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Afghanistan: Vulnerable People on The Move In 2016
At least one million vulnerable people are on the move in Afghanistan this year. On top of the existing 5 million refugee returnees since 2002, this year more than 550,000 Afghans are returning migrants and refugees from Pakistan, while another 485,000 are conflict induced internally displaced persons (IDPs). Refugees receive UNHCR assistance at encashment centers, but returnees and IDPs are particularly vulnerable in Nangarhar, Kunduz,Helmand, and Kabul, where the urban poor and IDPs already strain resources. For example, over 235,000 Afghans returned to Nangarhar this year, a number similar in size to the provincial capital, Jalalabad. In Kunduz, about 25,000 returnees are returning to a province with over 46,000 IDPs. Source: US Department of State - Humanitarian Information Unit. Original link.
What Is Wrong With Balochistan?
There are some things we know. It is a vast landmass constituting almost one-third of Pakistan. It is sparsely populated with centres that are distantly located making it difficult to travel to, as well as reach in times of need. The terrain is difficult; arid, with hardly any cover from nature’s elements. This leaves spaces in between that remain infrequently visited for long lengths of time. In the age of terror, this makes for convenient hiding spaces. The resources of governance and administration thus are thinly spread with least mutual backup when faced with challenges of security. China and Pakistan have recently operationalised the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Balochistan, as a part of the one-belt one-road project, meant to integrate the region in a trade and travel compact. In it, Gwadar Port is central to enabling China to provision as well as trade from its western regions. For the most part, the CPEC runs through Balochistan. Such facilitation to China by Pakistan doesn’t sit easy with those in the competitive mould to dominate the region. Iran lies adjacent, with its own port at Chabahar, with its own plans to connect with Central Asia through Afghanistan. It is true that in days past, and even now perhaps, Iran has coveted Balochistan as a parsed portion of its eastern stretches of Sistan-Balochistan. But it remains only cyclic in manifestation. It adds to the complexity, though. It is also true that Balochistan is Pakistan’s most underdeveloped region. Other than failures of successive governments to focus resources there, the tribal sardars and their henchmen have kept progress restricted to themselves, denying the common man any returns from the march of time. As a result the larger populace has remained poor and uneducated enabling the exploitative tribal system to retain its hold of them. The state has wilfully neglected responsibility to the common Baloch by appeasing the influential sardars. Over time, the sardar has used his...
General Assembly Adopts Resolution Supporting Afghanistan’s Efforts, As Speakers Vow To Help Conflict-Affected Nation Achieve Untapped Potential
Unanimously adopting its annual resolution in support of the Government and people of Afghanistan, the General Assembly today heard expressions of alarm over recent spikes in civilian casualties and the influence of violent extremists, as speakers vowed to help the conflict-affected nation achieve its untapped potential. By the terms of the text, titled “The situation in Afghanistan” (document A/71/L.13), the Assembly pledged its continued support, in particular as the Government rebuilt a stable, secure and economically self-sufficient State free from terrorism and narcotics while strengthening the foundations of its constitutional democracy. Encouraging all partners to constructively support the National Unity Government’s reform agenda, including through the Afghanistan National Peace and Development Framework (2017-2021) and Self-Reliance through Mutual Accountability Framework, the Assembly expressed support for the continuing and growing national ownership of its reconstruction and development efforts. The text touched on both progress and challenges in the fields of security, peace and reconciliation, democracy, rule of law, human rights and good governance, along with other critical areas. Among other things, the Assembly reiterated its serious concern about Afghanistan’s security situation, stressing the need to address region-based violent extremists and other illegal armed groups, including those involved in the narcotics trade. Speakers throughout the ensuing debate underscored their commitment to an Afghan-owned, Afghan-led peace process and vowed to bolster the country’s security and development. Many pointed to the $15.2 billion raised at the recent Brussels Conference on Afghanistan as a strong demonstration of the international community’s continued support, while others welcomed commitments that had been made in July at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, where members had agreed to extend their commitment to Afghanistan until...
Azad Kashmir Seeks Share in CPEC
The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government is in contact with the federal government for a ‘reasonable’ share in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, a senior official said on Thursday. “The 1,124 megawatts Kohala hydropower project is part of the CPEC and is of vital importance for the socioeconomic uplift of Azad Kashmir,” said Chief Secretary Sikandar Sultan Raja in a statement. He said that the Kohala project would bring huge investment to the AJK private sector which would not only create hundreds of jobs and subsequently enhance the living standards of local population but would also significantly increase revenues. Mr Raja said the power project, to be built at a cost of $32.4 billion, would be handed over to the AJK government 30 years after its commissioning “free of cost”, and would fetch Rs2.188bn annually to the AJK exchequer in terms of ‘water use charges’. Apart from that, the AJK government would get around Rs14bn per annum from levy of different taxes on hydropower projects, he added. The chief secretary asserted that the federal government was being approached to establish ‘industrial zones’ in Muzaffarabad and Mirpur under the CPEC projects, as well as a new route (to Gilgit-Baltistan) via the Neelum valley. “The projects under the CPEC would enormously benefit Azad Kashmir... it will not only bring to an end our dependence on the federal government for fiscal resources but would also enrich us with surplus budget.” The chief secretary said that the rights of the population to be affected by the Kohala project had been adequately taken care of during talks between the (Chinese) company and the Water and Power Development Authority of Pakistan. “This is a national project and we all should extend full cooperation for its timely initiation and commissioning,” he said. Meanwhile, at a high-level meeting held on Thursday to review the status of inquiries against alleged corruption and irregularities, the chief secretary directed the...
