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Security of Pakistan, Afghanistan, India interlinked: US
The security of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan is interconnected and it will be better for these countries to cooperate with each other in countering terrorism, a US State Department spokesman said. Responding to a question at a briefing at the State Department, Mark Toner said, “Afghanistan’s, security Pakistan’s security and indeed India’s security, they’re all interconnected. And so as much as they can work in tandem or work in a partnership on counterterrorism operations I think it’s for the betterment of the region.” Responding to a question, the spokesman observed that denying safe havens to terrorists had been part of discussion with Pakistan and acknowledged that there had been progress. “We’ve seen them (Pakistan) take some steps to address these safe havens,” he said but maintained that the problem persisted and there was something which was part of ongoing conversation and dialogue between Pakistan and the United States. He, however, acknowledged the difficulties going after the safe havens in the border region with Afghanistan given the remote areas that terrorists were hiding in. The spokesman strongly condemned the Monday’s terrorist attack on the parliamentary buildings in Kabul that killed 38 Afghans and wounded more than 70 people. “The United States stands strongly with the people of Afghanistan and remains firmly committed to building a secure peaceful and prosperous future for Afghanistan,” he added. Replying to another question, he said “There has been a consistent trend of these kinds of senseless acts of violence on the part of the Taliban who have claimed responsibility for the attack in Kabul.” He said that the United States did not want to see Afghanistan slide back into what it was. Toner said the US was trying to build the capacity of the Afghan security forces to determine and to provide for the security of the Afghan people. “We’ve also worked hard to foster an Afghan-led peace process which again ultimately is we believe the way...
Russia Returns to Afghanistan
Russia is a great power that retains muscle memory (and a strategic arsenal) from its past superpowerdom. In the Ukraine and Syria, Russia has challenged the United States—its former peer and a hesitant hegemon in decline—through direct military interventions. Additionally, Moscow has impressively deployed hybrid warfare tactics to create the perception that it has influenced the U.S. presidential election and forged a rift between the incoming commander-in-chief and elements of the U.S. intelligence community. Surprisingly, Afghanistan is emerging as another arena in which Moscow is pointedly working at odds with Washington’s interests. Indeed, recent moves by Russia now represent a pivot toward Afghanistan, posing a set of challenges that have been unanticipated by U.S. observers of the region. The incoming Trump Administration ought to be aware of Russia’s newfound assertiveness vis-à-vis Afghanistan, both in the threats it poses as well as the potential opportunities it may present. A Russian About-Face in Afghanistan In late December, Moscow hosted a trilateral dialogue with Beijing and Islamabad on the future of Afghanistan. Importantly, left out of the talks were Kabul, Washington and New Delhi—a historic Russian ally now moving closer to the United States. The joint statement released after the dialogue expressed support for talks with the Afghan Taliban and concern over the spread of Islamic State. The Russo-Sino-Pak trilateral did not emerge out of thin air. It is the latest in a series of Russian efforts to engage both Islamabad and the Afghan Taliban. Together, these moves mark a definitive departure from Moscow’s decades-old policy toward the region. Pakistan was a strong U.S. ally during most of the Cold War, while the Soviet Union had a defense pact with the nominally non-aligned India. After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Pakistan, in concert with the United States, helped make Afghanistan a graveyard for the Red Army, forcing its withdrawal....
