In election manifestos, Pakistani religious parties push for women’s empowerment, right to inheritance

Muslim women walk along a road in Lahore, Pakistan, on June 18, 2023. (AFP/File)
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Updated 01 February 2024
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In election manifestos, Pakistani religious parties push for women’s empowerment, right to inheritance

  • Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan collectively secured 4.7 million votes in 2018 polls 
  • Analysts say the JUI and TLP have targeted the religious vote bank, while Jamaat-e-Islami offered a ‘solution-based’ manifesto 

KARACHI: Pakistan’s three major religious parties have promised to ensure women’s empowerment and their right to inheritance in their election manifestos, with analysts noting that at least one of them offered solutions to women’s issues in Pakistan. 

With less than a week left before millions of Pakistanis head to ballot boxes to elect their representatives for the next five years on Feb. 8, nearly all political parties have unveiled their manifestos and pledged to improve lives of people through various measures and initiatives. 

The three religious parties, including the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), have assured of safeguarding women’s rights and ensuring equal employment opportunities for them among other things in their election manifestos. 

In the 2018 general elections, the JUI secured nine seats, followed by the JI with three seats, and although the TLP could not win any parliamentary seat, it garnered 2.2 million votes nationwide. Collectively, the three parties amassed 4.7 million votes. 

In the past, the JUI and JI, which were affiliated with the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) alliance, formed coalition governments in the center and in Balochistan after the 2002 elections, while the alliance governed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province. The JI has been a part of the PTI-led government in KP from 2013 till 2018, while the JUI has also joined other ruling coalitions in the past. 

But despite limited successes, these parties have managed to impact electoral outcomes and underscored their significance in Pakistan’s politics. The JUI was instrumental in bringing a no-trust vote against former prime minister Imran Khan in April 2022 and the subsequent formation of a coalition government by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance. 

In its election manifesto, the JI said those denying women their share in property and wealth would not be allowed to participate in elections if it came to power. 

“Immediate steps will be taken to give women the share of property from her father or husband’s property according to Shariah,” the JI manifesto read. 

In many parts of Pakistan, women are often denied a share in property and wealth, despite Pakistan’s constitution and Shariah, the Islamic law, guaranteeing them. 

The Pakistani government has considered various legislative measures to provide women with a share of property so that they might not have to fight for it in courts. 

In 2021, the government introduced the Enforcement of Women’s Property Rights Act that aimed to ensure the protection of women’s inheritance right by the state. The legislation, adopted by all Pakistani provinces, allows women to file complaints with an ombudsperson to have their property right issues resolved swiftly. 

However, many women have still not been able to exercise these rights due to a lack of strict implementation of laws. 

The JI in its manifesto promised to end the tradition of dowry, killing of women in the name of “honor” and take steps to financially empower them. 

“Steps will be taken to provide the working women a safe environment. Age relaxation will be given to a widow and divorced woman for government jobs,” it read. 

“Laws will be made to encourage small industries. Women will be helped become financially strong by making them skillful.” 

In its election manifesto, the JUI said it would take “practical steps” for the safety of women and provide them with equal education and employment opportunities. 

The TLP manifesto said the party would establish a “special institution” for the protection of women’s rights and provide them their “legal and Shariah rights.” 

While these parties touched upon different issues, analysts believed the JI had offered a “solution-based” manifesto, while the JUI and the TLP had been more focused on their religious vote. 

“The manifestos of two other religious parties (the JUI and the TLP) are basically meant to attract the religious vote bank,” said Ajmal Jami, a Lahore-based television host and analyst. 

He said the TLP’s manifesto was straight-forward, focusing primarily on a singular theme. 

“They are not asking the state for certain measures other than the basic resolve that is about the last Prophet [Muhammad} and the importance of their belief,” Jami told Arab News. 

Since its inception in 2015, the TLP has extensively campaigned in favor of the finality of Prophethood of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), which forms the bases of its ideology. 

“Other than this very basic point, there’s nothing concrete, they are trying to also address the importance of free electricity, but they are unable to tell us that how they would do that,” Jami said. 

