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Pakistan Tries to Figure Out Trump
First there was a moment of panic, when Pakistanis struggled to absorb the news last month that Donald Trump, who had threatened to bar foreign Muslims from the United States and suggested it was time to “get tough” with Pakistan for sheltering terrorists, was the U.S. president-elect. Then came a moment of glory, when Trump showered compliments on Pakistan in a phone call with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif two weeks ago, using words like “fantastic” and “terrific,” and hinting casually that he would be willing to help Muslim-majority Pakistan solve its historic differences with India, a much larger Hindu-led rival next door. Now both the shock and euphoria have worn off, leaving Pakistanis scrambling to prepare for an unpredictable new phase in its wary but enduring partnership with Washington, which has included Cold War and anti-terrorism military alliances as well as sharp differences over Pakistan’s nuclear testing and harboring of Islamist insurgents. Last week, the Pakistani government sent a special emissary, Tariq Fatemi, to Washington, where he hinted broadly that Sharif might like to attend Trump’s inauguration and said he believed the incoming administration would provide Pakistan with “a fresh opportunity to burnish its credentials” with the United States. Pakistanis do have reason to believe that Trump’s long-distance offer to mediate with India was more than a throwaway line. Mike Pence, the vice president-elect, repeated that offer in a clear, deliberate statement several days ago, saying the administration planned to be “fully engaged in both nations” and was prepared to play a “pivotal role” in resolving the key dispute over Kashmir. And, after the initial worry here that Trump’s limited knowledge of foreign affairs and anti-Muslim suspicions might work against the nation’s interests, some Pakistani experts are now positing that there might be a “silver lining” in having a brash dealmaker in the White House, unburdened by historical caveats and...
Afghan War Criminal Zardad Freed: No Protection for Witnesses
One of the few Afghans convicted of war crimes has been released from a British jail and deported to Afghanistan. Faryadi Sarwar Zardad, a Hezb-e Islami commander, was convicted in 2005 of hostage-taking and torture. He preyed on people fleeing the civil war in Kabul in the mid-1990s, infamously keeping a ‘human dog’, a man who would attack people with his teeth. As AAN’s Kate Clark reports, despite the threat Zardad poses to the witnesses who testified against him, at least some were not informed by the UK government that he was coming back to Afghanistan; nor have any measures been put in place to protect them. Zardad was released from jail just over half-way through his sentence, AAN understands, for ‘good behaviour’ and has now been deported from the UK to Afghanistan. He was due to arrive in Kabul today, 14 December 2016. Supporters were pictured putting up banners at Kabul International airport naming him a hero and welcoming him home; they included at least one non-uniformed, armed man (see here). The men had gathered just outside the terminal building, past the major security checks and beyond where normal people can go to welcome passengers. Some official authorisation must have been obtained. Pahjwok reported that hundreds of people had “thronged the airport” to welcome the convicted war criminal and “around 50 vehicles with tinted glasses and Zardad photographs left the airport at around 11am.” It was not clear if Zardad was transferred to the convoy or if, as former BBC journalist Bilal Sarwary reported, he was taken into NDS custody at the airport. Whether that was for investigation or for his own protection was also not clear. The crimes Zardad’s crimes date back to the mid-1990s, when during a time of extreme brutality, he managed to become one of the most infamous commanders of the Afghan civil war. His rise to power came after the fall of the communist government in 1992. Fighting as a Hezb-e Islami commander, he captured positions outside the...
