http://digitalrepository.fccollege.edu.pk/handle/123456789/364 Articulates various perspectives on a select subject for further discussion Tue, 23 Jun 2026 20:34:48 GMT 2026-06-23T20:34:48Z http://digitalrepository.fccollege.edu.pk/handle/123456789/2905 Title: Interpretations and Lessons of the Gaza Genocide Authors: Haque, Raheem ul Abstract: The ongoing genocide in Gaza has taken off many of our blinkers since October 2023 and educated us on the realities of international affairs and the nature of power in the first quarters of the 21st century. Written on the first anniversary of October 7 and recently, this essay is an attempt to articulate these learnings as the author like many citizens of the world has been consumed by the barbarity of war through daily news and images, even as other conflicts continue to reign around the world. Mon, 30 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://digitalrepository.fccollege.edu.pk/handle/123456789/2905 2025-06-30T00:00:00Z http://digitalrepository.fccollege.edu.pk/handle/123456789/2810 Title: Microfinance in Pakistan: A Case Study of District Sialkot Authors: Rovidad, Muhammad Abstract: In 2001, the Government of Pakistan launched the formal microfinance sector intending to reduce poverty and income inequality. Despite several claims from micro-level studies regarding the efficiency and productivity of microfinance, it became plausible to analyze its performance on an aggregate level. This discussion paper focuses on District Sialkot, known for its entrepreneurial spirit and tradition of small and micro enterprises, to critically analyze the distributional effects of microfinance. For that purpose this paper exploits quintile data from 1991 to 2017-18, published by the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) and employs the Lorenz Curve to measure income distribution. The findings reveal a significant decline in the Gini Coefficient from 0.72 in 1991 to 0.43 in 2017 in the district. This improvement is also demonstrated by the Lorenz Curve, which shows curves moving closer to the line of equality, indicating a more equitable income distribution compared to previous years. Moreover, the results reveal a significant decrease in poverty ratios in Sialkot, along with improvements in various socioeconomic indicators. These improvements include an overall increase in school enrollments, with a significant rise in girls’ enrollment, more frequent visits to basic health units (BHUs), and greater employment rates among both males and females Sat, 01 Jun 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://digitalrepository.fccollege.edu.pk/handle/123456789/2810 2024-06-01T00:00:00Z http://digitalrepository.fccollege.edu.pk/handle/123456789/2153 Title: National Commission for Minorities Act 2023 Authors: Khokhar, Dr.Noel Abstract: This Discussion Paper reviews National Commission for Minorities Act (NCMA) 2023. It posits a national action plan consistent with Pakistan’s international obligations, national, constitutional, demographic, and socio-political frameworks, and requirements of the Act for protection and promotion of rights of religious minorities. This paper conducts a reappraisal of governance structure and sets out proposals for optimum protection of minority rights. Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://digitalrepository.fccollege.edu.pk/handle/123456789/2153 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z http://digitalrepository.fccollege.edu.pk/handle/123456789/2143 Title: Sindh`s Human Rights Institutions and Paris Principles: Do Common Grounds Matter? Authors: Khoso, Abdullah Abstract: Pakistan is the fifth most populous country in the world. It has an estimated 242 million people in four provinces (Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Punjab, and Sindh) and additional federal regions.1,2 Quasi-judicial human rights institutions (HRIs) just recently began to defend the rights of citizens guaranteed by both the Pakistani Constitution and international treaties. The passage of the 18th Constitutional Amendment (2010), led to the removal of the Concurrent List and empowered the legislative capacity of the provincial legislatures, on human rights. Taking a cue from this the federal legislator created the National Commission on Human Rights in 2012. Among the four provinces, Sindh appears to have taken the lead and created a few human rights institutions with mensional and multilateral. These are the Sindh Child Protection Authority (SCPA), established under the Sindh Child Protection Authority Act (SCPAA), 2011, the Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC), established in 2013 under the Sindh Protection of Human Rights Act (SPHRA), 2011, and the Sindh Commission on the Status of Women (SCSW), established under the Sindh Commission on the Status of Women Act (SCSWA), 2015. In 2016, the SCPAA’s Rules of Business (the Sindh Child Protection Sindh is the second-largest province of Pakistan and has 47.85 million residents. The three provincial HRIs—the SCPA, the SHRC, and the SCSW are significant since they have broad responsibilities for both civil and political rights as well as social, economic, and cultural rights. The SCPAA, the SPHRA, and the SCSWA are founding laws (sometimes referred to as organic laws) that give the HRIs directives. The three HRIs must take special measures to assert their authority and safeguard residents from abuse, exploitation, and violation given the size of the population and the scale of human rights violations Authority Rules of 2016) were framed. The Authority after its establishment had constituted three child protection institutions in Karachi, Sukkur, and Hyderabad. The SHRC instituted its first regional office in 2021 in Sukkur. The Sindh Commission on the Status of Women Act, 2015 (SCSWA) authorized the establishment of the Sindh Commission on the Status of Women (SCSW) Thu, 01 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMT http://digitalrepository.fccollege.edu.pk/handle/123456789/2143 2023-06-01T00:00:00Z