The analyst called the JUI’s manifesto “concerning.” 

“The JUI’s manifesto is concerning, it is a very hardcore manifesto. And perhaps this is how the JUI’s religious politics can be discussed,” he said, adding the Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman led party believed that “none other than a Muslim belonging to their sect” should be up there at important posts, such as the prime minister or the president. 

“They have categorically written it in their manifesto about this very point,” he said. “And this might be and should be a problem or a matter of pain for minorities to equal Pakistanis.” 

Muhammad Sami, a JUI spokesperson, said his party fully supported religious freedom of minorities and it was stressed in the manifesto as well. 

“Our manifesto also advocates for the complete separation of the judiciary from administration and calls for changes in the law to align with Shariah principles,” Sami said. 

“Additionally, it advocates for freedom of the press, provincial autonomy, tax exemption for essential food items, equalization of daily wages to the value of one tola (12 grams) of gold, free education, and free health care.” 

It was also aimed at ending the control of a “few individuals” over the economy, confiscating wealth acquired through illegal means, and introducing an Islamic economic system, he added. 

Wakil-ur-Rehman, a Karachi-based analyst with a focus on religious groups, agreed with Jami and said the JUI and TLP’s voters fully subscribed to what these parties were selling to them in their manifestos. 

“The TLP was fifth largest vote-taker in 2018... it got these votes due to its hard-line stance on cartoons and other sacrilegious content [published internationally],” Rehman said. “Similarly, the language and slogans used by the JUI are bought by its targeted voters.” 

He, however, hailed both parties for addressing the women’s issues. 


Pakistan to host England, New Zealand and Zimbabwe women's cricket teams in 2026/27

Updated 10 min 40 sec ago
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Pakistan to host England, New Zealand and Zimbabwe women's cricket teams in 2026/27

  • Zimbabwe to tour Pakistan in Apri-May 2025, New Zealand to tour country in April 2027
  • Pakistan will travel to South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies in 2026 for cricket contests

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will host New Zealand, Zimbabwe and England women’s cricket teams for the first time in 2026 and 2027, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said this week, saying that the tours were part of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Future Tours Programme 2025-29. 

Zimbabwe women’s team will tour Pakistan in April-May 2026 while New Zealand will be visiting the country in April 2027, the PCB said in a statement. The English women’s cricket team will tour Pakistan in October 2027 while Bangladesh will be the fourth side to tour the country in October 2028. 

“Pakistan will host England, New Zealand and Zimbabwe women’s cricket teams for the first time as ICC announced Future Tours Programme 2025-29,” the PCB said in a press release on Monday. 

Eleven countries will participate in the fourth cycle of the ICC Women’s Championship being played from 2026-29 to directly qualify for the ICC Women’s 50-over World Cup in 2029, it said, adding that each team will compete against eight other teams in eight home and away matches. 

The fourth cycle of the ICC Women’s Championship, which will be played from 2026-29, will see 11 sides taking part in the event for direct qualification to the ICC Women’s 50-over World Cup in 2029. 

In the Women’s Championship, each team will compete against eight other teams, following the format of four home and four away series, similar to the current edition. Across 44 series, a total of 132 ODIs will be played, with each series consisting of three matches.

“The Future Tour Programme will see an ICC Women’s tournament taking place every year, starting with the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 in India, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England, the inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy in 2027 and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028,” the PCB added.

Pakistan will travel to South Africa in February 2026 and then play Sri Lanka in July of the same year as part of their away assignments, the board said. In November 2026, Pakistan will visit the West Indies while their final away series in the ICC Women’s Championship 2026-29 cycle will be in Ireland in June 2028.
 


Saudi Arabia, UAE invest $26.8 million in Pakistan in first quarter of current fiscal year

Updated 05 November 2024
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Saudi Arabia, UAE invest $26.8 million in Pakistan in first quarter of current fiscal year

  • Foreign investment surged by 48 percent in first quarter of current fiscal year
  • Pakistan, Saudi Arabia signed agreements worth $2.8 billion last month

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign investment has surged by 48 percent during the first quarter of the current fiscal year, state-run media reported on Tuesday, with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) contributing $26.8 million during the same period.

