Figures speak for what the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) did in 2014; a whopping 427 national radio and tv shows, documentaries, more than three dozen public consultations/ discussions/ seminars, nearly 100 research reports and newspaper articleson counter-radicalization, rule of law, security and governance reforms reflect our unparalleled performance in 2014. With the support of dedicated team members in Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Swat, Quetta and Karachi, CRSS kept its focus on the aforementioned issues via print and electronic media as well as public consultations –manifest in the broad range of activities and outreach to the public at large.

CRSS therefore takes pride in the national audio-visual advocacy campaign that it ran to raise awareness on the absolute essential need for the Rule of Law and the inevitable but lingering reforms in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

The Center conscientiously strives for advocacy for civil liberties, anchored in fundamental human rights as envisaged in the constitution, rule of and respect for law and promotion of universal concepts such as equal citizenry (one of the UN indicators for rule of law) and secular governance – goals that were reflected in a nation-wide engagement between foreign scholars hosted by CRSS and students at universities in Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Lahore.

As part of its exclusive focus during 2014, the CRSS:

• aired 383 radio programs in total through its media advocacy campaign across Pakistan, reaching every segment of the population, to build a narrative for social and political cohesion vital for the democratic growth of Pakistan, including

o   62 radio programs in Balochistan, under the Balochistan ke Awam ki Awaz (Balochistan Democracy Awareness Initiative) initiative

o   60 radio programs under the “Moong Qabail” (We the Tribe) initiative, in collaboration with USAID-funded Citizens Voice Project for the awareness of FATA citizens on the draconian 1901 Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), a law made by British to govern FATA

o   229 radio programs under the  initiative “Sabawoon” (New Dawn), covering a wide range of issues in the KP/FATA region

o   22 radio programs in total as a part of its rule of law awareness and advocacy campaign with 12 under “Support to the Punjab Prosecution Services (SPPS)” and 10 programs under “Capacity Development for Sindh Police (CDSP)” in Punjab and Sindh respectively

o   10 radio programs under its endeavor “Hum Bhi Pakistan” – an advocacy campaign for political and administrative reforms including extension of fundamental human rights to FATA residents as equal citizens. These shows were  broadcast from five different FM channels across the country to mainstream the FATA reforms discourse

• presented 44 TV shows in collaboration with Pakistan Television (PTV), Express News, Dawn News and other local TV stations on a wide variety of social and security issues including

o   20 programs under “Hum Bhi Pakistan,” a Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) focused show together with PTV and Express News

o   12 programs under the Capacity Development for Sindh Police (CDSP) initiative in Sindh

o   12 programs under the Support for Punjab Prosecution Services (SPPS)

• organized 40 events to underscore the need to embrace concepts such as inclusive society, tolerance for diversity, equal citizenry, rule of law and social peace and harmony including

o   17 events under Governance, Community and Religion (GOCORE), a counter-radicalization advocacy campaign for the promotion of pluralistic values including 14 discussion forums at different universities of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Lahore

o   19 discussions with various stakeholders as a part of its conscious effort for strengthening rule of law with 8 under Support for Punjab Prosecution Services (SPPS) and 11 under Capacity Development for Sindh Police (CDSP)

o   4 district level seminars under “Moong Qabail” in Peshawar, Kohat, D.I. Khan and Islamabad to mainstream the need for the abolishment of British Colonial set of laws, primarily focused on the topic ‘FCR: Need of Reforms, Challenges and Way Forward’.

o   with more than 4000 politicians, former and current military and government officials, legal experts, members of the media, and civil society in attendance

• organized 4 round table discussion forums on

o   Rule of Law-Roles of Police and Prosecution, a national level seminar

o   Rule of Law and Counter-Terrorism- Roles of Public and Private Sectors, a national level seminar

o   National Internal Security Policy (NISP), and

o   National Action Plan (NAP) in the wake of terrorist attack on Peshawar Army public school on December 16, 2014 attended by media persons, civil society and former government and military officials. Our recommendations on NAP not only reached the   ministerial level but the Prime Minister Secretariat also benefited from it.

Please see the infographic below:

 

CRSS 2014 – Projects and Accomplishments

 

SABAWOON (New Dawn) 

Sabawoon is CRSS’s longest-running flagship and popular radio show aired from Peshawar for the entire Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA regions. It has been designed to inculcate respect for human rights, globally accepted and practiced democratic  values, underscore the need for good governance, and create greater awareness for democratic and governance reforms in democratic institutions and to create avenues for the public to participate in policymaking either through formal institutions or informal consultations.

 

GOVERNANCE, COMMUNITY AND RELIGION (GOCORE)

This youth-focused counter- radicalization intervention was a sequel to the 2013 project “State, Religion and Democracy “.  It aimed at the promotion of the concept of secular governance i.e. separation of religion and politics through a series of discussions involving Muslim scholars from Turkey, Indonesia and Malaysia,Bangladeshand multi-cultural societies from Americas and Europe.

