BY SHELINA BHAMANI & ALI FAISAL SALEEM Schools: prepared for reopening? Training, awareness and communication will be key to ensuring school-wide safety. GLOBALLY, the to childhood | activities affected most By Covi. 19 have been routine mm hsation and schooling, which may have a Lasting {impact on children's development, Prior tothe pan demic, an estimated 22.Smillion children aged ive to 16 were already out of school in Pakistan. Then fovernmentmandated lockdowns disrupted the fducation of even those children wha were enrolled in school, With schools across Pakistan now reo pening, itis extremely important to ensure they romain open. ‘The governmentshavoissued SOPsto ensure the safoty and well-being of studonts aswell asto limit. the spread of Covidl® through community infec tion, but schools may still struggle with the adai- tional burden of having to develop strategies to ‘manage infrastructure, logistics and protocols ‘Preparedness for reopening edueation insti tions can be a challenging task, since there are no ‘comparable cventsin recent history to draw lessons from. Stark comparisons have been made to the Spanish lu pandemic of 1918 that took millions of lives. While maskwearing, “handwashing and social distaneing are cornerstones of the battle Against Covid-9, is important to address these Additional ‘challenges and chalk’ out mitigation Strategies. ‘To ensure the well-being of all stakeholders — nelading students, teachers and stall members dnd parents — the primary task ofall schools will Det ensure that everyone practises regular hand- washing and cough ctiquotte, uses face masks as per WHO guidelines, maintains. physical distance of atleast throe to shx fost from athers, and isolates at home in case they develop fever andlor flike symptoms, ‘Training, axarenoss and communication will be kay to ensuring school-wide safety. Schools will hhave to edhicate communities through active com. ‘munication channels to effectively practise SOPs ‘These can include instant messaging groups and other forms of social media to communicate and coordinate effectively, as well as printed media Such as brochures, flyers on bulletin boards and banners to spread awareness and advocate for versal compliance with safety measures, Schools must immediately start designing com: ‘munieations and use such communication channels {orbriel parents about sehoo! routines, safety meas- lures, aecess to school, and how teaching and learn ing vill coutinue in’ the wake of the pandeeni Classes shouldn’t be longer than four hours and must be conducted aver two shifts, There should be atleast a one-hour gap between shifts to ensure that schools, especially classrooms, are properly ‘leaned and that teachers have the time to take ‘extra hygiene measures botweon meeting differ. ‘ont groups of students, "Teachers must be trained to be ambassadors of health and hygiene, modelling appropriate belay: jour to ensure that students and parents adbere t0 the SOPs and othor protocols. Teachers have to advocate for safety and prevention measures and bo able wo explain their necessity and importance, In addition to carefully designing — rather rede- signing — the taught and experienced curriculum, teachers will have to integrate the importance of healthcare and attitudes tocare and responsibility Classroom teaching time will have to connect with recent themes of stress and anxiety in thelr stu- ‘donts' lives, awareness about the spread of infec- ‘on and necessary precautions, and the reasons bbchind casual or dismissive attitudes towards die- ‘ease prevention “The ole that parents must play is asimportant as that of schools. Parents must not only responsibly follow all SOPs to ensure the safety of their chil dren, bu also ensure that their children follow and lundetstand the importance of these safety meas- lures, and regularly discuss the importancect being ‘careful for their onn as well as others safety Ke rmadrossahs, al with their own context, uniqueness fai diversity ininfrastructure, stating and admin: istration practices — it is difficult to propose tnt versal recommendations, Yet, besides the basic Enfety guidelines, there area few etsental recom mendations for planning. classes thatcan be adapted to various contexts ) Adopt a blended learning model, where half the classes are covered om eampus (auch 98 pri mary) and the rest are conducted remotely (such 8 secondary and above); (Stagger Umings and scheduling shifts so hat dents donot come to sehool atthe same tine; Reorganise classrooms to ensurea minimum distance of three to six feet (approximately one to to metres) berwoen students; (Gs) Visibly display sizns, markings and notices to serve as behavioural cues for all stakeholders; (@) Consider visitation and group activities, both indoors and outdoors, only if thay can be conducted ina safe environment; (i) Koop canteons closed (or if they are open, maintain piysical distanco)s (vit) Regularly clean seater tanks and filtors, but ‘encourago students and staff to bring their oven “drinking water; (Gi Limit parental visitations, and have parent teacher meetings remotely; (Gx) Ensure diligent housekeeping and sanita- tions disinfect surfaces with either hypochlorite ot alcobolbased "solutions as per WHO Fecommendations; @) Designate faolation rooms in case anyone Aevelops fever