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Anyone keen to clear his name?
For right reasons, the Panama leaks refuse to fade away in Pakistan. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has tried his best to shake off the charges involving tax evasion, money laundering, perjury and violation of election laws. With the Supreme Courts taking up the case again in January, the nation remains divided and uncertain whether the honorable judges would be able to come up with a verdict that could pacify general public and in some way serve as a firewall against corruption. The dominating view is that nothing would come out of the court case. At most, the judgment would be such that each side would project it as its victory. The government is back on the offensive in and outside the Parliament and refuses to concede to any demand of opposition parties. PTI has grand plans to reach out to public. PPP is also threatening more aggressive public protest. TV anchors are putting in their share to keep the Panama leeks case afloat. The government is confident that there will be no popular rising against it despite frequent reference to impeachment of South Korean President.in the local media Presently most of the Islamic states are known to have corrupt governments and repressive systems of governance. Pakistan is perhaps in the lead. Majority among us think that nothing will remedy the situation in Pakistan. However, it is our choice whether as a nation we really want to slur our state for not cleansing our society. Nothing stops us except our greed. Our religion and national legal system is capable of addressing the issue of accountability and corruption. Impartial reviews of early Islamic history reveal that the ruler in Islam is accountable for his conduct and governance. Political accountability can be traced in the declarations of the early Four Rightly Guided Caliphs. Caliphs held them- selves subject to impeachment in case of deviation from the Islamic values and trust imposed in their leadership. For instance, the first Caliph Abu Bakr said in his...
Terror Hotbeds Now In Afghanistan after Operation Zarb-E-Azb
Reaffirming its commitment to eliminating all terrorist networks, a senior Pakistani diplomat on Monday rejected the Afghan government’s allegation that the Taliban reorganise in Pakistan during the winter saying that their sanctuaries had in fact shifted to Afghanistan. “The drivers of the recent upsurge in violence lie within Afghanistan and not outside,” Pakistan’s acting permanent representative to the UN Nabeel Munir told the Security Council during a debate on the situation in the strife-torn country. He said despite Afghan security forces’ efforts to bravely stand their ground, the security situation continued to deteriorate. “Presence of a large number of terrorist and extremist groups and organizations in the ungoverned areas of Afghanistan present a continuing challenge to the long-term stability of Afghanistan and its neighbours,” he said. “We reject the unsubstantiated assertion that the Taliban reorganise in Pakistan during the winter period,” Munir said. He said the sanctuaries of terrorists had in fact shifted to Afghanistan due to the successful counter-terrorism operation Zarb-e-Azb, the results of which were widely acknowledged by the international community. He said robust border management was critical to counter cross-border movement adding that it was disingenuous to propose a regional mechanism when Kabul was unwilling even to work on this bilaterally. Munir welcomed the resolve of Afghan leadership to address their differences in a spirit of cooperation but stated that continued political volatility and the security situation was a cause of concern. Pakistan had expressed its support for Afghanistan in Brussels and would continue its regional cooperation, he added. He said the peace and reconciliation process had yet to produce results but that was not due to lack of efforts on Pakistan’s part. “The Afghan parties must realise that military efforts never bring peace. Faithful implementation and remaining trust among parties is...
China ‘Striving For New World Order’
In 2004, it overtook France. In 2005, it surpassed the United Kingdom. A year later it left Germany behind. In 2009, it dethroned Japan. And now it has set its sights on the No 1 spot. Never before in history has a country achieved such an unprecedented and phenomenal economic growth. This is the story of China, which is poised to lead the world economy and by doing so lead the world literally. To achieve that, which many in the West consider China’s ambitious plan, President Xi Jinping unveiled the ‘one belt, one road’ initiative to revive the silk route during his visit to Kazakhstan in 2013. At Renmin University in Beijing, one of the top three universities in China, Professor Dr Wang Yiwei gave a rare insight into the initiative to a select group of Pakistani journalists who were on a study tour to Beijing and Shanghai. Why ‘one belt, one road’? Currently, China relies on the South China Sea for over 80% of its trade. Chinese shipping containers pass through a narrow strip in the Straits of Malacca where the United States military has a huge presence. “This means we [China] need alternative routes,” explains Dr Wang, who is director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University. This alternative is offered by Pakistan through its Gwadar port that connects China’s impoverished western regions to Central Asia and onwards to Europe. But ‘one belt, one road’ initiative has caused concerns in the West, particularly in the United States. There are fears that China through its initiative will change the rules of the game as far as the world trade is concerned and may lead to confrontation among the big powers. However, Dr Wang dismissed the perception, saying had China planned to confront anyone, its initiative would have not envisioned inclusion of India, which has publicly opposed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The initiative proposes six corridors that include New Eurasian Land Bridge, China-Mongolia-Russia, China-Central Asia-West...
