Current Projects
More than 240 targeted attacks on Health Centers in the last two years
Ongoing conflict in Afghanistan and increased targeting of medical facilities and personnel by parties to the conflict has further eroded the country’s already fragile health care system. As of November 2016, more than 30 percent of Afghanistan’s population of more than 33 million lacks health care access, according to the ministry of public health (MoPH). While there are more than 2,200 medical facilities throughout Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, frequent or ongoing conflict has significantly limited access to health care due to road closures, irregular delivery of medical supplies, and shortages of medical personnel. Access to health care has also been restricted and in some cases blocked due to targeted attacks on medical facilities and personnel. Many of the attacks documented in this report fall within the definition of attacks on hospitals and related protected persons provided by the United Nations guidance note on security council resolution 1998 (guidance note). Prompted by many reports of these attacks, Watchlist conducted a research mission to Afghanistan in November and December 2016. Watchlist interviewed humanitarian actors, health workers, community shura (council) members, and current and former patients to investigate attacks on medical facilities and personnel and their impact on children’s livelihoods. Watchlist also conducted a systematic desk review of UN and non-UN organizations’ reportage of attacks on health care as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid and public health. While attacks on medical facilities and personnel have occurred in at least 20 provinces during the reporting period of January 2015 to December 2016, Watchlist focused its inquiry on Helmand, Kunduz, Nangarhar, and Maidan Wardak. Parties responsible for the attacks on medical facilities and personnel include armed opposition groups (AOG), including the Taliban and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan Province (ISIL-KP); Afghan national defense security forces...
The Leahy Law and Human Rights Accountability in Afghanistan: Too little, too late or a model for the future?
The Leahy Amendment, or Leahy law, is a little known piece of United States legislation that bans US assistance to units of foreign security forces where there is credible information that a member has committed gross violations of human rights. The Leahy law has accomplished far less than its champions hoped for, but far more than its critics presume, and nowhere are these contradictions on better display than in Afghanistan. Guest author Erica Gaston* has taken a closer look at some post-2014 improvements to its enforcement in Afghanistan, and discovered that the foremost security official in the south, Kandahar Provincial Police Chief Abdul Razeq has failed Leahy law vetting. However, how far he and his forces have been excluded from receiving assistance is an open question, and provides a litmus test of the law’s effectiveness. This dispatch is one of a number of publications under a joint three-year project of AAN, the Global Public Policy institute (GPPi), and the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS). The project explores the role and impact of militias, local or regional defence forces or other quasi-state forces in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, including mechanisms for foreign assistance to such actors. Funding is provided by the Netherlands Research Organisation. The Leahy Law The US Leahy law was first proposed by Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy in 1997 and has been a permanent fixture of the US foreign assistance landscape since 2008. There are parallel versions of the Leahy amendment in the Foreign Appropriations Act of 1961 and the annual Department of Defence Appropriations Bill, which respectively authorise US Department of State (DoS) and US Department of Defence (DoD) funding. (1) Although there are slight distinctions between the two, in essence, both versions prohibit US assistance to any unit of foreign security forces where there is “credible information” that one of its members has committed “gross violations of human rights.”(2) Where...
Chinese Troops Appear To Be Operating In Afghanistan, and The Pentagon Is OK With It
There is mounting evidence that Chinese ground troops are operating inside Afghanistan, conducting joint counter-terror patrols with Afghan forces along a 50-mile stretch of their shared border and fueling speculation that Beijing is preparing to play a significantly greater role in the country's security once the U.S. and NATO leave. The full scope of China's involvement remains unclear, and the Pentagon is unwilling to discuss it. “We know that they are there, that they are present,” a Pentagon spokesman said. Yet beyond a subtle acknowledgement, U.S. military officials in Washington and in Kabul would not respond to several detailed questions submitted by Military Times. This dynamic stands in stark contrast to the two sides' feisty rhetoric over their ongoing dispute in the South China Sea, and to Washington's vocal condemnation of Russian and Iranian activity in Afghanistan. One explanation may be that this quiet arrangement is mutually beneficial. Both the Chinese and Afghan governments have disputed reports of joint patrols inside Afghanistan. Those first surfaced late last year when India's Wion News published photos claiming to show Chinese military vehicles in a region called Little Pamir, a barren plateau near the border. Reuters, an international news agency, also recently documented the development. The vehicles were identified as a Dongfeng EQ 2050, which is the Chinese equivalent of a U.S. Humvee, and a Norinco VP 11a, which are like the mine-resistant MRAPs developed by the U.S. military last decade. China maintains that while its police forces do conduct joint counter-terrorism operations along the border, based on existing bilateral agreements between the two nations, the People's Liberation Army does not. But then there's this peculiarity: In January, Chinese media circulated a report about Chinese troops allegedly rescuing a U.S. special forces team that had been attacked in Afghanistan. The story is likely bogus propaganda, and U.S....