andior fistike eymptons at school, (6) Ensure transportersals follow SOPs, includ: 1g limited numberof students in one vehicles (Gil) Minimise the sharing of stationery” and ‘other school resources betweon students, ‘There ino doubt that responsibly managing the reopening of schools isa Herculean task for educ ‘donal institutions, Butitisone that we must under take diligently tcnaure the least possible negative impact on the education, safoty and wall bane of Pakistan's children, al ‘Dy Sholina Bhaman'is an assistant professor of search and Load Parenting Educaton, Division of Women and Chis Hoa at AKUH, Dr Ali Faisal ‘Saloor isan assistant professor, Paodiatc Infoctous Disoasos and the Sovice Line Chet, Childanis Hospital at AKU,DON'T know how true the details of Nizam Saqqa's roaliife story are, but every era since the Jegend was born in kind hearted Humayun’ king dom has had its NSto be momentarily proud of ‘The Mughal chroniclers wrote that Saga, mean: {ng the one who earned his bread by supplying com stumers water in his goatskin bag, was allowed to Enjoy royalty for two days as a token of gratitude for rescuing the emperor thus saving the nascent silanate from an early end “Two days «Like someone who has been placed fn the pedestal briefly, and then pulled dovtn vio- Tently to 8 fe filed with commonplace compro- tises, The transient nature of tall must come es. shock to at last some of those who were until afew hours eailir celebrating the crowning of someone they thought could finally fit their description of @ leader from among the people, ‘Some of those shock aro too frequent to have @ surprise element to them, Quite similar tothe ease fof audiences who know what the predictable direc: tor of a horror film is building towards but who have to fake bewilderment and a terrified look 10 prove they stil rotain their essential senses. ‘We know Pakistani politicians are always keen to sound out senior army officers in the country's establishment. We know they ean be summoned or an send an emissary on their own to a meoting with tho genoral sahib. In the latest instance, for Imer Sindh governor Mohammad Zubair called on the army chiet days before an opposition multi- partyconference (MPC) was to beorganised and at twhich Mir Navsz Shaeif was to roar like never before ‘Mr Zubair Is one of the people who are least likely to lose their poise under pressure. He eam slay untuffied and doesn’t have to wear the ster Jook of Mr Sharif’s past connections to the power generators such as Chaudhry Nisar. But already there are signs of sides to this story which are quite willing to spill over into the public domain raising ‘questions which could reduce the latest ie spurt with Mr Sharifon the throne toa Imere replay of the Nizam Saqna episode. "The details say polities was discussed — of course, this had to beso since it is what Me Zubair specialises in, There are the usual noises of just how we have ‘come’ to this stage where politicians are so dependent on hints and elues from the mil ary commander to chart their future. course ‘That’san old refrain and if anything, itseems that the counter argument that itis the politicians who Invited the army to intervene is being voiced more stronaly and with greater contempt for those aske ing for protection. "The more immediate concerns about the caurse Tt is important that the emissary has got the message right. Mr Sharif took after his agent had returned from \whataver guesses he could collect during his mis: ‘on, Would the PML-N leader come out seth the Same speech thar made him famousin the annals of the democrats in Pakistan if his reading of the si nals from the top had been different? Or could there have been more measured approach by ‘Mian Sahib where pethaps the need to know about these secret calls by Mr Zubair might never have Indeed, the naughty souls who have been warn: ing the opposition leaders against putting to much Inst in each other have another opportunity to strike. With a wink and a mock grin they cat ask ‘whether the PML-N would have actually taken Dart in the alkparty meet liad the signals been dif ferently interpreted. After all, the PML-N had shown remarkable reluctance in joining just a meeting of top-tier opposition leaders, leave alone readily committing to any collective initiative to trouble the government “The interpretation of thesignalsisimportant. eis ‘important thar the emissary has got the message Hight and not been too exelted oF overly disap: pointed by what he sensed. The most crucial things Inthe equation remain the athe, thelanguagess sub ject to evolution. It is not clear if all the politicians hhore understand the modern writin on the wall ind ‘thus may be liable to wet the sigrals jumbled up. Tn more recent times, we have had old practtion ers of the art of destabilising governments leading ‘heir processions to Islamabad with much fanfare. [wat later realised that what they mistook for soge ofthe capital was actually amass reflection of their marooning in the politics of the country. ‘One of these vetorans was apparently 20 dis heartened that he cancelled allfurure plans to dis rupt and took early retirement. Another went (© the other extreme and is fighting a most agitated fight for his survival He isto blunt ro care for subtle signs thatthe politicians, in Fact Pakistani