SPARC’s Board is legally called its Governing Council.
• Mr. Rashid Rehman (Chairman)
• Mr. Anees Jillani
• Dr. Attiya Inayatullah
• Ms. Shaheen Atteequr Rehman
•
Ms. Sarah Ahmad
• Ms. Samina Omar Asghar Khan
• Ms. Humera Malik
•
Ms. Maryam Bibi
• Mr. Gul Mastoi
• Mr. Qazi Azmat Isa
• Mr. Arshad Mahmood (Secretary)
Mr. Rashid Rehman (Chairman) is a practicing advocate in Multan and is also actively involved with the civil society sector, particularly the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.
"Children have no voice to challenge the behavior of adults that affects their fate; they have no access to the rights that have been internationally accepted by all nations and particularly by us in Pakistan. Children’s rights to survival, protection, development, information, and participation have not been fully observed by the State or by the society. The State apparatus does not have the political will required for changing the prevailing conditions of the future generation, while society has also failed to address child-related issues in an appropriate manner.
In this scenario appeared a ray of hope: SPARC. The people involved with the organization understand that without changing the present conditions of children, there is no guarantee of a bright future for the nation. Their commitment to the cause heralds a change."
Mr. Qazi Azmat Isa is an economist currently working with the World Bank in Islamabad on poverty alleviation programs, and a former chief executive of the Balochistan Rural Support Program.
"Congratulations to SPARC on having completed ten remarkable years of unrelenting commitment in promoting and protecting the rights of children. SPARC has spearheaded changes in legislation and raised awareness to help create a better environment for the children of Pakistan. As SPARC looks to the future it must realize a huge task lies ahead, as gains can easily be eroded by the deepening poverty, growing economic inequalities, conflicts and increasing child abuse. It must also ensure that political commitment to the cause of the child never wavers, for it is our children that carry our hopes for a better world".
Mr. Anees Jillani is a prominent Supreme Court lawyer. He was previously Executive Director and founder of SPARC. Mr. Jillani has written several books, and numerous articles on politics and human rights, published both locally and internationally.
Dr. Attiya Inayatullah has been on SPARC’s Board since June 2003. Apart from being a prominent politician, a civil rights activist, a former Federal Minister, and a member of UNESCO Board, she is currently a Member of the National Assembly and an activist with the Family Planning Association of Pakistan.
"As a first term member of the Board, I deem it an honor to be part of an advocacy group which has focused on the unspeakable violence against segments of Pakistan’s children and convincingly condemns the vulgar abuse of life of far too many of our innocents.
SPARC, in the short span of a decade, has been a breath of joy in the saddest crevices of anguished souls. They have been able to do this because they see beauty in every child and never walk away from the suffering many.
SPARC’s holistic approach to addressing child issues is well reflected in its report, The State of Pakistan’s Children. A report which has become essential reading for those living in comfort and for whom the future no longer exists as a common reference, because indeed the future is not ours – it belongs to our children."
Ms. Shaheen Atteequr Rehman is an educationist and the former Punjab Minister for Social Welfare and Women’s Development. She is presently a Senior Member of Bunyad Literacy Community Council, an NGO working actively to promote education in the country, particularly in the Punjab.
"Children are the future of any society. Happy ones are a strong potential force in a country’s development, while the unhappy become future terrorists, dacoits, and kidnappers, all that is evil and yet sad.
SPARC is one beacon of light for millions of our children and youth, who make up around 50% of the population of Pakistan, about 70 million strong. Anees Jillani and his dedicated team has sensitized both the policy makers and the practitioners regarding the need to focus on children, be it in legislation, in prisons, the street children or the illiterate. SPARC deserves our profound thanks for saving our future – the children.