Regional Integration
The high-profile summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) ended in Islamabad last week with a pledge to intensify efforts to explore vast trade potential among the member states spread across South Asia, Central Asia, Persian Gulf and Mediterranean. The successful hosting of the summit of the largest economic grouping of the region could undoubtedly be considered as a major diplomatic success for Pakistan as it was held against the backdrop of deteriorating security situation in the country following a spate of terror attacks across the country that necessitated a countrywide military-led crackdown against the militants. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, following in the footsteps of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stayed away from the summit and did not send any senior minister or official to represent him at the important meeting and instead was represented by his ambassador to Pakistan. Last year, Modi boycotted summit of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to be held in Islamabad over allegations that Pakistan-based militants were involved in the attack on the Indian military camp in Uri in held Kashmir. His boycott effectively scuttled the summit as under SAARC charter, the summit could not be held in the absence of leader of any of the member countries, Luckily, the ECO does not have any such clause in its charter. Moreover, the absence of Ghani made no big difference as the presence of regional heavyweights like Iranian President Hasan Rouhani, Turkish President Rajip Tayyip Erdogan and leaders of the central Asian republics as well as Azerbaijan overshadowed his boycott. The ECO is an important trading bloc. Its member countries account for around sixteen percent of the total population of the world but it is unfortunate that their mutual trade constitute only two percent of the global trade. The member countries sit on one of the world’s biggest reservoirs of energy and through a better interconnectivity of roads,...
Afghan Weekly (Feb 24 – Mar 02, 2017)
Pakistan assured Afghanistan of its full support this week as Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry on Sunday stated that Pakistan had equally faced the brunt of terrorism and continues to be i greatly affected by Afghanistan’s instability. Terming Afghanistan as its twin brother and extending Pakistan’s complete assistance for the country’s peace process, he welcomed the upcoming Economic Cooperation Organisation’s special meeting on Afghanistan in Kabul.[1] Both countries seem to have misunderstood each other during the recent terrorist bombings across Pakistan and the consequent immediate response carrying strict measures by Pakistan’s military. Islamabad has conveyed to Kabul that border closure was meant to prevent the terrorists from crossing over the border. Though, Pakistan’s government has decided in principal to fence only selected parts of the country’s border with Afghanistan to stop suspected persons from entering into Pakistani territory.[2] Meanwhile, Torkham border has been closed off while security officials are on high alert on Ghulam Khan, Angor Ada, Khar Lachi crossing points. A border management mechanism will be devised later, allowing only people with proper documentation to enter the country.[3] On the other hand, speculations have stirred over the news of Chinese military patrols inside Afghanistan. China's Defense Ministry has dismissed these reports, stating that the two countries have only been carrying out counter-terrorism operations along their common border.[4] Some are still skeptical about the definition and scope of their counter-terrorism operations. Meanwhile, US forces in Afghanistan have also promised to continue their efforts with the Afghan forces to fight terrorist groups. While citing the recent activities by the terror group in northern parts of the country, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has reported that the loyalists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group may develop a regional power...
