DUSHANBE, April 26, 2011, Asia-Plus — A jubilee meeting of the Public Council of Tajikistan will take place in Dushanbe on April 29.
Presided over by President Emomali Rahmon, the meeting will review the results of work carried out by the Council and consider further plans of its activity, a well-informed at the government told Asia-Plus Tuesday afternoon.
“Issues related to development of civil society in the country and preservation of a constructive dialogue between the government and political parties and public associations will be the focus of the meeting,” the source noted.
In the meantime, two political parties, namely; the Islamic Revival Party (IRPT) and the Democratic Party (DPT) will not participate in the jubilee meeting.
We will recall that the IRP decided to withdraw from the Public Council of Tajikistan in March 2010 in protest against the official results of the February 28 parliamentary elections in the country.
“In our opinion, the Public Council is now unable to resolve any serious problem facing society,” the IRP deputy leader Muhammadali Hait told Asia-Plus in an interview. According to him, the Public Council is now more like meeting of agrarians that discusses production of agricultural crops.
Following the lead of the IRP, the Democratic Party of Tajikistan (DPT) also announced its decision intends to withdraw from the Public Council in early March 2010 in protest against the official results of the past parliamentary elections.
DPT leader Masoud Sobirov told Asia-Plus that they considered it useless to remain a member of the Public Council. “It was a deliberate decision and we are not going to cancel it,” Sobirov said.
The Public Council of Tajikistan was established in April 1996 on the basis of the Public Accord Agreement signed first on March 9, 1996 for the period of three years by pro-government political parties and NGOs in a show of support for the peace process. It was prolonged for further three years in 1999.
The Public Council now comprises representatives of state bodies, political parties, religious organizations and civil society. Seven of eight officially registered political parties of the country were represented in the Public Council; the Social Democratic Party (SDPT) has never been ember of the Public Council. The Public Council established the Social partnership Club, which brings together some 70 representatives of the Public Council to discuss and find consensus on pressing social issues.