generally, are addicted t. ‘When hfian Sabib raised the red flag of frocdom and emancipation a the MPC on Sunday, the rea. Suring nods it was grooted with had its origins not none source. There were many who greeted itas a tostsought slogan of a country beset perennially with power imbalances. These ‘many” included a large number of more recent converts to the Nawaz Sharif brand, those who have been compelled by his current situation and lack of other credible ‘options to side with him, Thats quite 4 vocal group ‘hat the PML-N or the Sharif family has been able tocreate around their core. ‘There is another, maybe much bigger, original group of PML: supporters that could be heard Srecting the latest Sharit speech using their old ode breaker. To their mind, Mian Sahib has to be Saying. what he was saying after he had sensed there was at least a sympathetic audience for his ines in the establishment. Yes at least # sympa: theticearto begin withif notanoueand-out patron, Tecould well be that anew tutorial in reading the code must go beyond simply askingover afew poli- licians and trying to teach them modern signals. Alter decades of practice, a whole populations eli- gible tocnrolin the course. @ ‘The writers Dawn's resent dior in ahora."i BY JANNAT ALI KALYAR == Forgotten agenda ‘THE frequent and arbitrary transfer and posting of six IGPs and three CCPOs in the last two years at the behest of the Punjab government highlights the flagrant abuse of legitimate, democratic and legal authorit ‘There are’ explicit statutory obligations in the Police Order (2002) that govern the appointment, tenure, transfer and posting of both offices, and there are corresponding decisions of the superior courts. The Punjab government, however, is unwilling to fetter its stranglehold over the police and comtin- ues to subvert the Police Order as well as court directions. Prior to the Police Order, the Police Act (4861) governed Pakistan's police forces. It was a colonial legacy, enacted after the War of Independence of 1857 to crush dissent and any support for self-government. Hence, itentrusted the superimtendence of police to the political executive that could, inter alia, decide the tenure of the head of police or the [Gand remove the officer without giving any reason. ‘The police were thus reduced to a tool that served the political elite instead of providing essential services to ensure peace and the security of citizens. ‘The Police Order repealed and replaced the Police Act purportedly to depoliticise and democratise the police force by minimising illegitimate political influence and redefin- ing its roles, functions and duties to trans- form it’ into a “professional, service: oriented” force, “accountable to the people”. Whereas, ostensibly, the depoliticisation of the “ill-equipped, poorly trained, deeply oliticised and chronically corrupt” police remains one of the top (forgotten) agendas inthe manifesto of the ruling party, the lat- tor has failed to replicate KP’s ‘successful police model nationally. In gross violation of the law, it continues to prematurely and arbitrarily post and transfer IGPs and ‘CPOs with impunity and has failed to con- stitute the public safety commissions at the district, provincial and national level as ‘mandated by the Police Order. ‘The raison d'tre of these commissions is devolution of control over police to depoliti- cise the force and to ensure it functions in a transparent, fair and democratic manner. However, in their absence, power remains concentrated in the political executive to the detriment of the public at large. ‘This was also stressed by formerchief jus- tice of the Lahore High Court Mansoor Ali Shah (Muhammad Razzaq case), who stated that the failure to constitute public safety commissions was against the public inter est. He directed the province to establish provincial and the district commissions and to appoint the IGP strictly in accordance with the Police Order ensuring the security of his tenure, While the Punjab government at the time appointed the IGP in compliance with the ‘court order, contempt continued in the form of premature and arbitrary transfers and postings and the non-constitution of ‘Comparably, the Sindh High Court in the A.D. Khawaja removal case delineated the role of the Sindh government and the fed- eral government as regards transfers and postings and directed them to reinstate the IGP to his position. The court stated that the IGP was entitled to the benefit of the term of his post and that removal would only be justified if there were “compelling reasons" within the parameters of the rule (Sindh Act, 2011). ‘The recent controversy over the transfer and postingof the current IGP and CCPO has reignited the debate on the unstructured dis- cretion still exercised by the political execu- tive in destabilising the police structure and ‘obstructing meaningful reforms. In this instance, too, asexpected, all man- datory requirements laid down in the Police Order were Police have flouted such as the been security of the three- Year tenure, Further, reduced to {ie current IGP and serving the CPO were illeally iti appointed through & political Unilateral ‘order of elite. the secretary of the Cabinet Division. ‘The Supreme Courtin the Mustafa Impex case stated that power vested in the federal