism of Courage
NEW DELHI, MAY 9: Pakistan has been suspended from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) for overthrow of civilian government by the military, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Najma Heptulla announced on Tuesday.
"Pakistan has been suspended as there is no Parliament in that country," she said while briefing the press on the outcome of the 103rd IPU Conference in Amman which concluded on May 6.
Heptulla said another reason for Islamabad’s ouster from IPU was that the regime of Gen Pervez Musharraf has failed to provide any time-frame for return of democracy. Pakistan’s military regime has only given an assurance that elections to local bodies would be held but "local bodies do not not represent a country at IPU. It is members of Parliament who do," she said.
Besides Pakistan, Sudan and Ivory Coast have also been suspended from IPU as these two countries were being ruled by the military, Heptulla said.
She said the issue of democracy would be at the top of the agenda of a United Nations conference of presiding officers just prior to the world body’s millennium summit.
The next IPU conference in Jakarta in October this year would also focus on the issue of overthrow of democratic regimes by the military, she said. Another conference of members of parliament across the globe is scheduled for January next year in Geneva to discuss issues like World Trade Organisation and European Union following the fiasco at the Seattle WTO meet, she said.
Heptulla said India had objected to the recommendation of the seven-day conference on signing and ratification by all states of the treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
This recommendation was part of the draft resolution unanimously adopted by the Committee on Political Questions, International Security and Disarmament.
It expressed concern over the actions of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund for not being successful in reducing the gap between rich and poor countries.
It said the inequitable distribution of wealth between countries and the considerable discrepancies in people’s living standards are major factors of imbalance and a source conflict among nations.
The conference felt that inequalities within a country prevent sustainable development.
It expressed concern at overarmament and felt that this generates mistrust between countries and Financial waste.
It was "greatly concerned" that poverty and its consequences, including hunger, malnutrition and illiteracy, result in helplessness and marginalisation as well as a lack of societal participation and an absence of opportunities for involvement in decision-making processes.