Poverty in Pakistan Declines Significantly: WB Report
Pakistanis saw a substantial increase in their welfare, according to the World Bank publication titled ‘Making Growth Matter’. Statistics released by the bank show that the ownership of motorcycles in the bottom quintile has increased from 2 per cent to 18pc, televisions from 20pc to 36pc and refrigerators from 5pc to 14pc. Housing quality in the bottom quintile also showed an improvement. The number of homes constructed with bricks or blocks increase while mud (katcha) homes decreased. Homes with flushing toilet almost doubled in the bottom quintile, jumping from 24pc in 2002 to 49pc in 2014. It is well-known that an increase in income results in households spending less of their budget on food, and more on non-food items. In Pakistan, the 25 percentage point decline in poverty between 2002 and 2014 was associated with a 10 percentage point reduction in the share of expenditure devoted to food. There was also an increase in dietary diversity for all income groups. For the poorest, the share of expenditure devoted to milk and milk products, chicken, eggs and fish rose, as did the share devoted to vegetables and fruits. In contrast, the share of cereals and pulses, which provide the cheaper calories, declined steadily between 2002 and 2014. This shift in consumption also increased the amount that people spent per calorie over time. For the poorest quintile, expenditure per calorie increased by over 18pc between 2002 and 2014. Rural households apparently chose to move away from cheap calorie-dense foods towards more nutritious and lower-calorie foods – and their consumption patterns also became more closely aligned to those of urban households. The government, supported by the World Bank, recently undertook a validation exercise to substantiate the poverty data from the intervening years, identify key shortcomings in the methodology and to lay out the next steps for creating a credible and autonomous system for monitoring poverty and inclusion. The success, and...
Navies of Pakistan, China Begin Their Fourth Joint Exercise
The Pakistan Navy (PN) and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy of China began their fourth joint exercise on Thursday. The exercise will continue till Nov 21. Though the two navies have held joint exercises three times before, the fourth one, which includes harbour and sea phases, is significant because it is aimed at promoting maritime security and stability in the region with focus on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). This was the underlying message at a media briefing on the exercise held at the Fleet Headquarters. Commodore Mirza Foad Amin Baig, Commander 18th Destroyer Squadron, told the media that the fourth exercise carried far more importance in the context of the CPEC project. He said the drill was aimed at enhancing security in the strategic region which included port areas and the sea where ships would sail out. “The previous three joint sea exercises between the PLA and the PN have boosted trust and cooperation between the two navies, which is needed even more now as we set forth in a new direction of trade through the Gwadar port,” said Flotilla Commander Chinese Naval Force, Senior Captain Chi Qingtao. “The [fourth] exercise will help improve the naval capability of both countries to protect Gwadar port activities while providing a safe and conducive environment for the movement of merchant ships from there,” he added. Speaking through an interpreter, he said that in addition to enjoying “solid friendship”, Pakistan and China shared waters and mountains, “which we will protect together”. For taking part in the exercise Chinese naval ships Changxingdao and Handan had reached Karachi on Wednesday. Providing details of the exercise, Commodore Baig said that it would have harbour and sea phases. “The harbour phase is already in progress and consists of various visits to each other’s ships along with discussions that will serve as a warm-up for the sea phase,” he explained. “The sea phase of the exercise afterwards will be conducted in the...
Germany Expects To Send About 12,000 Back To Afghanistan, Report Says
More than 12,000 Afghan migrants to Germany are to be sent back to their home country because large parts of Afghanistan are considered safe, according to a German government document reviewed by a German newspaper yesterday. The document - an explanation by the government to a question posed by the hard-left Die Linke (The Left) party - states that about 5 per cent of the 247,000 Afghans who had reached Germany by the end of September will likely be sent home because their safety can be guaranteed in Afghanistan's larger cities. That would amount to 12,539 Afghans. The information was released in Thursday's edition of the Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung. The government statement says it expects some of the migrants will return of their own accord. However, it noted that some of the removals might be by force. The question of forcibly repatriating people to Afghanistan is controversial, since there are many questions about how safe the country is, given regular Taliban attacks. Just last week, four people died when Taliban forces attacked the German consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif. So far this year, 27 Afghans have been deported after their asylum applications were rejected. In 2015, there were nine. Asylum-seeker accommodation has frequently been the target of arson attacks and hate crime in Germany, as right-wing extremists lash out at Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to allow 890,000 refugees and migrants into the country last year. Germany expects to receive fewer than 300,000 migrants this year, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) said last week. Merkel, whose long-stellar approval ratings have taken a dive amid the refugee crisis, came under fresh fire over her pro-immigration policy stance. Merkel is suffering from low popularity, cutting a lonely figure in her struggle for resisting pressure to change her refugee policy. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has capitalized on widespread discontent about the arrival of the large number of...