Pakistan formed the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a hybrid civil and military body, in 2023 to fast-track decisions related to foreign investment in its key economic sectors such as agriculture, mining, minerals, tourism and others. The development took place as Pakistan grappled with a prolonged economic crisis that almost led the country to suffer a sovereign default before a critical $3 billion bailout by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last year averted the crisis.

As per a breakdown shared by state broadcaster Radio Pakistan, China invested $404 million during the first quarter of the current fiscal year while Saudi Arabia’s investment was recorded at $ 1.8 million. The UAE, meanwhile, invested $25 million, Hong Kong $98 million, the United Kingdom $72 million and the United States $28 million in the same period, the state broadcaster said.

“A significant increase of forty eight percent has been seen in foreign investment in Pakistan in the first quarter of current fiscal year, reflecting the effective strategies of the Special Investment Facilitation Council,” Radio Pakistan said.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Saudi Arabia and Qatar last week, where he held talks with the leadership of the two countries on enhancing cooperation in trade, investment and energy. Pakistani and Saudi businesses had signed 27 agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth $2.2 billion in October. During Sharif’s visit to the kingdom last week, the two countries agreed to enhance that figure to $2.8 billion.

Meanwhile, the UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States. It is also an ideal export destination for the South Asian nation as the short distance between the two countries limits transportation costs and facilitates commercial exchanges.

Sharif has actively pursued economic diplomacy in the region in recent months, seeking more investments and enhancing trade and regional connectivity for Pakistan. The South Asian country has sought to leverage its position as a transit and trade hub connecting landlocked Central Asian countries with the rest of the world and also pushed for mutually beneficial economic partnerships with Gulf countries.


Security guard shoots and injures two Chinese nationals at Karachi factory — police

Updated 05 November 2024
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Security guard shoots and injures two Chinese nationals at Karachi factory — police

  • Incident follows two Chinese nationals killed in suicide bombing in Karachi last month
  • Beijing has recently publicly spoken out about security threats to its nationals in Pakistan

KARACHI: A security guard at a factory in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi shot and injured two Chinese nationals on Tuesday, police said, in an incident that is likely to put further strain on recently fraying relations between Islamabad and longtime ally Beijing.

China, breaking with tradition, has recently publicly spoken out against security threats to its workers and nationals living in Pakistan, where hundreds of them work on Beijing-funded projects linked to the over $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). 

Last month, two Chinese nationals were killed in a suicide bombing near the international airport in Karachi. In March this year, a suicide bombing killed five Chinese engineers and a Pakistani driver in northwestern Pakistan as they headed to the Dasu Dam, the biggest hydropower project in the country. In 2022, three Chinese educators and their Pakistani driver were killed when an explosion ripped through a van at the University of Karachi. A blast on a bus killed 13 people in north Pakistan in 2021, including nine Chinese nationals.

The latest shooting took place at a factory in Karachi’s SITE industrial area, after which two injured Chinese citizens were rushed to Liaquat National Hospital.

Deputy Inspector General of Police South, Syed Asad Raza, said the factory guard opened fire at the Chinese nationals after an argument. He did not name the factory, specify whether the Chinese nationals were employees there or what the argument was about. 

“According to preliminary investigation, the guard opened fire after a heated argument with the Chinese nationals, leaving two Chinese citizens injured,” Raza told Arab News. 

“Two Chinese nationals have been brought to hospital. Both are under treatment,” Dr. Amjad Rizvi, a hospital spokesman, told Arab News. 

Sindh Home Minister Zia ul Haq Lanjar has directed police to conduct a “thorough investigation,” his office said. 

Pakistan said in a joint statement last month it had agreed to increase security for Chinese citizens and projects in the South Asian nation, as Beijing called for urgent security measures following an escalation in militant threats in the country.

