Current Projects
Sabawoon Showcase: Violence Against Women (VAW) and the Significance of 16-Days Violence Against Women Activism Campaign
December 7, 2016, Peshawar: The latest episode of Sabawoon, flagship radio program of Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), focused on violence against women and the importance of 16 days’ VAW activism campaign conducted by civil society organizations to end violence against women. The key points of discussion included an overview of the prevailing situation of violence against women in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), gender discrimination in Pashtun society, women’s rights in the constitution of Pakistan and Islam, psychological subjugation of women by men and lack of government’s response to resolve family disputes. The program also underlined the importance of education for women and awareness campaigns about the restraint of VAW. The program was aired under the theme of Jwandai Jazbey (living spirits) on Wednesday. Ms. Nazra Syed, a female rights defender and Program Manager of Khwendo Kor (Sisters’ Home) Peshawar, participated as the studio guest in the show. A radio report on the central themes of the program was made part of the program. The report shared the views of a women rights activist about the problems of women in the region and the VAW campaign to generate awareness. Live Calls on the Show: Three callers took part live in the program. A caller Mr. Rizwan Ullah said: “In our society women are always neglected and are not given any role in the decision making process. We should give them due share in decision making process both at home and outside.” Another caller, Mr. Mukamil Shah said: “Unfortunately FATA has more domestic violence and gender discrimination cases as compared to the other regions. We should sensitize public to promote gender equality and give proper rights to women in society.” Ms. Nazra Syed, Program Manager Khwendo Kor Peshawar, said: “The 16-days campaign is launched by civil society to encourage gender equality, spread awareness about female rights both in constitution and...
Panel: U.S. Will Need Clear Policy, Continued Coalition Participation in Afghanistan
The incoming Trump administration needs to send “a clear message of continued commitment” to the Afghan government that the United States will continue to support its decades-long struggle with the Taliban and other terrorist organizations, a former ambassador to Kabul said Wednesday. James Cunningham, now with the Atlantic Council, told a Heritage Foundation forum that “there has not been that clarity of messaging” from the Obama administration. Such a message would also reassure the United States’ 38 coalition partners to continue their efforts to bring stability not only to Afghanistan but to the region. “Afghanistan is an expression of the broader conflict” with Islamic extremism being waged in “a zone of crisis” stretching from North Africa to South Asia, he said. Hamdullah Mobib, the Afghan ambassador to the United States, said he understands how his countrymen, the United States and the coalition are “weary of this fight” after 15 years, but “the rationale for United States involvement in Afghanistan remains the same” as it was following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. The continuing “considerable threats from the Taliban … provide oxygen for other terrorist groups,” such as the Haqqani Network, operating from safe havens in Pakistan and now the Islamic State. “Afghanistan and its forces alone may not be able to defeat” them, Mobib said at the Washington, D.C., think tank event. The United States military estimates that about 10 percent of the population falls under Taliban control, 20 percent of the population live in contested areas and 70 percent of Afghanistan is under control of the National Unity Government of President Ashraf Ghani and its chief executive officer Abdullah Abdullah. Political divisions in the unity government, though, “do have an effect on how [and where] security forces operate,” Scott Smith, senior mediation advisor for the U.N. Department of Political Affairs, said at the event. “Afghanistan national security forces are...
Afghan Taliban Release Profile of Chief Maulvi Haibtullah Akhunzada
The Afghan Taliban on Wednesday released a profile of Maulvi Haibtullah Akhunzada months after he was named the group’s chief. The profile detailed Haibtullah’s role during Afghanistan’s invasion in 2001 and after the deaths of Mullah Omar and Mullah Mansour. The new chief is a strong advocate of Islamic unity, disavowing differences of ideology between Shias and Sunnis, the profile added. Haibtullah was named chief by members of the group’s leading council following Mullah Akhtar Mansoor’s death in a US drone strike on May 21. Sirajuddin Haqqani alias Khalifa and Maulvi Yaqoob Mujahid, late Mullah Omar’s son, were appointed his deputies on the occasion. “It was the courage and strong determination of brave leaders like Sheikh Haibtullah Akhunzada and his faithful colleagues that encouraged and inspired mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate and the Muslim masses of our country,” the profile read. “This resulted in a humiliating and embarrassing defeat for superpower America as well as NATO, the greatest military alliance of crusade forces in the world,” it added. “All key figures and field commanders unanimously supported the new ameer [chief] while pledges of allegiance and oath of fighting against the invaders and their foreign allied and internal mercenary forces were received from all 34 provinces,” the profile read. The document, released in Pashto, English, Urdu, Dari and Arabic, dwells on Haibtullah’s commitment to justice with compassion during the years the international community accused the group of inflicting regressive and unforgiving punishments. Meanwhile, when asked as to why the Taliban released the profile nearly seven month of his nomination, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told The Express Tribune that it had been done to counter any move to disseminate erroneous information about the leader.“We prepared an informative piece to share correct information and stop the spread of false information,” Mujahid said. This article originally...
China Warns Trump Ignoring One-China Policy Could Hurt Peace
Any change in U.S. policy favoring formal recognition of Taiwan will "seriously" damage peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and undermine relations between Beijing and Washington, a Chinese government spokesman said Wednesday. The comments from the Cabinet's Taiwan Affairs Office follow President-elect Donald Trump's remarks over the weekend that he didn't feel "bound by a one-China policy" unless the U.S. could gain benefits from China in trade and other areas. Under the one-China policy, the U.S. recognizes Beijing as China's government and maintains only unofficial relations with Taiwan, a former Japanese colony which broke from the Chinese mainland amid civil in 1949. Spokesman An Fengshan said breaching the one-China principle "will seriously affect peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait." "The one-China policy is an important political foundation for relations between China and the U.S.," An told reporters. "If such a foundation is disturbed or undermined, there can be no talk of a healthy and stable development of U.S-China relations." Trump broke diplomatic precedent by talking on the phone with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Dec. 2, during which the island's leader congratulated Trump on his election victory. Then, this past weekend, Trump said he might use America's recognition of Beijing as leverage for gaining advantages in trade and other areas. That is placing him perilously close to touching on China's bottom line that brooks no formal recognition of Taiwan or challenge to its claim to sovereignty over the island. China's response has thus far been fairly muted, mainly blaming Tsai for placing the call. The last major crisis over Taiwan came in 1995, when China staged threatening war games and missile tests near the island in response to then-president Lee Teng-hui's visit to the U.S., which was seen by Beijing as a bid to solidify the island's de-facto independent status. The move was largely seen as backfiring, with Lee winning...
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...
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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.