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WFP Afghanistan Situation Report #2
In Numbers: One million people are now on the move within Afghanistan. WFP aims to reach: 163,000 undocumented returnees (29% reached). 200,000 refugee returnees (support to begin in 2017). 150,000 internally displaced (45% reached). 35,000 refugees in Khost and Paktika (monthly caseload). Highlights: WFP has initiated SCOPE biometric registration at the Pakistan border, and at the office of the Department of Refugees and Repatriation in Jalalabad city. WFP has begun piloting cash support in preparation for a broader move to cash in early 2017. WFP has already provided cash support to 810 vulnerable displaced families (IDPs) in Herat, Helmand, Kabul and Jalalabad. mVAM has revealed that returnees in Kunar province, eastern Afghanistan, found that returnees had diverse sources of income. Besides casual labour, they reported being engaged in small-scale farming or kitchen gardening. Situation Update: WFP has launched SCOPE biometric data collection of returnees both at the border crossing and at the IOM transit centre in Torkham. SCOPE registration has just started at the office Department of Refugees and Repatriation in Jalalabad city, with the intention of expanding the registration points in areas with a high influx of returnees. A communications campaign will soon be launched so that beneficiaries know their entitlements, where to register for support, and to ensure that no-one is left behind. There are now one million people on the move in Afghanistan. UN OCHA has reported that over 485,500 Afghans have been displaced by conflict in 2016. For the first time, all 34 provinces in Afghanistan are hosting IDPs. See full report here. This article originally appeared on www.reliefweb.int, 28 November, 2016. Original link. Disclaimer: Views expressed in the article are not necessarily supported by CRSS.
Pakistan, India and Politics of NSG
The last Vienna Plenary meeting of NSG ended without reaching any consensus on the issue of NSG candidature for non-NPT states. India was lately giving the impression that it has won the support of majority of the states including Mexico, Switzerland, Brazil, Russia and New Zealand. But the fact is that New Zealand doesn’t stand a chance against the US pressure. Similarly the countries in Latin American have different interest. However three major countries Ireland, China and Austria have not shown any change in their stance against the Indian membership. However, India wants to send the message out that NSG issue is still alive and India is diligently working for its membership. It’s almost a decade that membership of NSG has become much contested, especially because of India and Pakistan interest into NSG. Three dimensions to the whole issue are significant, First dimension is Commercial lobby; it is presumed that US Commercial purpose was main idea behind Indo-US nuclear deal in 2005 and later in 2008 when waiver was granted to India. Second is the politics of norms. If norms are main factor behind nuclear politics then Indo-US nuclear deal and NSG waiver should strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation regime. The third is the “geopolitical” perspective with strategic undertones. The ground realities illustrate that India’s politics and its membership of NSG has less to do with the economic or norms dimension and more influenced with geopolitics. The Indo-US deal on space technology existed since 2004 long before the Indo-US nuclear deal. Now it is believed that India will be able to enhance the sophistication of its missiles. Things further gained pace in 2010 and the idea was floated that India should be the member of all the cartels such as Australia Group, MTCR, NSG etc. By then the NSG waiver had already been granted to India. India now is the strategic partner of the US and enjoys more autonomy than other allies of the US. India is being mainstreamed by...
