Daily Diary (DD) - Day 108 of 2023

1707hrs:

No more slips ups in 2023 hopefully.

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We considered it newsworthy to present the following 'development' at the UN headquarters in New York, courtesy one of the more experienced members of our AJK diaspora, now living in political exile in the USA:

Dear friends, 

I have very recently had the opportunity to attend the 56th session of the United Nation's Commission on Population and Development (CPD56), at their headquarters in New York between the 10th to the 14th of April (2023).

This session was attended by many nation States (members of the UN), civil society organisations and NGOs. Each government and organisation in attendance presented their respective policies on the domain in which they operate.  

Each country and organisation had been allotted a desk with their nameplate to identify them. I found it astonishing that the Pakistani desk was totally absent throughout the session. Hailing from a Pakistani-controlled territory - namely AJK - I had been keen to find out who was representing Pakistan.

Everyone was seated in alphabetical order and thus after O, I began searching for Pakistan amongst the P's. Alas, despite searching thrice I couldn't find the name of Pakistan anywhere.

Most member States of the United Nations were present and representing their countries' policies regarding population, education and sustainable development. Cuba, India, Serbia, China, Russia, Germany, Egypt and many other countries narrated robust policies on health, education, gender equality, technical education and capacity building of youth amongst other subjects.

One country who's absence was conspicuous was Pakistan.

  

I then tried to find out why the Pakistani desk was absent in this annual session of the UN Commission on Population and Development. I learned or was rather reminded of the bitter reality that throughout the UN and its affiliated organisations, it is usually former Pakistani army officers or retired diplomats that are hired to represent Pakistan.

In such an apathetic scenario dear friends, what can be expected from these old lethargic self-centric beings?

Narrated by Dr Akhlaq Barlas of Ser Kakuta, tehsil Hajeera, district Poonch AJK and now living in political exile in the USA after the Pakistani army extrajudicially hanged his son, by falsely implicating the latter in an assassination attempt on the then president (military dictator Parvez Musharraf) in 2003.

..one can also read his thoughts in Urdu via the image below:

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