China, Pakistan And Russia To Hold Consultation on Afghanistan
China is in contact with Pakistan for working jointly to promote peace and development in Afghanistan, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang. China, Pakistan and Russia are likely to hold a consultation on Afghanistan in Moscow on December 27. Replying to question about China-India relations at a news briefing, the spokesperson said the two countries were marching towards the goal of forging a more closely-knit partnership for development. It is normal for the two big countries who are also close neighbors to differ on some issues. But the main theme for the bilateral relationship is friendship and cooperation, while differences are secondary. The two sides are in touch with each other on the relevant issues, and China would like to work with India, following the consensus reached by the two leaders, to expand mutually beneficial cooperation, properly manage differences, and ensure the sustained and steady development of bilateral ties. As for India's application to join the NSG and the listing matter of the UN Security Council 1267 Committee, he said China's position is very clear and unchanged. On question of human rights, the spokesperson said, “To promote and protect human rights is the ideal and aspiration shared by all mankind. The Human Rights Day was designated to give the international community an opportunity to strengthen human rights protection, promote human rights exchanges, and contribute to the sound development of the cause of international human rights. However, it is used as an excuse for some individual countries to hurl accusations at other countries, interfere in their domestic affairs, and politicize human rights issues. We are strongly dissatisfied with and opposed to such behaviour. There is no one-size-fits-all path when it comes to human rights development, as every country needs to improve its record on the basis of its national conditions and its people's needs.” In this regard, China has made remarkable achievements...
Afghanistan’s Quest for Regional Cooperation
Afghanistan’s regional policy is not constructed around local rivalries. On December 4, the Sixth Ministerial Conference of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process was held in Amritsar, India. The Heart of Asia process was launched in 2011 as a new and complementary framework for enhancing dialogue and consensus for regional cooperation and stability. In his opening remarks at the conference, Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani reiterated that regional connectivity, development and counterterrorism are inevitable measures for the future stability of Afghanistan and the Heart of Asia region as a whole. As the center of the Heart of Asia, Afghanistan has the potential to serve as a hub of connectivity between China, Central Asia, the Middle East and South Asia. As a crucial part of the ancient Silk Road, Afghanistan is trying to restore its historical position to play a substantive role in regional stability and connectivity. Challenges such as terrorism, radicalization as a sociopolitical process, bilateral rivalries and economic fragmentation are undermining the future revival of the Silk Road. As such, any cooperation and connectivity along the Silk Road network requires strong international support and a cooperative approach by regional players. BAD NEIGHBORS This type of cooperation has been particularly high on the Afghan government’s agenda since 2001. In September 2014, President Ghani highlighted the new government’s emphasis on regional cooperation in his inauguration speech: “For stability, security and economic development, we will try to reach to a regional cooperation pact with all our neighbors. Accepting the legitimacy of each individual government shall constitute the basis of our regional cooperation pact.” On January 26, 2007, Rangin Dadfar Spanta, the former minister of foreign affairs, emphasized: “[T]he realities of a globalizing world command us to move towards further regional cooperation and integration on many fronts.” Similarly, in May...
‘Collective Punishment’ In Pakistan’s Tribal Areas
On November 1, following the death of a Pakistan Army major, the political agent ordered the demolition of a two-story market in Wana, South Waziristan, citing a clause of collective responsibility and punishment in the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR). This was yet another example of a constitutional dilemma that Pakistan is currently facing while dealing with its fragile periphery, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Where the rest of Pakistani territory is governed under the country’s constitution, the FATA region, on the other hand, is still governed under the primitive and colonial era FCR. There were different accounts — both from local and foreign media — of what triggered this massive action by the security forces. The local administration and the office of the political agent suggest that action was taken after an improvised explosive device killed a Pakistan Army officer during a raid on a weapons shop. Eyewitness accounts could not verify the local administration’s version. Ali Wazir, the owner of the demolished Al Muhib market, was justified in his dismay when he asked whether the security forces would have reacted in the same manner had the incident taken place in a settled area of Pakistan. Wazir’s agony is shared by a number of tribal Pashtuns, who feel let down by the political and ruling elites. In the view of locals, officials are not trying hard enough to abolish the FCR; thus locals must suffer even for mistakes committed by others. A local resident of Wana told me how dejected the locals felt about the military’s actions. According to him, Al Muhib market was the “heart of Wana,” and a frequent gathering spot for the locals. He further revealed that even though the military had apprehended the Afghan suspect selling arms, it felt completely unfair to demolish dozens of shops, a fuel station, and hotels in retaliation, depriving more than 150 families of their livelihoods. Another local also spoke well of Ali Wazir, whom he felt...