May the Force be With You
KP’s police have geared up to fight terror and crime after Zarb-e-Azb Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province has seen a remarkable turnaround in the fight against terrorist and extremist groups in the last couple of years. This province’s geographical location has indeed been a complicating factor ever since the Soviet Union occupied Afghanistan and the US-led west responded to that occupation via Pakistan. In addition to having a 1,350 km border with Afghanistan, KP province is surrounded by tribal regions known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Provincially Administered Tribal Areas and the Frontier Regions. All of them are governed by a special set of laws. This unusual geographical proximity to the once virtual “no-go areas” and the Pakistani rulers’ thoughtless use of these regions for anti-Soviet jihad has generated numerous socio-political and economic challenges which gradually eroded the quality and authority of policing in the province. But in this sea of turmoil, and on the back of Operation Zarb-e-Azb, some positives are emerging. Once promised operational autonomy, provincial police chief Nasir Khan Durrani has gone about reforming the force in a professional way. That has also helped align it with the counter-terrorism objectives of Zarb-e-Azb as well as prepare the police to face the consequences of these operations. One of the major ones was the flight of the top leadership of militants and terrorists to Afghanistan and that of their operators to KP’s urban areas. Had they not been busted, arrested or killed, they would have wreaked havoc. It required a special professional response and this is what we have tried to do in the last three years or so, Durrani told TFT. The KP police in fact found itself facing an unprecedented threat since they had been trained only to deal with common criminals. Now they find themselves confronted with a deadly mix of criminal syndicates and trans-border terrorists The KP police in fact found itself...
Sabawoon Showcase: Women’s Empowerment and Role in Society
January 11, 2016, Peshawar: The latest episode of Sabawoon[i], a flagship radio program of Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), focused on women’s empowerment and role in society. The key discussion points included women’s rights, their contribution to Pakistan’s economic development, social and cultural barriers faced by women, role of women in police and their trainings, and the importance of family support in the grooming of a female as a social asset. The program was aired under the theme of Jwandai Jazbey (living spirits) on Wednesday. Ms. Asmat Arra, Sub Divisional Police Officer Traffic, Peshawar, was the show guest. A radio report was made part of the program. It shared the experiences of a female driver, Ms. Huma Bibi, and owner of a female driving training school, Ms. Nilofer Sami, as a case study. Four callers participated live in the show. They underlined the significance of female education and urged the government to take more proactive measures for facilitating women’s education in rural areas. Ms. Arra said: “If women want to contribute to the development of the country, they should set objectives in life, be more confident and overcome the societal barriers.” Sabawoon airs Monday through Thursday on FM-101.5 Peshawar & DI Khan 711 KHZ from 3:20 PM to 4:00 PM. [i] Sabawoon is a flagship radio program by CRSS in the KP/FATA region, designed to highlight local issues, and promote fundamental global values such as women’s rights, rule of law, equal citizenry, democracy, governance and accountability. It airs four times a week, under four themes. On Monday, Jarga Marrakka covers current affairs and issues, coupled with government and other senior officials. On Tuesday, Da Semi Jaaj gives a holistic regional overview of the most important stories across the length and breadth of KP/FATA. On Wednesday, Jwandai Jazbey covers issues most important to youth, students and females. Finally, on Thursday, Ranra covers social issues that...
Cure or curse: Our perpetual dependence on the IMF
The latest International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan programme for Pakistan concluded in September 2016. It was deemed a success: the country’s economy is doing reasonably well after three years under it. The state of the economy, however, may not have much to do with the programme. There is, in fact, a strong expectation that Pakistan may again seek help from the IMF if its finances become insufficient to meet its external trade and debt repayment needs. Our relationship with the Fund (that is, dependency) can be better understood by looking at our past. The IMF is generally approached for help when a country faces a balance of payments problem. Although this remains the main reason for Pakistan requesting money from the Fund, the IMF programmes in Pakistan (and in other countries) since the 1990s have focused more on introducing comprehensive changes in the structure of the economy than just providing support for hard currency needs. There is, in fact, a strong expectation that Pakistan may again seek help from the IMF if its finances become insufficient. Since December 1988, Pakistan has had nine separate engagements with the IMF — three of them were double programmes. That means there have been 12 IMF programmes in Pakistan in the last 28 years. Only four of them – all initiated in the 2000s and 2010s – were completed successfully; all the rest were abandoned halfway in the 1990s. The turning point came in 2000 when Pakistan was facing the possibility of defaulting on its foreign debts by the end of the year. One should recall that Pakistan had fallen out of favour with the West in May 1998 (when it conducted nuclear tests) and subsequently in 1999 (due to Pervez Musharraf’s military coup). Seeking help from the IMF was the only option available to Islamabad in those circumstances. This constraint put the government in a situation where it had to accept and abide by the terms and conditions attached to the loan agreement with the IMF (signed in November 2000 and...