government, is vested in the eabinet as a collective identity constituting the prime minister and federal ministers. The same principle is applicable to the provincial government which consti- tutes the chief minister and provincial ministers. ‘Therefore,in the absence of prior approval of the respective cabinets, the actions of the chief minister or prime minister of their ‘own volition, or anyone on their behalf, are ultra vires. Such unfettered discretion seeks to undo the constitutional structure that withholds the use of executive power beyond what is established by the law: ‘There is no doubt that political interfer cence in police functions hinders the rule of Jaw and can seriously undermine the enforcement of fundamental rights. ‘Therefore, the arbitrary and premature transfer and posting of heads of police must not be trivialised as a political issue. Tt is a human rights issue that warrants our imme- diate attention. m The wnitaris a banister.“stig BY ZUBEIDA MUSTAFA mee Which language? ONE aspect of the Single National Curriculum that has yet to be resolved is the medium of instruction. It came under the spotlight when the National Curriculum Council announced in Mareh its outlandish idea of making English the medium of instruction from preschool to Grade 5. Strangely, many in Pakistan have argued endlessly in support of English. They believe that without fluency in English one ‘cannot get a job. On the other hand, there are some who want Urdu, the national language, as the medium of instruction. But Urdu is not the mother tongue of 90 per cent of the people ‘even though itis the language of wider com- munication. That leaves the mother tongue (@ native language) as the only feasible option for the medium of instruction. A decision has to be taken. For six months, the government has been wavering and the con- sultations are becoming endless. Yet another conference was held on Wednesday. Here it was decided to set up a committee to take a ‘fina? decision on the medium issue. Not having conducted any research/ sur- vyeys on the matter, the government has 10 firm ground to stand on. It would help if the education ministry would look up its own archives and dig out Javed Hasan Aly’s mas- sive White Paper on’ Education (2006). It is the only thoroughly deliberated. official policy document on education that T have read in Pakistan. Itis a pity that the educa- tion minister at the time (an ex-army gen- eral) rejected it because Aly had proposed that the mother tongue be used as the medium of instruction. So weare back tosquareone which means. ‘ambivalence’. Hence the linguistic status ‘quowill continue and the new policy when it is announced will apply only to public-sec- tor schools, English will continue to domi nate and distort our education. ‘Most people do not have the vaguest idea of what is happening on the language front in education and how it affects their chil dren’s learning outcome and their mindset, ‘The government speaks of an ‘education apartheid’ and the need for undoing it and ing the playing field level for all. But what it does is actually promot the worst kind. The nation is di two classes: the elite English speakers (call them the privileged ones) and the majority for upward mobility by lean ‘This is the real divide which can be bridged only by adopting an appropriate language policy in edueation and developing the capacity to teach 50 million children well and certainly not in English. If the government is seriously deter. mined to upgrade the education system, the first step it should take is to improve the performance of teachers. This will be a challenge and we don’t have to make the challenge insurmountable by adding profi- ciency in English as an additional qualifica- tion which the majority will fail to achieve. ‘They would, however, qualify in a local lan: guage with Some good training. Teachers to teach English asa second language could be treated as another category with special- ised training, Let children begin their primary educa- tion in their mother tongue, learn Urdu additionally a few years later and start learning English as a foreign language at the end of their primary school. If the lan- guage is taught well the child will acquire competency in it fast. I speak from experience. Itneeds to be emphasised here that for a new approach to work it is also important that corruption in the education depart ment should simultaneously be addressed with @ firm hand, Corruption neutralises fern i ‘wit ipet wi Enelish, a chung ave ot will children? When they Continue 10 {fy nersund om distort our a teacher who knows education. {iS cussing confidence and above all start THINKING and communicating. They will show better understanding of what they are taught. Education will become a participatory exercise as it should be, Aboveall, students will not suffer from a sense of alienation and inferiority which is being fostered by English. ‘Thus will begin an exciting journey of self-discovery for the child. ‘The miraculous improvement in her learning outcomes will do wonders for the teachers’ self-esteem and their performance will also improve. ‘The taste of the pudding is in the eating. ‘Till this policy is actually tried and positive results produced the sceptics will remain. Let the government start this reform process