This campaign continued during 2014 too under the title “Governance, Community and Religion (GOCORE).” The basic objective was to underscore CRSS’s commitment to counter-radicalization advocacy campaign using touchstones such as secular governance,CRSS intervened through a series of dialogues.

 

BALOCHISTAN DEMOCRACY AWARENESS INITIATIVE (BDAI)

In Balochistan, the CRSS launched this radio media advocacy campaign in 2014. It was in fact the continuation of the earlier intervention “Balochistan Youth Forum (BYF)”which was completed in 2013. Through this media advocacy, the CRSS endeavors to connect the Baloch youth with the rest of Pakistan through a syndicated radio show and help them participate in the democratic discourse on socio-political issues of people of Balochistan. The human resource created as a result of BYF i.e. the youth leaders also participated in these radio programs. The program will run through March 2014 to February 2015. Eight live recorded shows are being produced and aired each month which also include field based research stories by CRSS field journalists and live interactive calls. This will be an eleven month activity of approximately 180 research based field reports ending March 2014.

 

CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT OF THE SINDH POLICE (CDSP) 

In partnership with German Foreign Office and GIZ, the German Agency for International Cooperation CDSP aimed at supporting the Sindh Police to professionalize its services vis-à-vis the citizenship, the judiciary and the government. Launched in December 2013, it was a year-long mass publicity and advocacy campaign comprising consultative meetings with politicians, police officers, journalists, legal experts, prosecutors, civil society and public representatives from both interior and urban Sindh.

The campaign was aiming to support improvement of the public image of the Sindh Police; create demand for professional police services among the general public; explain and advocate the need for revision of the Police laws of 1861; influence the public, legislators, stakeholders, including the police itself, judiciary, prosecution, media, ‘watchdog organizations’ and the civil society.

 

SUPPORT FOR PUNJAB PROSECUTION SERVICE (SPPS) 

In collaboration withthe  German Foreign Office and GIZ, the German Agency for International Cooperation, CRSS highlighted and created mass awareness in building capacity and organizational development of the Punjab Criminal Prosecution Service (PCPS) under the SPPS project to develop an independent, efficient and effective prosecution service for the Punjab province. It grew out of the realization that the public at large must know its rights and responsibilities as envisaged in the constitution.

Started in December 2013, the six months long SPPS project, through extensive research, advocacy, consultation and provision of experts, and media campaigns, highlights the advantages and importance of an independent prosecution service for the general public both in interior and urban Punjab.

 

MOONGQABAIL (We The Tribe) 

MoongQabail,part of CRSS’s media advocacy and sensitization campaign on Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), aimed for the provision of better human rights in FATA, and its implications for the people of the embattled province. The project involved two pronged interventions including seminars and media advocacy through radio programs. Focal cities for the seminars were Bannu, Kohat, Dera Ismail Khan and Peshawar with the tribal elders, intelligentsia, journalists, lawyers and civil society.

 

HUM BHI PAKISTAN 

This TV/radio series comprising 30 shows aimed to nationally disseminate socio-political and economic problems of the FATA regions argue that FATA and its citizens deserved equal fundamental rights and access.

This series of TV and radio shows was the first of its kind in the history of Pakistan; never before did media focus on FATA issues in such a sustained way, bringing together nearly 100 parliamentarians, social and political activists, academia and students – an unprecedented number of stakeholders from FATA and the mainstream political parties on private TV (Express) and national TV (PTV), the national broadcaster which has both satellite and terrestrial footprint all over Pakistan. An additional ten syndicated radio shows – repackage of tv shows – were also aired from five FM radio stations for greater dissemination and sensitization

Parliamentarians such as AfrasiabKhattak and Senator Farhatullah Babar went out of the way to appreciate and promote this series of shows which for the first time mainstreamed demands and aspirations of FATA residents through this sustained advocacy campaign.

 

MY STORY, OUR VOICE

CRSS partnered with the Search for Common Ground Pakistan (SFCG) Pakistan to implement the project My Story, Our Voice as a part of UNICEF’S Social Cohesion and Resilience (SCR) Program in the provinces of Sindh, Punjab and KP (Karachi, Rahim Yar Khan and Swat) using the all new Appreciative Inquiry (A.I.) Approach. This is the first project in Pakistan that is being implemented using this innovative A.I. approach.

 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION SERVICES TO DEUTSCHE WELLE

The Center has provided the Monitoring and Evaluation services to the Deutsche Welle’s (DW) Access to Information Program. It involved contributing to the development of the strategy for monitoring and evaluation, contributing to Research for Baseline study (Interviews with Implementing Partners and experts; analyzing existing data) and contributing to Training and coaching of implementing partners on Monitoring and Evaluation.

Watch Activities of CRSS in 2014