Rule of Law Must Apply Equally: CCPO Peshawar
There is no one above law; it applies to everyone indiscriminately including citizens as well as implementers and legislators of law. Rule of law influences authority of law in the society. The three main areas/ pillars of KP Police reforms are Capacity Building, Structural Reforms and Community Engagement. These views were presented by CCPO Peshawar, Mr. Muhammad Tahir Khan during a Public Forum on KP police reforms, at Peshawar Press Club, held by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS). Mr. Tahir Khan said that key considerations of the major KP police reforms were professionalism, operational autonomy and accountability. The KP police - through capacity building initiatives - is injecting maximum possible resources into its human capital for its professional training and grooming. Several specialized schools in this regard are playing a critical role in capacitating the police in different areas of specialization with behavioral change at the core. Several new wings have been raised as part of structural reforms including Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), Rapid Response Force (RRF), Special Combat Unit (SCU), Traffic Wardens Unit, and Canine Unit where women are playing important roles in all these departments. With the incorporation of Information Technology in KP police reforms, around 1.3 million FIRs have been digitalized so far and extensive database of Tennant Information Forms (TIF) is also available with the KP police now. Hotspot policing is also an important IT tool which helps prevention of heinous crimes. The Identity Verification System, Criminal Record Verification System (CRVS) and Vehicle Verification System (VVS) verify critical information within few minutes and have eased both police and public from unnecessary hassle. The SOS system can alert the law enforcement agencies in emergency situations and is capable of sending the exact coordinates of the location/ installment that needs rapid response. He also shared that the Police...
Daesh Gradually Gaining Ground In Pakistan
He started chatting with militants on Facebook and then learnt how to use timeless ‘Kalashnikov AK-47-Assault-Rifle’. He learnt these skills online from a commander of ultra-extremist militant group, the Islamic State (IS), generally known as Daesh, in Syria last year (June 2016). Ghulam Ghous Kumar has been watching videos of IS fighters before establishing a few networks in major cities of Punjab --Lahore in particular. He facilitated five networks and used Facebook to recruit more than 130 militants and spread radical propaganda online throughout the country. His father Muhammad Bota was residing near Gourmet Bakers Factory, Lahore when Ghulam Ghaous was in contact with a Syria-based Daesh commander Qari Abid and an Afghanistan-based commander Nabeel Ahmed, alias Abu Abdullah to wage ‘jihad’ in Pakistan. After embracing caliphate of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi through Qari Abid on Facebook and telegram, he started recruiting likeminded militants in Lahore, Sialkot and Gujranwala. The shocking revelations were collected from some 30 militants of Daesh who were arrested by law enforcing agencies assigned to eliminate footprints of Daesh in the country. It is happening at a time when the authorities claimed that there was no such support for the IS in the country. Ghous firstly worked with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. Then he joined Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan's camp in tribal areas but later joined hands with Daesh last year. He taught ringleaders of these networks how to use various applications, be it Facebook or other cellular options, to maintain communications between radicals internally. These networks were operating underground and they all were recruiting new members and spreading radical propaganda online in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Ghous helped Hassan Akbar Sherazi, an activist of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, to establish a four-member network in an area of New Garden Lahore. Exclusive documents obtained by The News and officials concerned revealed that Khuram Shahzad...
FATA to Be Merged With K-P
It’s a dream come true for most tribesmen of Fata. Their longstanding demand for repeal of a British colonial-era draconian law has finally been granted — a move widely greeted by jubilation, though there were also feeble voices of skepticism. In a watershed development, the federal cabinet on Thursday approved the recommendations of the Fata reforms committee which, besides other things, envisages merger of Fata with adjoining Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa over the next five years. The cabinet also decided to repeal the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), the most controversial set of laws introduced by the colonial power in 1901, and replace it with the Rewaj Regulation for Tribal Areas through an act of parliament. It also decided to bring Fata ‘at a par’ with the other areas of the country through a 10-year development package. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif presided over the cabinet meeting where attendees included federal and state ministers, as well as all members of the Committee on Fata Reforms, along with its convener, Sartaj Aziz. Aziz — flanked by the committee members as well as K-P Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra — later shared details at a news conference in the Foreign Office. “It is a historic decision and we must congratulate the whole country as the decades-old demand of the tribespeople has been fulfilled,” he said. He said the cabinet approved in principle recommendations of the reforms committee to mainstream Fata in the next five years in consultation with all stakeholders. “A provision will be made through a constitutional amendment enabling the people of Fata to elect their own representatives to the K-P Assembly in 2018,” he said. To a question as to when the government would introduce the reforms bill, Aziz said it would soon be taken up by parliament, though he wouldn’t give a tentative date. Aziz said the FCR would be repealed and replaced with the new Rewaj Regulation for Tribal Areas which would be submitted to the president of Pakistan for approval...