Finally, Afghanistan Is Trying to Penetrate and Purge High-Level Corruption
The courtroom was tense. The prosecutor’s team fiddled with its new equipment. The defendant, tall and imposing in the dock, fidgeted with his shirt cuffs. Then the lights were switched off and a video scene flashed on the wall. It showed a brief scuffle on a garden path outside a housing complex in the capital. Plainclothes detectives surrounded the defendant, who protested and pulled back sharply. The camera zoomed in on his hands and pockets, then shifted to the nearby bushes, where some crumpled currency bills lay. This was the “gotcha” moment in the first of two trials held in the new Anti-Corruption Justice Center this month, the opening salvo in the government’s ambitious, much-touted effort to penetrate and purge an entrenched system of high-level official corruption. The proceedings were held last Saturday in a makeshift courtroom, hastily converted from a cafeteria, deep inside a highsecurity police compound. There were U.N. and international police officials in the audience, taking notes and listening to simultaneous translation on earphones, and a bank of TV cameras filming at the back. The government’s case was meticulously prepared, a bribery sting with marked bills and tapped cellphones. The chief judge, who had granted the defense an extra week to prepare, read the defendant his rights. The young prosecutor, clad in a flimsy velvet robe with gold trim, recited a lengthy charge sheet. “We caught him red-handed . . . this was in flagrante delicto,” the prosecutor declared after the incriminating video was switched off. The defendant, Abdulhai Jurat, stood silently through most of the trial, but his attorney presented an energetic and detailed defense. He challenged the government’s right to monitor phone calls, charged that the video had been doctored and suggested that the crumpled bills in the garden had been planted there beforehand. “This case has been a conspiracy against my client,” he declared, stabbing the air dramatically. “I watched the...
85,000 Registered Refugee Families Returned to Afghanistan This Year
A total of 85,000 families totalling 380,045 registered Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistan this year as part of the volunteer repatriation process of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), an official said on Sunday. “This has been the highest number of volunteer returnees from Pakistan since 2006 due to various factors,” UNHCR spokesman Qaisar Khan Afridi told The News.He added that the repatriation process would be suspended for three months from December 1 to February 28, 2017 due to the winter season. The repatriation centres in Pakistan, two in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one in Balochistan, will be closed till February and will only process those Afghan refugees who had registered themselves with these centres by the end of the current month.Since 2002, UNHCR’s voluntary repatriation programme has helped nearly 4.1 million Afghans to leave Pakistan. The repatriation process intensified in July this year, mostly due to the alleged harassment and arrest of Afghan refugees’ families in Pakistan. It intensified further when the UNHCR doubled the cash compensation amount from 200 dollars to 400 dollars per individual. In October this year, a total of 148,692 Afghan refugees returned home, mostly from the UNHCR’s Chamkani Centre in Peshawar. In January 2016, a total of 325 individuals had gone back to Afghanistan, while it increased to 67,059 in August as per the information available on the UNHCR official page. The official document reveals that majority of Afghan refugees had returned from the Peshawar district and had settled in Nangarhar province upon reaching Afghanistan in the current year. The UNHCR spokesman, Qaisar Afridi, said that tight management at the Torkham border between Pakistan and Afghanistan starting from June 1 led to the rise in repatriation of Afghan refugees, who now need valid passports and visas to enter Pakistan. The short extension in the validity of the Proof of Registration (PoR) cards also led to a rise in...
The Islamic State-Taliban Rivalry in Afghanistan
Since 2014, the Islamic State has established a small presence in Afghanistan. Islamic State leaders call this province, or wilayat, “Khorasan,” a reference to the historical region that encompassed parts of Iran, Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Yet despite their effort to expand power and influence in the region, the Islamic State-Khorasan Province, as Islamic State leaders refer to the affiliate, controls virtually no territory except for tiny areas in such districts as Deh Bala, Achin, and Naziyan in the eastern province of Nangarhar. The Islamic State has conducted only a handful of attacks in the region, failed to secure the support of most locals, and struggled with poor leadership. The Afghan Taliban has emerged as one of the Islamic State’s fiercest enemies, though the U.S. and Afghan governments have conducted strikes as well. Taliban commanders have orchestrated an aggressive campaign against the Islamic State to kill its senior leaders, co-opt its members, and undermine its ideology. This development is a double-edged sword for the United States, with broader implications in the campaign to unseat the Islamic State from territorial control in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. The weakening of the Islamic State is a positive step. But Taliban successes against Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s organization have increased the Taliban’s strength in eastern and southern Afghanistan, creating a separate challenge for the United States and its allies. The Rise of the Islamic State in Khorasan In 2014, Islamic State leaders communicated with militant groups in South Asia to gauge the possibility of expanding the Islamic State’s influence in the region. The Islamic State began conducting an information campaign through word of mouth, printed material, and other forums. Islamic State sympathizers, for example, distributed a 12-page printed booklet titled “Fateh” (or “victory” in Pashto) in Pashtun areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan. As Tehreek-e-Taliban...