Police and Political Commitment
In a controversial move, the Sindh government has the police chief A D Khwaja home following his apparent refusal to play second fiddle to it as well as admission of failure in “good governance” within his department, ostensibly because of political interference. The police in Punjab remains firmly under the CM as organised crime continues to thrive proportionate to billions of rupees that the provincial government spends on law enforcement. Data for the first 11 months of 2016 suggests that extortion cases have increased by a whopping 43 per cent while cases car-jackings and kidnappings are up by 29 per cent and 13 per cent, compared to the year 2015. Balochistan is a different story altogether, abundantly commented upon also in the Quetta Enquiry Commission report — an aberration that needs to be fixed. Why does the police in Punjab, Sindh remain controversial, corrupt and deemed as partners with the politically patronised criminal syndicates? Is it the outdated 1861 Police Act (Sindh and Balochistan) and the Police Order 2002 (Punjab) that continue to be the guiding framework for the police in these provinces? Or political reluctance to let the police function independently as a professional force? Or missing accountability mechanisms that encourage police officials to exploit even the victims? Probably a combination of all the aforementioned factors. Socio conditions in K-P are not different either. Nor is the police there immune to the lure of alliances with organised crime. But the last three years have seen structural changes, motivated by an operational autonomy, political non-interference and institutional commitment — all reflected in the K-P Police Ordinance 2016. The Ordinance grants the IG Police autonomy over postings, transfers, tenures, promotions and accountability of mid to senior level police officers. It empowers the Public Safety Commissions and the regional authorities to keep a check on the police officers. It delinks the police from...
Sabawoon Showcase: Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) Reforms and their Impacts
December 19, 2016, Peshawar: The latest episode of Sabawoon[1], flagship radio program of Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), was about FATA reforms and their impacts. The key discussion points included FATA reforms bill, merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), issues faced by residents due to Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), extension of the constitution of Pakistan to FATA, resource mobilization, transparency in the usage of funds by the Political Administration and the role of FATA parliamentarians in the region’s transformation. The program was aired under the theme of Jarga Marrakka (debate and council) on Thursday. Mr. Rehmat Salam Khattak, a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) Parliamentarian from Peshawar, and Mr. Iqbal Afridi, a political activist from Khyber Agency, were the studio guests. A radio report on the central theme of the program was aired. The report shared the views of people favoring the merger of FATA with KP, concerns of residents against FCR and misuse of resources in the region. Two callers took part live in the program. They urged the government to hold a referendum over the issue of FATA’s merger with the KP and let the tribal people enjoy their basic rights. Mr. Rehmat Salam Khattak, PMLN Parliamentarian Peshawar, said: “FATA reforms bill has been passed by the National Assembly and it awaits the approval by Senate. This will help administer FATA and enhance peace and prosperity in the region.” Mr. Iqbal Afridi, political activist, Khyber Agency, said: “The people of FATA have been ignored for decades as they don’t enjoy any constitutional rights. FATA should also be brought within the purview of the constitution of the country.” Sabawoon airs Monday through Thursday on FM-101.5 Peshawar & DI Khan 711 KHZ from 3:20 PM to 4:00 PM. [1] 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,...