Afghan General Wants Border Crossings With Pakistan Reopened
A senior Afghan army general, in a meeting with Pakistan’s ambassador in Kabul, has asked Islamabad to reopen all border crossings between the two countries. The foreign ministry in Islamabad confirmed that “the Ambassador of Pakistan Syed Abrar Hussain was invited through Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a meeting with General Murad Ali Murad, Deputy Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Defence on February 27, 2017.” Pakistan Army had summoned Afghan embassy officials to the GHQ last month and handed over a list of over 70 militants who allegedly operate from the Afghan side of the border. The list was handed over after the banned Jamaatul Ahrar, a breakaway faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, claimed responsibility for deadly attacks across the country, which killed over 100 people. Kabul also delivered a similar list to the Pakistani military and foreign affairs adviser. Pakistan had closed the border with Afghanistan minutes after the suicide attack on Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Sindh’s Sehwan town on February 17. “During the meeting, General Murad requested for de-escalation at the border and re-opening of the crossing points between the two countries,” the statement said. “Highlighting the sufferings of people due to closure of the border and cross-border shelling from Pakistan, he sought reduction in tensions,” the FO statement said, adding that the Afghan general also “promised to take action against terrorists on the basis of shared information.” Following the attacks, Pakistan Army also destroyed nearly a dozen training camps and hideouts of Afghan-based terrorist groups. Accompanied by Defence Attaché Brig Farooq Zaman, Ambassador Hussain, in his response, briefed on the circumstances behind actions taken by Pakistan. “He stated that Afghan nationals were involved in recent attacks in Pakistan and stressed that Afghanistan should take appropriate measures for denying use of its soil by terrorists against Pakistan.” The ambassador also...
China awaits Gwadar’s development to invest in industrial setups
China will convince its investors to set up industrial projects in the southern deep sea port of Gwadar after the completion of infrastructure developments in the Balochistan city, its envoy said. “Birds come when the nest is built,” Mu Yongpeng, vice consul general of China’s consulate general in Karachi told media at a meeting on late Tuesday’s evening. Yongpeng said Chinese government has initiated infrastructure development, constructing roads, developing port and building an airport. He said the main responsibility lies on the part of the government to provide basic utilities in the area. China started $57-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) connecting its southern western province Xinjiang, across Pakistan, to Persian Gulf. Gwadar is the southern centerpiece of China’s ambitious plan of building energy and infrastructure. The start of transportation on the corridor already fuelled trading activities in the Balochistan’s city. Especially, real estate prices are seen rising again, much to the relief of owners who have been holding the properties and waiting the price recovery for over a decade. Under the CPEC announced in 2014, a number of Chinese companies have partnered Pakistani government to develop the country’s dilapidated road and deteriorating energy infrastructure. The CPEC is financing rail-based mass transit, special economic zones, energy, infrastructure development and Gwadar-related projects. The vice counsel general said Gwadar has an immense importance in the Pakistan’s economy. “How come we ask investors to come until there is a proper road network,” he added. The diplomat said the transformation of a city doesn’t precede a rocket science. Shenzhen, a southeastern city of China, was an underdeveloped area a couple of years back. Now, the city, connecting Hong Kong to mainland China, has become the centre of attraction because of the developed industrial base. Yongpeng said Chinese government offered tax incentives, free water and...
TOP STORIES
TESTIMONIALS
“
I am also a member of National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting. Recently, we held a meeting with the Director General of Radio Pakistan and we told them to initiate such local programs (like Constituency Hour) in regional languages to educate and inform people. Even Indian Radio can be heard in FATA which is being used for propaganda purposes and must be closed. Therefore, we should launch some standard and quality programs like CRSS that will change the taste of the listeners.