After America’s Longest War, Refugees Face Forced Return to Afghanistan
As Afghanistan fades from international attention and the Taliban control more territory than any time since the American led invasion of 2001, over one and a half million refugees that managed to flee from the conflict may now have to return. A deal struck between the European Union and Afghanistan seeks to send Afghans that were denied asylum status in Europe back to a country that has seen continual war. The repatriation deal, called the Joint Way Forward, was announced alongside a promise to provide $3.75 billion in developmental aid per year for the next 4 years. The agreement states: “The EU and the government of Afghanistan intend to cooperate closely in order to organize the dignified, safe and orderly return of Afghan nationals to Afghanistan who do not fulfill the conditions to stay in the EU.” Despite a leaked memo that referred to some aid as “migration sensitive” and an acknowledgment to a worsening security situation, EU officials denied that there was an ultimatum to accept the asylum seekers or risk losing aid. Iran and Pakistan have also increased efforts to deport Afghan refugees. According to the United Nations High Commission of Refugees, Pakistan alone hosts 1.4 million registered, and as much as 600,000 undocumented Afghan refugees. The government of Pakistan gave Afghans seeking refuge a deadline of November 15th to obtain legal documents. Those that fail to obtain a passport or visa will face arrest and deportation. Pakistan has already forced more than 10,000 refugees back to Afghanistan, and authorities continue to apply increased pressure to those that remain, with some facing arrest and police harassment. According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), 2015 had the highest recorded amount of civilian casualties in Afghanistan. UNAMA documented 11,002 civilian casualties in 2015, with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, stating “The people of Afghanistan continue to suffer brutal and...
The New Battle over The Longest War
If Hillary Clinton had won the race for the White House, the world would now have a good sense of what her foreign policy would look like. With Donald Trump coming into office, however, nothing is certain. With his thinking on foreign policy largely unknown, much of what Trump does will depend on who he appoints to key positions, as secretaries of defence and state, to the top jobs in the National Security Council, the CIA and others. The influential blog, Politico, warns, however, that his “divisive campaign may make it difficult for him to attract top talent, especially since so many politicians and wonks openly derided the president-elect over the past year.” This might result in low-quality politics. Afghanistan—where the US is fighting its longest war ever—barely featured in the 2016 election campaign. Associated Press saw the reason why this happened in the “tough choices” the new president will have to make early in the term, “including whether to increase or reduce US troops levels”. He will also have to make up his mind about whether the Afghanistan challenges are military in the first place. And if it came up, it was in a strange way. Trump campaign spokeswoman Katrina Pierson demonstrated at least bad memory, if not a lack of knowledge, when she claimed on CNN in October that “Barack Obama went into Afghanistan.” There is a compilation of ‘positions’ of the Trump-Pence campaign titled “Foreign Policy and Defeating ISIS” in bullet-point form on its website. The title indicates that the war against the Islamic State (IS, ISIS or Daesh) is Trump’s priority, apparently equal to all other foreign policy issues. Although Daesh’s Afghan-Pakistani chapter, the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, is only a sideshow, it did galvanise Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama into signing off on an increasing number of airstrikes against the group. Nevertheless, in Afghanistan, the outgoing president’s policies have encompassed far more than just addressing the Daesh...
One Step Closer To War Crime Trials? New ICC Report on Afghanistan
The International Criminal Court’s Office of the Prosecutor has said it will “imminently” be taking a decision on whether to request authorisation from judges to commence an investigation into war crimes in Afghanistan. The Taleban could be investigated, among other offences, for murder and intentionally attacking civilians, while Afghan government forces, and the US military and CIA could be investigated for torturing security detainees. As Kate Clark and Ehsan Qaane report, this next step towards US citizens possibly being called to trial in The Hague has arisen just as Donald Trump, a man who believes in torture, has been voted into the White House. The ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) released its 2016 Preliminary Examination Report on Afghanistan (released annually) on 14 November 2016. The report says that the OTP had determined there was a reasonable basis to believe that, at a minimum, the following crimes within the Court’s jurisdiction had occurred: Crimes against humanity and war crimes by the Taliban and their affiliated Haqqani Network; War crimes of torture and related ill-treatment by Afghan government forces, in particular the intelligence agency (National Directorate for Security) and the Afghan National Police; War crimes of torture and related ill-treatment, by US military forces deployed to Afghanistan and in secret detention facilities operated by the Central Intelligence Agency, principally in the 2003-2004 period, although allegedly continuing in some cases until 2014. The Preliminary Examination also said that thresholds of admissibility had been reached, ie the alleged crimes are under ICC jurisdiction, are sufficiently grave, are not being addressed by domestic or other legal bodies (although this is “subject to further information that could be provided by the relevant national authorities in the course of the preliminary examination or any subsequent investigation”) and there are “no substantial reasons to believe that the opening...
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TESTIMONIALS
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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.