WOMEN IN SUITS

“No country can ever truly flourish, if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half of its citizens” - The spirit of these words spoken by Michelle Obama perfectly encapsulate the two-day long conference of the Nasr Model United Nations. We live in an era where political correctness has been extended to all sections of society; abstinence from issues affecting or threatening us is no longer an option. Decentralisation of gender & ethnicity in the world is our first step towards world-peace.

With this mindset, NMUN brought a group of young girls to the table; debating, analysing and fully portraying their respective country’s stance on the various political issues concerning interventionism, legalised torture, marine pollution, journalistic responsibility and lastly, women’s representation in governments. During the twenty-hour long conferences, each committee passed various motions followed by active debating and lobbying before the formation of blocs and passing of the favourable resolutions. Despite the long sessions, it was enthralling to see the delegates and journalists take everything head-on.

While the conference as a whole may be interpreted as a haven for memories to some, good food to others and yet again, it may be someone’s first shot at public speaking – whatever the cause, the second edition of NMUN, yet again steals the spotlights.

                                                                                                                                                                                                -Anam Aamer

                                                                                                                                                                                                          X-G.

WOMEN’S REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

In a monumental victory for women’s reproductive rights in Chile, the government’s constitutional tribunal voted to decriminalize abortion in cases of rape, fatal fetal impairment or when a woman’s life is in danger. The decision of Chile’s constitutional tribunal to support the decriminalization of abortion under the three circumstances represents an important win for human rights and for the protection of the lives and health of women and girls across the globe.

Initially Chile did not explicitly permit abortion in any circumstances and nearly 2,00,000 unsafe abortions occurred each year in Chile. Far too many women have suffered at the hands of the country’s blanket ban on abortion. Now, only seven countries criminalize abortion. For too long, Chile has lagged behind in its efforts to protect women’s health, rights and equality by continuing to allow this extreme and harmful abortion ban.

The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights urged Chilean Officials to redouble its efforts towards preventing adolescent pregnancies by assuring the accessibility, availability and affordability of emergency contraception and other critical reproductive health services.

The real task now is to ensure the law is actually enforced, that women and girls are fully able to access to comprehensive health services they need and that this reform opens the door for them to be able to fully enjoy their sexual and reproductive rights.

-Fathma Mohsin

President 

12-B. 

BOOK REVIEW ON MALALA YOUSAFZAI

On 9^th October, 2012, a Pakistani girl was shot by a Taliban terrorist. Malala Yousafzai is an activist for girls’ rights and education. Her determination took her from the valleys of Swat to the halls of the United Nations. She was born in the Swat Valley in Pakistan where the birth of a girl was considered as a mark of disrespect and shame whereas the birth of a boy was celebrated with great happiness. She believed that education was important especially for girls who have creative and powerful minds and who were capable of bringing a change into the world if given a chance. Her determination made her win the Noble Peace Prize. She believed that ‘One teacher, One student, One pen can change the world.’ The book ‘Malala Yousafzai’ inspires us to believe that when the whole World is quiet even one voice can be powerful.

                                                                   -Aimen Abdul Hameed

                                                                                                   6-B.

GOD IS NEVER UNFAIR

You have been cursing God all life saying,

“It’s not fair,

They have all that I don’t,

They are happy and I am not.”

But have you ever tried thanking Him

For all that you have?

The truth is you are so busy in looking at what others have,

And you never realise what You Really Have!

                                                               -Ayesha Elsa Nizami

                                                                10-A.

INTEGRITY- A WAY OF LIFE

In ancient China, an emperor was growing old but did not have a successor of his own. He decided to choose one of the other children in the kingdom. He invited all parents to send their most capable child to the palace. Thousands of children turned up and the emperor gave each of them a single seed to look after. Eight months later, the child with the most beautiful plant would ascend the throne. A little boy had tried everything to grow the plant but his pot still remained empty. Eight months hence, he took the barren pot to the palace. The king inspected all the plants and confessed that he had given them burnt seeds which were not meant to grow at all. And as the little boy was the only one who did not buy a plant instead of following the King’s instructions exactly, the Emperor announced that the little child was the only one with enough integrity to succeed the throne.

