Ispahani –– putting her best foot forward

Karachi

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) will sign and implement the UN Convention Against Torture (CAT) and ensure the implementation of Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) that governments have failed to do in the past, claimed Farahnaz Ispahani, a candidate nominated on the reserved seats for women. Ispahani is also the International Press Coordinator of PPP.

“My views on discriminatory practices and gender equality are very close to what the PPP has been saying since Shaheed Zulfikar Ali (Z.A.) Bhutto first brought gender equity to the forefront in 1967,” said Ispahani while talking about women’s participation in the mainstream politics during an interview with The News.

After having worked in the US media for quite some time, Ispahani became a part of the PPP media team and is known to be the individual most responsible for bringing Benazir back to the western media’s attention. Her nomination by the party’s later chairperson, Ms Bhutto, came as a surprise to many and reportedly created controversy as well, but ignoring all the allegations Ispahani said that she is determined to move a step ahead and make a difference through her party whose vision she believed is “best suited for the democratic development of the nation.”

She said that the new PPP manifesto and the party’s stance on women’s emancipation efforts, human rights and freedom of the media is ‘dear to her heart’ and she aims to fight for all if the PPP comes into power.

“During my career as a writer [columnist], I have always associated myself with the greater cause of democracy and the dream of a pluralistic society for Pakistan. I have decided to become part of the political struggle in Pakistan as I feel that those of us who want to bring change must not sit in drawing rooms and criticise. Instead we must come out and play an active part in politics,” she said on being questioned

about her unexpected entry into politics.

When asked if she considered the process of the allocation of reserved seats as democratic, she said that the concept of reserved seats has been misunderstood by many. “The reserved seats are democratic as the allocation of seats on the basis of proportional representation is practiced in many democracies. This concept of reserved seats for women was introduced in the 1973 Constitution and was meant to encourage the participation of women in politics who would eventually be awarded tickets for the general seats as well,” she explained. But since the democratic process was disrupted, this could not be achieved. “I really hope parties are allowed to fulfil their democratic terms so we can move into mainstream politics.”

She also felt that women in the reserved seats can serve their home provinces in many ways by bringing their professional attributes to benefit their home provinces instead of opting for more comfortable environs of the public sector and government jobs. Ispahani, who was born in Karachi on July 6, 1963, also said that she is particularly “inspired” by her husband Hussain Haqqani’s political career. However, she added that the Ispahani family also has a long-standing affiliation with the PPP which is why she chose to remain loyal to the party.

“The Ispahani family’s affiliation with the PPP began with my grandfather Mirza Abul Hassan Ispahani who was at the forefront of the Pakistan movement with Mr Jinnah. He was a member of Pakistan’s first constituent assembly in 1947 and Pakistan’s first ambassador to the US. He then later served as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. My grandfather maintained close relations with Z.A. Bhutto from the beginning his political career,” said Ispahani.

Later, after his retirement, Bhutto persuaded Mirza Abul Hassan to come back into public life and entrusted him with the sensitive post of Ambassador to Afghanistan. One of her paternal uncles, Zia Ispahani, has been active in the PPP for two decades and has also served the PPP as an ambassador to both Switzerland and Italy.

“My father, Mirza Mohamed Ispahani (better known as Isky), was also among the few backers of the PPP in erstwhile East Pakistan in 1970,” she added.

In response to her definition of the term “enlightened moderation” she said: “Enlightened moderation is General Musharraf’s concept and he can best explain it — it seems that it means that a Chief Justice can be removed and put under house arrest, the constitution trampled under the name of Emergency and the media shackled.”

Ispahani further assured that as the PPP manifesto clearly calls for a truly free media, she “in her capacity would fight for the rights of her fellow journalists both inside and outside parliament.”