CHINA WATCH [NOVEMBER 19-28] CHINA-PAKISTAN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was the prominent topic in news this week. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif linked the future of the region to CPEC. Pakistan welcomed the news about the coming tri-lateral talks between Russia, China and Pakistan on the future of Afghanistan. Pakistan’s Planning, Development and Reforms Minister Ahsan Iqbal has said that $35 billion has so far been energized for CPEC. A group of China’s military trade corporations participated in the 9th International Defense Exhibition and Seminar held in Karachi. Pakistan has approved the Russian request for using the Gwadar port for its exports. Britain Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Boris Johnson has appreciated the CPEC and desired that UK’s firms would participate in this project. ‘Region’s Future Linked to CPEC’: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in his meeting with the Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has said that “[T]he future of the region’s population is linked to CPEC.”[1] He is on a state visit to Turkmenistan to discuss the matters of bilateral interest, including the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline and reestablishing air links between the two countries. The TAPI project agreement was signed by the four countries in 2010 to build a gas pipeline to bring natural gas from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. The Prime Minster said that Pakistan will welcome any country interested in joining the multibillion-dollar CPEC.[2] Turkmen President Gurbanguly agreed with Premier Sharif’s views on CPEC’s importance and said this project would guarantee prosperity for the entire region. Trilateral Talks: Pakistan has hailed the coming together of Russia, China and Pakistan for talks next month in Moscow as “a watershed moment”.[3] Earlier this month, Russia had revealed that trilateral talks between Russia, China and Pakistan will be held to discuss Afghanistan. Zamir Kabulov, Director of the Second Asian...
Need To Capitalise On CPEC-Related Infrastructure, Investments
The role of infrastructure in promoting growth cannot be denied. It plays a critical role in competitiveness, economic growth, job creation and poverty alleviation. According to the World Bank, investment in high quality infrastructure can provide basic services to households, lead to productivity gains for the industry and open corridors for poor and landlocked countries to the global economy. More than 150 years ago where Britain was the leader in the financing of infrastructure, this position has been taken over by China. Data on China’s global investment and construction activity compiled by the American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation is evidence of the enormity of the country as an overseas investor. China has global investments and construction contracts worth $1.3 trillion in the period from 2005-2016. These are primarily comprised of investments in the energy sector besides spanning in real estate, technology, banking and other sectors. China’s investment in Pakistan During 2005-2016, China has undertaken 44 construction contracts in Pakistan worth $35 billion and 11 investment projects worth $7 billion. China’s latest initiative in Pakistan called the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a flagship project under the country’s larger initiative of ‘One Belt One Road’. The ‘One Belt One Road’ project aims to make central Asia more connected to the world. Chinese companies have built and funded roads, tunnels and bridges across the region. Chinese investment flowing into Pakistan has also been exhibited by latest data from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). Records on foreign investment show that there has been a significant 48.5% increase in foreign investment in the country during July-October FY17 as compared to the same period last year. This has primarily been attributed to portfolio investment by China. Most of this investment is coming in the power sector in thermal power related investments. In fact, CPEC involves a variety of...
Eyeless and Cashless In India
These are surreal times in India. With most of its citizens forced into queues, it is a country at a near standstill. There is despair and death as people scramble to access their money after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the most sweeping and arbitrary demonetisation since Independence, declares that the most commonly used notes have been withdrawn. That is, 86 per cent of the currency. As anger grows over people’s inability to meet even their food requirements, outraged opposition MPs seek answers from the prime minister who studiedly avoids parliament but insists the abrupt switchover is essential to fight black money and counterfeit currency used to fund terrorism. Using the overheated rhetoric of nationalism, he puts critics on the defensive portraying them as deshdrohis or enemies of the state. He makes several such public speeches where he dubs anyone questioning the so-called demonetisation as both anti-national and black money hoarders. Never mind that most opposition politicians are only calling for better management of what must rank as the most ill-prepared and ham-handed implementation of a major policy decision. The prime minister mocks everyone, even those harassed citizens standing in endless queues — overwhelmingly the poor who have no bank accounts — as people with ill-gotten riches. This is as bizarre as it can get. Unmindful of the distress caused to millions, the prime minister even jokes about the currency crisis during a surprise video appearance at a Coldplay concert in Mumbai. But these are times defined by the cult of the leader who is mesmerised by his own myth, the myth of an invincible and infallible strongman who knows what is best for the nation. It’s clear that Modi’s hold over his cabinet colleagues, his BJP party and even the once independent central bank, the RBI, is complete and unchallenged. So is it surprising that senior ministers are fumbling for answers as to how matters have gone so awry? For Modi it’s all about keeping...