The Situation in Afghanistan and its Implications for International Peace and Security – Report of The Secretary-General (A/71/682–S/2016/1049)
Introduction The present report is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 68/11 and Security Council resolution 2274 (2016), in which I was requested to report every three months on developments in Afghanistan. The report provides an update on the activities of the United Nations in Afghanistan, including significant humanitarian, development and human rights efforts, since the issuance of my previous report (A/71/616-S/2016/768). It also provides a summary of key political and security developments and regional and international events relating to Afghanistan. Relevant developments The President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, and the Chief Executive, Abdullah Abdullah, presented the Afghan National Peace and Development Framework at the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan, held on 5 October, in which international partners confirmed their intention to provide $15.2 billion in support of the country’s development priorities until 2020. Ongoing tensions in the executive branch and the vote to dismiss several Cabinet ministers by the lower house of the National Assembly contributed to political volatility. This occurred against a backdrop of intensifying armed clashes between security forces and the Taliban. The names of commissioners for the electoral management bodies that are to pursue electoral reforms and prepare for elections were announced. The Government also advanced its anti-corruption agenda. A peace agreement was signed by the Government with Hizb-i Islami (Gulbuddin), but prospects for talks with the Taliban have not improved. Increasing levels of violence resulted in high civilian casualties, including a disturbing number of child casualties, and significant new displacements. The rate of return of Afghan refugees and undocumented Afghans from Pakistan increased rapidly, further exacerbating the fragile humanitarian situation. See full report here. This article originally appeared on www.reliefweb.int ,17 December, 2016. Original link....
DEA: Heroin Haul Largest Ever in Afghanistan, 'if Not the World'
A joint U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, American Special Forces and Afghan counternarcotics operation in October resulted in an eye-popping seizure of 20 tons of drugs, which officials said was the "largest known seizure of heroin in Afghanistan, if not the world." The operation was kept under wraps until today, when a DEA official confirmed the contents of a field intelligence report obtained by ABC News but did not explain why a successful "superlab" takedown — which agency veterans agreed is an unprecedented narcotics haul — was not officially announced. "This drug seizure alone prevented not only a massive amount of heroin hitting the streets throughout the world but also denied the Taliban money that would have been used to fund insurgent activities in and around the region," DEA spokesman Steven Bell told ABC News yesterday. He said a conservative estimated street value was about $60 million for the 12.5 tons of morphine base, 6.4 tons of heroin base, 134 kilograms of opium, 129 kilograms of crystal heroin and 12 kilograms of hashish seized in the Oct. 17 raid, which took place in the western Afghan province of Farah, on the border with Iran. "If that was Pablo Escobar's stash, that would be considered a lot of frickin' heroin," said one combat veteran of the DEA's 11-year counternarcotics mission to blunt the country's heroin trade, referring to the Medellin, Colombia, narcotics kingpin killed two decades ago. "That's going to make a dent in the European market." The operation's success is all the more extraordinary, given that the footprint of the U.S. military in Afghanistan is now below 10,000 service members and the DEA's numbers have diminished to a handful in-country, sources said. This downsizing has eliminated the DEA's Foreign-Deployed Advisory Support Teams (FAST) in Afghanistan, which target drug A Green Beret A-team aided the agents in executing a warrant search in the western Afghanistan province. After a brief gunfight with insurgents...
DEA: Heroin Haul Largest Ever in Afghanistan, ‘if Not the World’
A joint U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, American Special Forces and Afghan counternarcotics operation in October resulted in an eye-popping seizure of 20 tons of drugs, which officials said was the "largest known seizure of heroin in Afghanistan, if not the world." The operation was kept under wraps until today, when a DEA official confirmed the contents of a field intelligence report obtained by ABC News but did not explain why a successful "superlab" takedown — which agency veterans agreed is an unprecedented narcotics haul — was not officially announced. "This drug seizure alone prevented not only a massive amount of heroin hitting the streets throughout the world but also denied the Taliban money that would have been used to fund insurgent activities in and around the region," DEA spokesman Steven Bell told ABC News yesterday. He said a conservative estimated street value was about $60 million for the 12.5 tons of morphine base, 6.4 tons of heroin base, 134 kilograms of opium, 129 kilograms of crystal heroin and 12 kilograms of hashish seized in the Oct. 17 raid, which took place in the western Afghan province of Farah, on the border with Iran. "If that was Pablo Escobar's stash, that would be considered a lot of frickin' heroin," said one combat veteran of the DEA's 11-year counternarcotics mission to blunt the country's heroin trade, referring to the Medellin, Colombia, narcotics kingpin killed two decades ago. "That's going to make a dent in the European market." The operation's success is all the more extraordinary, given that the footprint of the U.S. military in Afghanistan is now below 10,000 service members and the DEA's numbers have diminished to a handful in-country, sources said. This downsizing has eliminated the DEA's Foreign-Deployed Advisory Support Teams (FAST) in Afghanistan, which target drug A Green Beret A-team aided the agents in executing a warrant search in the western Afghanistan province. After a brief gunfight with insurgents...