Integrity- this nine letter word massively affects the personality of every human. Integrity is a very hard characteristic to keep whole due to the verity of aspect that is needed to exploit it. The quality of integrity is not a trait that we are born with, rather it is learned as we go through life.

One needs to have integrity to build one’s character. Many great people lived with their principles, but today people are losing it for mere materialistic comforts. We all see people with two different personalities.But isn’t this what integrity is really about-being true to yourself even when others are not watching.

When our mind ponders around integrity, it is pestered with astounding virtues that might even seem mythical in today’s world. Mr. Clement Stone has rightly said,”Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to live your life with integrity.”

                                                                                                                                                  Maleeha Fatima

                                                                                Vice President

                                                                                                  11 A.

                                                                                                                                  

ABROGATION OF ARTICLE 370: HASTY OR METICULOUS?

The Indian Government dropped a bombshell on the citizens of the country by their decision to abrogate Article 370: an article that granted a special status symbol to the state of Jammu and Kashmir in the Rajya Sabha on 6th August, 2019.
Through this new Act, Jammu and Kashmir is divided into two parts, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh which have been made Union Territories. Many Indians are proud of this bold decision, with Mr. Arun Jaitley ,the ex-Finance Minister of India, citing this as "a historical wrong corrected by the Government" but some still nod their heads in disagreement.

India as a whole will be united against the cross-border terrorism in the Kashmir Valley due to the complete inclusion of the state in the Indian Union through the abrogation. Many companies can set up their outlets in these territories that will bring about harmony and provide employment opportunities to the Kashmiri youth which was drifting towards the black hole of terrorism. Also, the cynical law that prohibited Kashmiri girls who had married people from other states from inheriting their father's property is now abolished. The abrogation also paves way for setting up educational institutions.
But there is a catch. What about the promises made to the people of this state? They were promised a definite employment in government services ,no outsider could buy their land ,their shops existing without any competition from big industries and yes, a separate Constitution. Now, the war - torn Paradise's people feel betrayed; their streets are deserted, curfews are imposed and armed men have restricted their business.
It is very easy for us to give our opinion when we are miles away from ground zero. Not only is this the victory of the Indian Union but also the defeat of the people of Kashmir who were not consulted when their state was being modified. Only time will tell if the Indian Government's decision was prudent enough to bring peace in the valley or was taken in sheer haste.

                                                                                Amruha Ahmed

 11-A.

WHY FREE RIDES FOR WOMEN IN DELHI?

Recently, the Delhi government has decided to make public transport including the Metro and government buses free of cost for women. This has had a split opinion.
The government backed the decision with the pretext of 'women's safety'. Now, how is that justified? Mr. Kejriwal heading the Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) says, " Public transport is considered the safest for women." It is also said that "the fair hike last year had forced a shift to less safe modes of transport." The government feels that this move will bring more women out of their houses.
The government also said that this move will induce fear in sexual harassers . Well, how does this economic privilege granted to women prevent sexual harassment against them? It is not a sanction against men.
On the contrary, this decision of the government has led public transport expert Chigurupati to say that despite the provision of separate seats for women in buses, men occupy them. He also said that the move could lead to resentment among men who cannot afford public transport and Chigurupati said that the government should cap the fares and eventually make public transport free for all. Now , obviously, this doesn't make sense with the government , since it is not practical economically ,the government would run into a huge loss.
Then, what is it all about?
While some call this decision a positive discrimination and some call it sexist, we see that Kejriwal's move was appreciated by a large number of those availing this privilege. Well, who will not want a free ride ? Does common man even think of anything beyond such a privilege? At this point, one should also not forget that the elections are at hand!

MOTHER EARTH’S PLEA

You ravage my rocks, ruin my seas,

Burn my fuels, chop my trees.

My soil has eroded, my hills are crumbling,

The voices of help are only mumbling.

Countries at war, economies in deficit,

Cyber Crime, dark web and all things illicit.

Your leaders are headstrong, they can’t be deterred,

But the souls entombed in formaldehyde know better.

Ammunition, detonation, pollution continue to plague,

Your promises of help are but vague.

I promise to stay but can you bear the heat?

So kindly refrain from detonating my heart beat…

                                                          -K.P. Aishwarya Naidu,

                                                           10-D.