in its own institutions. Success will create its own momentum and low-fee private schools will follow suit. The elite English medium schools may not come on board immediately but will definitely lose enrolment and the elitist private sector will shrink. Why do we hesitate? We have already dumbed our children by robbing them of their own language and have also failed to teach them English. Is there more to lose? m= www.zubeldamustata.comGas shortages ITH the winter months approaching, can gas shortages \ / \ } be far behind? The shortfalls have been part of life in Pakistan for over a decade, save for a few years under the previous government when the deficit was partially covered through expensive RLNG imports. Decreasing gas pressure around this time normally signals worsening gas supply in the winter as demand surges owing to the heating needs of domestic consumers. This year, the supply situation seems to have aggravated, particularly in Karachi and the rest of Sindh, much earlier than usual. Most consumers, especially industries in Karachi, are already complaining about supply disruptions and low pressure as SSGC currently faces a deficit of 150mmcefd. The state-owned utility warns that the gap will rise to 350mmefd in winter. Sadly, gas shortages for Karachi residents also mean constant electricity outages as SSGC cuts its supply to power producers and factories to serve domestic customers on a priority basis. It is quite agonising for the residents, who are still recovering from the impact of the unprecedented urban flooding some weeks ago, to have to also suffer long hours without electricity and gas. Tn Punjab, SNGPL has already begun preparing its customers for the worst, warning industry of supply cuts during the peak winter months. With the country’s gas demand estimated to be around 6-7befd against the domestic availability of 3.5bcfd and current reserves depleting by 9pe annually, and with no new discoveries in sight, the government estimates that Sindh, KP and Balochistan will also be facing supply deficits in the next few years, even if they stop sharing part of their supplies with Punjab. The gap is hard to fill without RLNG imports. With development of planned RLNG import capacity delayed, the next few winters are going to be quite harsh for all gas consumers. Instead of further delaying action, Islamabad should sit with the provinces to find a durable solution and increase supplies, instead of picking a fight with them, especially Sindh, so that it can mitigate the public’s pain.Leaks after MPC OST-MPC hysteria in Islamabad has unleashed a storm of P leaks and clarifications, igniting a rare public debate about the propriety of meetings between opposition and military leaders. Two developments have come to light since last Sunday. The first is that, just ahead of the MPC, opposition leaders met the army and ISI chiefs to discuss the Gilgit-Baltistan elections. Second, some weeks earlier, the PML-N’s Mohammad Zubair privately met the army and ISI chiefs for what he claimed were ‘general discussions’. While the former Sindh governor stated that no relief was sought for Maryam and Nawaz Sharif, the DG ISPR said that both meetings featured discussions on PML-N’s embattled leadership. That Mr Zubair met the army chief twice in the span of two weeks —in the presence of the ISI chief — is quite revealing, and belies his implication that the visits constituted Little more than informal chitchats. What is significant here is that, despite the opposition members’ meetings, Mr Sharif launched a blistering attack on the establishment’s alleged role in politics and that the MPC reinforced his position by adopting a tough resolution. Meetings between opposition and military leaders, on the request of either side, have been a regular feature of our political history. Where issues of national security are concerned, the details are usually not revealed by participants. But the series of leaks and political statements of late about such engagements are a strong indicator of the thorny political games and unscrupulous backdoor schemes in progress. The developments raise several questions. Why were the ‘disclosures’ made after the MPC? Do they indicate panic? Or are politicians like Sheikh Rashid out to malign the opposition? [ronically, in his feverish revelations about opposition members’ meetings with the army leadership, Mr Rashid also gave the impression that the establishment takes a deep interest in political affairs — something that could tarnish the image of the security apparatus. The weeks ahead will show whether or not the formal opposition alliance remains aunited front or splits up on account of these revelations. Clarity from all quarters is needed. Perhaps more immediately, the opposition should explain its position on contacting and meeting the top ranks of the security establishment, especially in view of the MPC. Whatever the motive behind these leaks, they have been a source of embarrassment for the opposition politicians. Meanwhile, where the military leadership is concerned, the public discourse around such questionable, unofficial meetings with politicians begs introspection.India’s losing battle Na major interview after his release from house arrest, former I chief minister of India-held Kashmir, Faroog Abdullah, has. bitterly