World powers jostle in Afghanistan’s new ‘Great Game’
Afghanistan's strategic landscape is changing as regional powers forge links with the Taliban and vie to outdo each other in what's being seen as a new "Great Game". Fifteen years after the US-led intervention in Afghanistan, competition for influence - reminiscent of that rivalry between the Russian and British empires in the 19th and early 20th Centuries, and that during the Cold War in the 1980s - is intensifying, complicating an already precarious security situation. Suspicion and mistrust remain the biggest obstacle to stability in strategically-located Afghanistan, which has the potential to destabilise the wider region. Pakistan, considered the main supporter of the Afghan Taliban, has been accused of playing a double game. But Afghan and Western officials as well as Taliban sources have also spoken about the Taliban's clandestine links with Iran for the past few years. And recently it emerged that Russia's ties with the Taliban were warming too. In December the top US commander in Afghanistan, Gen John Nicholson, criticised Russia and Iran for establishing links with the militants, which both countries have confirmed. The US has also pursued contacts with the Taliban in recent years but those efforts have not brought peace. Several regional powers, most notably Russia and Iran, criticise the US and its allies for "failing" in achieving its original objectives of eliminating violent extremism and drugs in Afghanistan. Three major factors have contributed to the shifting of regional alliances: the emergence of so-called Islamic State in Afghanistan; changes in the approach of the new Afghan government; and tensions between the US and regional players such as Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan. Fears over Islamic State The emergence of IS in Afghanistan - the group announced the creation of its Khorasan Province branch in January 2015 - provided Russia and Iran with the opportunity to make "contacts" with the Taliban. The US's decreasing military role in...
World powers jostle in Afghanistan's new 'Great Game'
Afghanistan's strategic landscape is changing as regional powers forge links with the Taliban and vie to outdo each other in what's being seen as a new "Great Game". Fifteen years after the US-led intervention in Afghanistan, competition for influence - reminiscent of that rivalry between the Russian and British empires in the 19th and early 20th Centuries, and that during the Cold War in the 1980s - is intensifying, complicating an already precarious security situation. Suspicion and mistrust remain the biggest obstacle to stability in strategically-located Afghanistan, which has the potential to destabilise the wider region. Pakistan, considered the main supporter of the Afghan Taliban, has been accused of playing a double game. But Afghan and Western officials as well as Taliban sources have also spoken about the Taliban's clandestine links with Iran for the past few years. And recently it emerged that Russia's ties with the Taliban were warming too. In December the top US commander in Afghanistan, Gen John Nicholson, criticised Russia and Iran for establishing links with the militants, which both countries have confirmed. The US has also pursued contacts with the Taliban in recent years but those efforts have not brought peace. Several regional powers, most notably Russia and Iran, criticise the US and its allies for "failing" in achieving its original objectives of eliminating violent extremism and drugs in Afghanistan. Three major factors have contributed to the shifting of regional alliances: the emergence of so-called Islamic State in Afghanistan; changes in the approach of the new Afghan government; and tensions between the US and regional players such as Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan. Fears over Islamic State The emergence of IS in Afghanistan - the group announced the creation of its Khorasan Province branch in January 2015 - provided Russia and Iran with the opportunity to make "contacts" with the Taliban. The US's decreasing military role in...