Still Weighing Options
The Taliban are still dithering over whether they should resume talks with the Afghan government to promote national reconciliation. Consequently, Afghanistan continues to wallow, occasionally in blood and perpetually in chaos and instability. The new Taliban victories, incidentally on the rise, inversely affect the prospects for talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. In certain quarters, opinion prevails that Afghanistan has already suffered de facto disintegration. The only things common in all 34 Afghan provinces are the use of the Afghan passport and accumulation of power to seize more power and influence. It is thought that there is endemic corruption, failing central administration, collapsing government structures and the encroaching capacity of Taliban, facilitated by the actions of Daesh and other groups. Buoyed over its recent successes, the Taliban are consolidating their control over about 10-15 percent of Afghan territory, more than at any time under their occupation since 2001. Many provincial capitals are in danger. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has reported that the Afghan government has lost control of nearly five percent of its territory to the Taliban since the beginning of 2016 (a loss of 19 of approximately 400 governing districts). The Taliban feel bullish. The internal power strife between the National Unity Government leaders and its fallout in the provinces suggest that there will be no real combined force to deal with them. Afghanistan is not likely to witness any letup in fighting and bloodshed. This alarmingly gloomy scenario needs to be avoided by all stakeholders including countries indulging in proxy wars in Afghanistan. The main responsibility to initiate talks lies with the Afghan government, which needs to enforce its territorial sovereignty and protect Afghan nationals. Apart from normal reconstruction and rehabilitation work, it has to ensure the active support of the Taliban....
Breaking the Ice, Islamabad Reaches Out To Kabul
Pakistan and Afghanistan have resumed high-level contacts rekindling hopes for normalisation of their bilateral relationship. On Saturday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met Afghan President Dr Ashraf Ghani in Ashgabat on the sidelines of the Global Conference on Sustainable Transport and the outgoing army chief, General Raheel Sharif, spoke to Afghan Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah on the phone. The prime minister and the army chief contacted the Afghan leaders at a time when Islamabad has stepped up efforts to encourage the Taliban to join the peace process. The Express Tribune has learnt that there had been some diplomatic efforts this month when a three-member Taliban delegation was in Pakistan’s capital to explore peace prospects. “The Taliban’s Qatar office is now considering a strategy for possible political negotiations,” a member of the Taliban office in Qatar told The Express Tribune this week. Nawaz and Ghani discussed peace prospects and the former ‘appreciated’ Afghan government’s efforts for peace and stability in the strife-torn country. “[He] also expressed support to the peace deal between Afghan government and Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan,” the PM office said in a statement. The prime minister said a politically negotiated settlement through an Afghan owned and Afghan led peace process is the most viable option for lasting peace in Afghanistan. “Pakistan will continue its serious efforts for facilitating the peace process, including through the Quadrilateral Cooperation Group (QCG) of Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the US,” he told Ghani. The chief military spokesman, Lt Gen Asim Bajwa, confirmed that the army chief made a ‘farewell call’ to Abdullah. “Next talk with Dr Ashraf Ghani is planned,” Gen Bajwa, who heads the Inter-Services Public Relations, told The Express Tribune in a text message. Earlier the Afghan chief executive’s office tweeted: “Pakistan Chief of Army Staff Raheel Sharif made a phone call to [Afghan] chief executive as...
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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.