NYT Writer is Absolutely Right: Delhi is Literally a Shithole; But So is All of India
In his 1960 exploration of eastern mysticism, The Lotus and the Robot, Arthur Koestler compared the smell of Bombay to that of “a wet smelly diaper” wrapped around his head. Four years later, VS Naipaul was so revulsed about the filth in India that he wrote in an Area of Darkness that “Indians defecate everywhere ” - beside the railway tracks, on the beaches, on the hills, on the riverbanks and on the streets. “They never look for cover,” he said with absolute disgust. India was smarter than Koestler and Naipaul — it promptly banned both the books. When the South Asia correspondent of New York Times, Gardiner Harris, wrote on 29 May (Holding Your Breath in India) — that Delhi is an unliveable place because of pollution and that he left the city to safeguard his son’s health, the outrage was similar. There was no possibility of banning an article on the Internet, but angry Indians took to social media and slammed Harris for being an elitist expat. Some said while he was over-protective over his child, he had scant regard for the Indian children in Delhi who had no option but to live there, little realising that his voice was that of a frustrated father, who doesn’t have to put his family through the perils of living in a dirty city. Harris wrote: “Foreigners have lived in Delhi for centuries, of course, but the air and the mounting research into its effects have become so frightening that some feel it is unethical for those who have a choice to willingly raise children here. Similar discussions are doubtless underway in Beijing and other Asian megacities, but it is in Delhi — among the most populous, polluted, unsanitary and bacterially unsafe cities on earth — where the new calculus seems most urgent.” He hits where it hurts. The capital of a super power aspirant, a country which is projected to become the world’s third biggest economy in 2020, has been described as “among the most populous, polluted, unsanitary and bacterially unsafe cities on earth”. He...
Russia, Daesh and Afghanistan
Statements by the Russian ambassador in Kabul, Alexander Mantytskiy, over the weekend caused quite an uproar in the Afghan capital, first by holding a press conference on Thursday, and then by appearing before the Afghan senate two days later after lawmakers had demanded an explanation on Moscow’s ties to the Taliban. On both occasions, the ambassador strongly defended Russia’s outreach to the Taliban, expressed suspicions about the dubious nature of Daesh/IS and reiterated concerns about the link between terrorism and narcotics originating in Afghanistan. In an unusual and bold appearance before the Afghan parliament’s upper house, the ambassador asked if US, Britain, Italy, Qatar and Saudi Arabia maintain contacts with them then why is it an issue if “we are also talking to them.” Our “limited contacts” are aimed at bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table and to ensuring the safety of Russian citizens, he explained. A senior Afghan security official, according to Reuters, called the Russian support for the Taliban a “dangerous new trend.” The US commander in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, too, told a recent briefing in Washington that Russia had joined Iran and Pakistan as countries with a “malign influence” in Afghanistan, and said Moscow was lending legitimacy to the Taliban. But Mantytskiy brushed aside these accusations; if the Afghans don’t object to the Russo-China-Indian dialogue on Afghanistan, why is it an issue if a similar discussion is happening between Pakistan, Russia and China, quipped Mantytskiy. All three countries share concerns such as the threat of Daesh, terrorism and narcotics, he pointed out. The second big issue that cause furor among many Afghans were the ambassador’s curious questions on the origins of the support for Daesh/IS. “It is for your intelligence agency to determine who is supporting Daesh, who is funding them, who is arming them…whose project is this,” said Mantytskiy, when journalists pressed for an answer....