Risks to Afghanistan
On January 11, 2017, Special Inspector General John F. Sopko unveiled SIGAR’s updated High-Risk List in a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). As a new Administration and a new Congress prepare to inherit America’s longest war and largest reconstruction effort, the High-Risk List calls attention to some of the greatest challenges facing Afghanistan today. Speech highlights: -- The best spin the Afghan security forces can put on their activities is that they are able to re-take strategic areas after they temporarily fall. We may be defining success as the absence of failure. -- Afghan commanders often pocket the paychecks of “ghost soldiers” for whom the U.S. is paying salaries. The number of ghost soldiers is significant, likely reaching into the tens of thousands. -- There is evidence that the Taliban have instructed their field commanders to simply purchase U.S. supplied weapons, fuel, and ammunition from Afghan soldiers because to do so is both easier and less expensive. -- A significant portion – perhaps as much as half – of U.S. purchased fuel is siphoned off at various stages of this compromised system, wasting U.S. taxpayer dollars and handicapping Afghan security forces. -- Resolute Support estimates that as much as 60 percent of the Taliban’s funding comes from poppy production and cultivation, which has grown significantly despite the United States’ $8.5 billion investment in counternarcotics efforts. -- Given recent depreciation of the Afghan currency, the negative effect on the Afghan economy of the American military withdrawal, and a demographic youth bulge that drove many Afghans to try to reach Europe as refugees, future prospects look bleak. -- I first witnessed the United States put in way too much, way too fast. More recently, I’ve watched the U.S. remove way too much, way too fast. -- Withdraw, and the democratic government may well fall. Stay, and continue what we have been doing and we may be faced with what...
Exchange of Parliamentarians between Afghanistan and Pakistan Critical to Improve Ties, Agha Siraj Durrani
The exchange of parliamentarians would be an excellent initiative to improve the bilateral relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The speaker of Sindh Assembly, Agha Siraj Durrani said during meeting with the members of Pakistan Afghan Joint Committee (PAJC) at Provincial Assembly, Sindh. “I would love to visit the Afghan parliament along with the other Pakistani MPs. I would also like to extend all possible cooperation for the betterment of ties between the two countries”, said the speaker while noting that both countries have a rich past history of cultural and people to people contacts. Later that day, the members of PAJC met with the Provincial Secretary for Culture, Ghulam Akbar Laghari, Provincial Secretary for Sports, Mr. Saleem Raza and Special Secretary to Chief Minister Sindh, Mr. A. Rahim Shaikh. The secretary sports said that if there were no advancements on the political front, the people to people relations should continue. He was willing to take all possible steps to increase the cooperation on sports and youth affairs and was also open to the idea of Pakistani sports delegation visiting Kabul for sports exchange on reciprocal agreement. He said that the ministry could provide all the facilities available in Karachi for such visits. He further assured to provide boarding and lodging facility to the visiting afghan youth delegations. “We are open to the idea of organizing cultural events in Afghanistan through an MOU with relevant afghan department. The delegations from Afghanistan can also be hosted for similar events in Pakistan”, the secretary culture noted who was present in the same meeting, while adding that there should also be writers exchange who can travel simultaneously with the cultural troupes to share and disseminate their experiences through travel logs. The special secretary to chief minister Sindh vowed to take up the matter with the chief minister for further necessary actions including expression of interest based on the...
Sabawoon Showcase: Regional Review of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)
January 10, 2017, Peshawar: The latest episode of Sabawoon[i], flagship radio program of the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) was presented under the theme of Da Semi Jaaj (regional review) on Tuesday. This program reviews significant news from the region and provides crisp analysis. Following reports were included in the program: Tourists visiting Swat to enjoy the snow fall Lack of proper sports grounds in district Bannu and government’ apathy towards the issue Inauguration of two small dams in Mohmand Agency by Mr. Sikandar Hayat Khan Shirpao, a senior minister of KP Issues faced by the residents of district Tank due to scarcity of potable water Problem of one-wheeling in district Kohat and the inability of traffic police to tackle it Sabawoon airs Monday through Thursday on FM-101.5 Peshawar & DI Khan 711 KHZ from 3:20 PM to 4:00 PM. [i] Sabawoon is a flagship radio program by CRSS in the KP/FATA region, designed to highlight local issues, and promote fundamental global values such as women’s rights, rule of law, equal citizenry, democracy, governance and accountability. It airs four times a week, under four themes. On Monday, Jarga Marrakka covers current affairs and issues, coupled with government and other senior officials. On Tuesday, Da Semi Jaaj gives a holistic regional overview of the most important stories across the length and breadth of KP/FATA. On Wednesday, Jwandai Jazbey covers issues most important to youth, students and females. Finally, on Thursday, Ranra covers social issues that have a cultural angle and/or impact.
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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.