criticised the Indian government’s scrapping of the special status of the occupied territory and said that Kashmiris would rather accept Chinese rule than Indian. The pro-India Kashmiri leader who. is seen by most Kashmiris as a betrayer to their cause, acknowledged that Kashmiris felt like “slaves” and would rise up in protest once the draconian curfew was lifted. He was very clear that the abrogation of Kashmir’s special status as a semi-autonomous region ‘was unacceptable to every Kashmiri and he would struggle to have the status restored. Farooq Abdullah also said that the differences between his family and that of Mehbooba Mufti — another pro-India former chief minister of occupied Kashmir currently under house arrest — had been settled and that they would work together. It is clear that India’s move last August to scrap Articles 370 and 35A of its constitution and deprive [HK of its special status has had disastrous results. The step by the BJP government has confirmed beyond a shadow of doubt what the people of Kashmir had feared all along, ie New Delhi wants to forcefully take control of their land by changing its demography and diluting its Muslim and Kashmiri identity. In the year since then, the BJP government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has legislated a new domicile law that enables Hindus to settle and buy property in THK. The intent is unambiguous: convert THK into a Hindu-majority area and deprive Kashmiris of the political and administrative strength that comes with being a majority in their own land. In the process, however, India has alienated every Kashmiri including its puppets like Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti. By converting [HK into an open-air jail, India has forced Kashmiris — even those previously aligned with it — to resist this occupation by whatever means possible. The price of this occupation is getting higher for India with each passing day. This situation cannot be sustained. A growing number of voices within India are also calling out the BJP government for depriving THK of its special status. Internationally also India is finding it hard to justify its actions. The resistance from the people is certain to increase with time. Now that compromised politicians such as Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti also stand alienated and ready to offer political resistance, India will face a tough time in the coming days. Countries that can influence India should persuade Mr Modi to return to the path of sanity. In this context, sanity and rationality demand that India restore the special status of occupied Kashmir. The UN resolutions recognise the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir as disputed territory and the dispute’s final resolution lies in the implementation of these resolutions.Pakistanis in Jordan ISLAMABAD: All members of the Pakistan Embassy staff in Amman and personnel of the Pakistan Military training mission stationed in southern Jordan are safe according to a message received here this morning [Sept 24]. Islamabad today had its first direct contact with its Embassy in Amman since the outbreak of fight- ing last week. The message received from our Ambassador, Mr R.S. Chhatari ... further revealed that the guerilla forces and the Government troops both have been showing respect for the Pakistan Embassy ... Unlike the Embassies of most of the other countries, the Embassy and Ambassador’s residence have remained completely unguarded as before. The Embassy staff did not seek refuge anywhere ... However, most of the buildings around Pakistan chancery have been destroyed or badly damaged. The facts [disprove] the continued Indian prop- aganda calculated to bring Pakistan into disre- pute. The ... Indian publicity media and Indian diplomatic missions in the Arab world have ... geared up a malicious propaganda campaign against Pakistan trying to create misunderstand- ings in Arab countries regarding the position of this country vis-a-vis Arab affairs — particularly the situation in Jordan. — CorrespondentJinnah in Quetta QUETTA: Mr. M.A. Jinnah addressed yester- day [Sept 23] a meeting of about hundred men including the office-bearers of the Baluchistan Provincial Muslim League, the Quetta City League and other social, commercial and Allied Muslim bodies. Mr. Jinnah described what the Muslim League had been doing for the Muslims and for the uplift of the people of Baluchistan and for bringing the province on the same foot- ing as the other British provinces in the matter of self-Government. He said: “We have succeeded in having an elected Municipal Committee for the Quetta city. Today, there is a representative of Baluchistan in the Central Legislature although he is not the elected representative of the people nor selected with their approval, but it shows that the princi- ple has been accepted by the Government. The Government has been made to realise that Baluchistan must have her voice in the Centre, and let us hope that soon your own elected repre- sentative will sitin the Central Assembly.” Mr. Jinnah exhorted his audience not to slacken their activity, and assured them of his own and the All-India Muslim League’s pressure on the Government of India for Baluchistan and appealed to them to stand united... — Dawn Dethi