Current Projects
CHINA WATCH [NOVEMBER 12-18] GWADAR STARTS FUNCTIONING
The opening ceremony of starting trade activities at Gwadar port was the top news of this week. Pakistan and China kick-started the fourth round of naval drill at Karachi. Jamaat-i-Islami hosted a multi-party conference in Peshawar to demand early working on the western route. Some lawmakers from Senate showed their concern that China might use the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to boost trade relations with India. Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah said that his government has prepared plan to establish Industrial Zone with Chinese assistance at Dhabeji in Sindh. Gwadar Opening: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif launched the first shipment of trade supplies from Gwadar Port in hyped and celebratory manner. Chinese ambassador Sun Weidong, Pakistan’s Army Chief General Raheel Sharif, Balochistan’s Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri and other state officials and foreign dignitaries were also present on the occasion. The PM said that “[T]oday we have gathered to witness the dream of CPEC turning into a reality”.[1] The trade consignment included containers of Chinese goods that entered into Pakistan in the end of October and travelled on the western route to Gwadar. Sino Trans, a state owned Chinese logistics company, was managing the shipment of these goods.[2] Pakistan Navy escorted the two ships, MV Cosco Willington and MV al Hussain carrying the goods to Arab and African countries.[3] All Party Conference on CPEC: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) hosted a multi-party conference in Peshawar to push the central government for starting early work on the western route. Leaders from 16 political parties and groups participated in the conference and demanded that the Prime Minister follow the decisions made at the multi-party conference on CPEC on May 28, 2016 in Islamabad. JI provincial chief Mushtaq Ahmad Khan said that “[I]f Nawaz Sharif ignores the joint declaration of conference, then it will not only affect this gigantic project but will also cause major...
Behavioral and Attitudinal Improvements in Police Critical for Tackling Trust Deficit
The members of working group on police reforms, during a consultative meeting at DPO Office, Mardan unanimously underpinned the need for the capacity building of lower grade police officials who represent around 80% of the total police force. They said that the behavioral and attitudinal changes in police - especially for the officials at lower ranks - were critical to address the public-police trust deficit given their frequent interactions with the public. They concurred with each other that the major factor behind the rude behavior of police constables was their abnormally long duty hours. The meeting was a part of the project “Ulasi Police”, which is an awareness and advocacy campaign undertaken by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) – as part of USAID Small Grants and Ambassadors’ Fund Program – to strengthen the rule of law in KP province by promoting and disseminating the significant police reforms aimed at incorporating local communities’ policing needs and international human rights standards. The endeavor aims to tackle the trust deficit between the public and police, help KP police become an accountable and community-focused police force. The participating members of police said that given the importance of polices’ dealing with public for addressing the trust deficit, several efforts had been undertaken and work was in progress but further behavioral improvements were required. They also noted that the police today in KP had transformed significantly for increased transparency, accountability, public service, better internal communication and check and balance system. They said that the recruitment system of police had been revised to ensure merit and transparency with NTS at the core. While the system of promotion has also undergone revisions; linking with performance and training courses as an important criteria. “Educational workshops should be conducted at police station level to help an average policeman understand the reforms in...
Afghanistan Ranked Number Two On Global Terror Index
Afghanistan suffered the worst year so far in its war with the Taliban, resulting in nearly 18,000 deaths from the conflict in 2015. As a result it is ranked number two in the world on the terrorism index, the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) said in its latest Global Terrorism Index (GTI). In the fourth edition of the index, IEP said "while the international community's focus has intensified on ISIL (Daesh) and its activities in Iraq and Syria, last year recorded the deadliest year for the Taliban in Afghanistan. The increases in Afghanistan highlight the resurgence of the Taliban in a war that has now lasted 15 years, the report read. It said: "Both terrorist deaths and battlefield deaths committed by the Taliban significantly increased in 2015. Terrorism increased 29 percent to 4,502 deaths and battlefield deaths increased 34 per cent to over 15,000." The 2016 GTI report reinforces the fact terrorism is a highly concentrated form of violence, mostly committed in a small number of countries and by a small number of groups. The five countries suffering the highest impact from terrorism as measured by the GTI; Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Pakistan and Syria, accounted for 72 per cent of all deaths from terrorism in 2015. It said: "Effective military interventions appear to have reduced the impact of terrorism in Iraq, however the increasing intensity of violent conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan have led to rises in the number of terror related fatalities." The Global Terrorism Index (GTI) is a comprehensive study analyzing the impact of terrorism for 163 countries, covering 99.7 percent of the world's population. Meanwhile, deaths from terrorism also increased to the highest recorded levels overall, with 5,312 deaths recorded in 2015, up by 18 percent from the previous year. Deaths from terrorism and conflict in Afghanistan have increased every year for the past five years. "The Taliban was responsible for the majority of terrorist attacks and in...
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...
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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.