China has pumped billions of dollars into Pakistan over the years building infrastructure under the Belt and Road Initiative, while also running a strategic port and a major mine in the country.


Toxic smog wreathes India’s capital, Pakistan’s Lahore as winter nears

Updated 05 November 2024
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Toxic smog wreathes India’s capital, Pakistan’s Lahore as winter nears

  • Punjab government has blamed pollution wafting in from India for Lahore’s worsening air quality 
  • Authorities in Punjab have taken emergency measures in wake of unprecedented pollution levels

NEW DELHI: A toxic smog shrouded the Indian capital on Tuesday, driving air quality in some areas into the “severe” range ahead of winter, when cold air traps pollutants and brings a spike in respiratory illnesses.

The mix of smoke, emissions, and dust is an annual problem for authorities in New Delhi, with vehicles, construction dust, and smoke from farm fires in the adjoining northern states of Punjab and Haryana among the major contributors.

“The outlook for the subsequent six days: the air quality is likely to be in the ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ category,” said the earth sciences ministry.

The city’s overall score on an air quality index kept by India’s top pollution authorities was ‘very poor’ at 384, the ministry added, and was likely to stay there until Thursday.

An index range of 401 to 500 falls into the ‘severe’ category, implying it affects healthy people, but is more serious for those already fighting disease.

Ministry data showed farm fires have increasingly swelled the pollution over the last three days, for a share of more than 23 percent on Monday, from about 15 percent on Saturday.

About a third of the city’s 39 monitoring stations showed a ‘severe’ score of more than 400 on Tuesday, said the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), well short of an air quality score of zero to 50 that it rates as ‘good’.

Swiss group IQAir also rated Delhi the world’s second most polluted city on Tuesday, after Lahore in neighboring Pakistan, where authorities also took emergency measures in the wake of Sunday’s unprecedented pollution levels.

The government in the eastern province of Punjab, home to Lahore, has blamed deteriorating air quality on pollution wafting in from India, an issue it has vowed to take up with its neighbor through the foreign ministry.


Pakistan, Uzbekistan businesses explore joint ventures in Tashkent meeting

Updated 05 November 2024
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Pakistan, Uzbekistan businesses explore joint ventures in Tashkent meeting

  • The business-to-business meetings spanned a variety of industries, including textiles, food processing, engineering and logistics
  • Pakistan is seeking to promote closer economic ties with regional and international allies to bolster its fragile $350 billion economy

ISLAMABAD: Representatives of more than two dozen Pakistani companies and over one hundred leading Uzbek enterprises met in Tashkent and discussed joint projects in diverse sectors, the Pakistani commerce ministry said on Monday.

The discussions took place at the Uzbek-Pakistani Business Forum, complementing the 9th intergovernmental commission meeting on economic cooperation between Uzbekistan and Pakistan, according to the Pakistani ministry.

These business-to-business (B2B) meetings spanned a variety of industries, including textiles, food processing, engineering and logistics, underscoring the shared commitment of both nations to explore collaborative business opportunities.

Addressing the forum, Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan highlighted Pakistan’s investment-friendly environment and encouraged Uzbek businesses to consider collaborative projects in Pakistan.

"He emphasized that such interactions pave the way for deepened commercial ties and contribute to regional economic stability," the commerce ministry said.

Uzbekistan’s Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov echoed these sentiments, welcoming Pakistani enterprises and emphasizing the Uzbek government’s commitment to fostering a supportive atmosphere for international partnerships.

"Initiatives like the Business Forum play a crucial role in propelling trade and investment forward, creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs," he was quoted as saying.

The development comes as Pakistan seeks to enhance regional connectivity with landlocked Central Asian states by providing them access to its warm water ports. It recently offered Central Asian states to become part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project, under which Beijing has pledged around $65 billion in energy, infrastructure and other projects in Pakistan.

The South Asian country narrowly avoided a sovereign default last year and has since sought to promote closer economic ties with regional and international allies to bolster its fragile $350 billion economy, which has been suffering from a prolonged macroeconomic crisis.