Press Release: The EU Police Mission in Afghanistan Comes To A Successful Close After Nine Years Of Progress
After nearly a decade of successfully supporting civilian policing in Afghanistan, the European Union Police Mission in Afghanistan (EUPOL Afghanistan) will come to an end on 31 December 2016. EUPOL Afghanistan, working in close partnership with the Afghan Government, has achieved concrete progress in several key areas: the professionalization of the Afghan National Police; the introduction of the community policing concept to Afghanistan; increasing the capacity of the Afghan Ministry of Interior; and bringing Afghan legislation in line with relevant human rights standards. EUPOL Afghanistan is a civilian mission, operating since 2007 under the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). Its support has been mainly delivered by police experts from the EU and other contributing countries, advising the Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs and the Ministry of Justice. To prepare for the end of the EUPOL mandate, a comprehensive phasing-out plan has been developed, which includes ensuring a sustainable transition of activities to the EUPOL's local and international partners. The European Union has a long-term commitment to Afghanistan and its people, and to supporting peace and stability in the country. The EU remains committed to support Afghanistan in the field of civilian policing and contributing to the further development of sustainable and effective civilian policing arrangements under Afghan ownership. This article originally appeared on www.eeas.europa.eu, 14 December, 2016. Original link. Disclaimer: Views expressed in the article are not necessarily supported by CRSS.
America Risks Losing The War On Terror In Afghanistan Unless It Legalizes The Opium Trade
According to a recently released report by the Afghan Ministry of Counter Narcotics and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), opium production in Afghanistan has risen by 43% in the last year. The country’s drug trade employs some 2.9 million people—12% of the Afghan population—and generates approximately $68 billion in revenue a year. This increase comes despite the fact that drug eradication policies have been a cornerstone of US policy in Afghanistan since the invasion in 2001. In fact, winning the war on drugs in Afghanistan has been described as essential for winning the war on terror. The US government has spent some $12 billion in eradication efforts—more than four times the size of the entire pre-invasion economy. Yet, Afghanistan now supplies around 90% of the world’s opium. This expansion of the opium economy in the face of such vast prevention efforts is actually a wholly predictable consequence of US drug policy. Economics teaches us that banning a substance does not make it go away. Instead, it pushes the market into an underground or “black” market. Black markets lead to higher prices for banned goods. The higher prices for illegal opium have proved Afghan citizens a major incentive to produce opium on a scale never seen before. As if the increase in the Afghan opium supply and $12 billion weren’t enough to illustrate the utter failure of US operations in Afghanistan, consider the fact that anti-drug operations have actually worked to strengthen the Taliban and undermine the war on terror. Again, economics can tell us why. In addition to creating black markets, another classic consequence of prohibition is the rise of cartels. Enticed by the potential for high profits, organized crime may find lucrative business opportunities manufacturing and selling illegal goods. Cartels form in a variety of illegal drug markets—from Chinese opium gangs in the early 1900s to Pablo Escobar’s multi-billion dollar cocaine empire in Colombia to...
Sabawoon Showcase: Regional Review of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)
The latest episode of Sabawoon, flagship radio program of Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), focused on the problems of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Bannu, revival of sports activities in Fedeally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), and the problems of farmers in Charsadda. The program also highlighted the issues of local residents due to lack of communication facilities in Kurram Agency. The program, under the theme “Da Semi Jaaj” (regional review) was aired on Tuesday. Mr. Imran Wazir, spokesperson of Federal Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) and Mr. Shahid Shinwari, organizer of FATA Olympic Association shared their views as guests on telephone. Five radio reports from different parts of KP and FATA related to program’s central themes were made the part of the program. The first report presented the prevailing situation of Waziristan Agency’s IDPs residing in Bannu. The report stated that approximately 200 families were there in Bannu and they had been banned by the government from getting financial support and food ration for the last five months. They were living miserable lives in rented houses and had no financial backup to support their expenses. The report added that these IDPs were struggling to get employed. To bring their issues to governement’s notice, they had staged a strike against the political administration and FDMA. The IDPs said that they had held several meetings with the political administration but no action has been taken by them so far. The second report shed light on the farmers’ problem in Charsadda district. The report quoted that 80 percent people of Charsadda were dependent on agriculture sector but due to no rains and water shortages, 50 percent of the crops were affected this year. This has bankrupted the farmers and they are helpless to find a solution to this problem. Mr. Haleem Ullah, a local farmer in Charsadda, said: “We don’t have any proper system to water the corps. The rivers are dried up and there...
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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.