New Narrative on Afghanistan
Despite the negative consequences of the serious policy blunders committed by the US in Afghanistan over the past decade and a half, it refuses to draw the right lessons from its unhappy experience. Instead, it has persisted in pursuing its flawed Afghanistan policy with over-emphasis on a military rather than a political solution. In the process, most of the Pashtuns, who constitute almost half of the Afghan population, have been alienated thereby fuelling the Taliban insurgency in the aftermath of 9/11. Objectively speaking, the root cause of the continuing armed conflict lies in the internal conflict between the Pashtuns and the non-Pashtuns in Afghanistan aggravated by foreign occupation. Unfortunately, Pakistan so far has failed to put across to the international community its assessment of the Afghanistan situation in proper perspective. The terrorist attacks of 9/11, which had been organised by Al Qaeda, generated international sympathy for the US and created a favourable climate for the invasion of Afghanistan and the overthrow of the Taliban government even though it had no direct link with the terrorist attacks. The Taliban government, however, was accused of providing sanctuary to Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. According to many Western scholars, the US invasion of Afghanistan, besides lacking the forthright prior sanction of the UN Security Council, amounted to an over-reaction to the tragic terrorist attacks of 9/11. But that was in 2001 when the US, which was virtually ruled by the neo-cons at the time under President Bush, felt strong enough to ride roughshod over legal niceties and launch invasions against foreign countries in pursuit of its strategic agenda. If there was any doubt about the US intentions, it was removed by the totally illegal and unjustified US invasion of Iraq in 2003 in violation of its obligations under the UN Charter. The two invasions have cost the US more than three trillion dollars and the lives of thousands of its own soldiers,...
Russia Throws Its Weight Behind China-Pakistan Corridor, Keeps India on Tenterhooks
Russia's nebulous public position on its growing ties with Pakistan continues to give sleepless nights to Indian policymakers who have sought to isolate Islamabad on the issue of terrorism. After it officially denied reports+ that it had shown any interest in China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Moscow has not just declared strong support for the China-funded project but also announced its intention to link its own Eurasian Economic Union project with CPEC. CPEC, which will link Gwadar in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province to Xinjiang in China, remains a major bugbear for Indian foreign policy as it passes through the Gilgit-Baltistan region in Pakistan administered Kashmir claimed by India. Beijing has shown scant regard for India's concerns despite PM Narendra Modi himself having taken up the issue of Chinese involvement in the disputed territory with President Xi Jinping. Moscow last month emphatically denied Pakistan media reports that it was looking to involve itself in CPEC by acquiring access to the port built by China at Gwadar+. Russia's ambassador to Pakistan Alexey Y Dedov has now been quoted as saying that Russia and Pakistan have held discussions to merge Moscow's Eurasian Economic Union project with the CPEC. Dedov said Russia "strongly" supported CPEC as it was important for Pakistan's economy and also regional connectivity. The mixed signals emanating from Moscow, as strategic affairs expert Brahma Chellaney said, are injecting uncertainty in the direction of the Russia-India relationship whose trajectory long epitomized constancy and stability. "It is as if Moscow no longer sees India as a reliable friend or partner. Indeed, by seeking common cause with India's regional adversaries — including by supporting the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor through internationally disputed territory and engaging with the Pakistan-backed Taliban — Russia is challenging India's core interests," said Chellaney. India continues to officially maintain that...
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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.