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On August 4, the chief of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Police, Nasir Khan Durrani, walked a few dozen steps to the venue of an event being held on Youm-e-Shuhada (Police Martyrs’ Day) in Peshawar. The reason — special security arrangements that required all vehicles to park at a decent distance from the venue. But one of his deputies, in-charge of a special police force, huffed and puffed when his vehicle was stopped at the red line. He simply swept everybody aside and drove over the red line. This episode explains the paradoxes that result from the conduct of the privileged. On the one hand, the chief of the provincial police obeyed the standard operating procedures (SOP) laid down for the occasion. On the other hand, one of his senior colleagues snubbed his juniors and brazenly flouted the SOPs. The latter found following the SOPs below his dignity — as much as most of the ruling elite and those in positions of power in Pakistan do, where a culture of privileges, permits and perks continues to thrive at the expense of the blood and sweat of ordinary citizens. No surprise then that institutional reform has been difficult to come by in a system that is anchored in political and financial patronage, and pillage of national resources. It is also evident in the absence of political will for meaningful police reform in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. Police forces in these provinces remain very much in the clutches of the chief ministers. We have excellent, discerning and sincere individuals in the Police Service of Pakistan, but the predominance of political power simply trumps their good work and the desire to improve their service. The 1861 Police Act (Sindh and Balochistan) and the Police Order 2002 (Punjab) continue to be the service frameworks for the police in these provinces, which means there is little operational autonomy, emphasis on fear rather than on serving the people and little deterrence for law-violators, and hardly any merit or accountability mechanisms....
Will Russia and China Build an SCO-Based Joint Missile Defence System?
On Monday, experts in Moscow and Beijing spoke via video conference on the implications for regional security of the US deployment of missile defence systems in South Korea. And while the forum focused mostly on political and military implications of the THAAD deployment, experts also intrigued observers by indicating that it was possible for Russia and China to join together to create a single missile defence shield over the entirety of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the political, economic and military organization involving much of eastern Eurasia. Regarding the THAAD deployment, Moscow has repeatedly indicated that it was categorically opposed to the move. THAAD, capable of monitoring ballistic and aerial targets at distances of up to 1,500 km, is expected to give the US military the capability to 'see' into the territory of the Russian Federation, and even further into that of China. Speaking at the video conference on Monday, Vladimir Petrovsky, a senior researcher at the Moscow-based Center for the Studies and Forecasting of Russia-China Relations at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies, explained that the potential for a joint missile defence shield exists. Moreover, such a shield would be entirely appropriate given recent US moves, from its deployment of missile shield components in Eastern Europe to the deployment of THAAD in South Korea. "Russia and China could become the driving force in the area of missile defence. Special attention should be paid to the land-based interception systems which we have at our disposal," the analyst said. Recently, the analyst recalled, Japan, South Korea and the United States conducted drills practicing the interception of ballistic missiles using the maritime-based US Aegis system. The appropriate response from Moscow and Beijing, according to Petrovsky, would be for the two countries' air defence forces to conduct similar joint exercises at the Ashuluk range in Russia's Astrakhan region. Asked to comment...
US Airstrikes Undermining Afghan Security, Says Former President
International efforts to help Afghan security forces regain control of territory taken by the Taliban are doing more harm than good, the former president of Afghanistan has warned. Hamid Karzai spoke to the Guardian after a bloody week in Helmand, as the Taliban captured large swaths of territory where hundreds of British and American soldiers died. As militants close in on the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah, government forces have sustained heavy losses. Afghan commanders have pleaded with the US military to intensify airstrikes. But, Karzai said, they should not. “They are very wrong – they are terribly wrong,” he said. “Those who ask foreign forces to bomb Afghanistan are not representing the Afghan people or their interests.” The comments echo sentiments expressed by the ex-president during his 13-year tenure. Karzai vehemently opposed US airstrikes and night raids on Afghan villages, which he thinks undermined Afghan sovereignty, along with foreign “interference” in Afghan politics. “This denial of self-determination causes a lot of frustration and anger for the Afghan people, and that helps fuel conflict,” Karzai said. The US disagrees that its military is making things worse – as does the current Afghan government. Last month, Barack Obama announced his decision to leave 8,900 soldiers in the country until 2017, further delaying a long-planned drawdown. A recent report showed the amount of territory controlled by the Afghan government has fallen this year, dropping from 70.5% of the country’s districts in early 2016 to 65.6%. In the past week in Helmand, where 410 of the 455 killed British soldiers in Afghanistan died, Nad Ali district was almost entirely overrun, bringing the Taliban close to Lashkar Gah. The government is almost completely absent from northern districts such as Musa Qala, Sangin and Kajaki. But Karzai said those losses should be accepted as the consequence of Afghan forces fighting alone. “If we cannot fight it ourselves, then we cannot...
Curfew in Kashmir
Kashmir is facing the longest curfew so far in the 26 years of ongoing conflict, and that demonstrates how bad the situation in the valley is. Governor Jagmohan’s administration had imposed a 19-day-long curfew in Kashmir in January 1990, but the current curfew has gone on for about 50 days with no breaks. It has been extended to the nights as well, in order to break the writ of separatists as they call for relaxations in the shutdown during the evening hours. Kashmir has a long history of curfews, much before the armed rebellion broke out in 1989. In 1984, when Farooq Abdullah was dethroned by his brother-in-law Ghulam Mohammad Shah, the latter resorted to a curfew to contain the people’s agitation that rocked Kashmir in protest against the coup. Today’s curfew is, however, different by all accounts and is apparently aimed at tiring the people out. This is like a capsule strategy that includes forces having been given free hand to beat the people, ransack their houses and curtail their movements as much as possible. That, however, has not stopped people from taking out huge rallies in different parts of Kashmir, calling for ‘Azadi’. In many areas there are free zones where police and the administration do not intervene in such rallies. The idea is that it would lead to fatigue, which will be followed by a fruit packing season and other harvesting businesses. If the statements of fruit growers are to be believed, they would go with the protest calendars issued by the joint Hurriyat irrespective of the losses incurred. Same is the case with other trade bodies that have vowed to abide by the calendars. Unlike 2010, when murmurs about people’s concern over continuous closure of educational institutions and the businesses were heard only after two weeks, this time Kashmir is silent over the future of students. Has the situation been taken as fate accompli with people repeatedly saying this is a “now or never battle”? The palpable anger that has taken deep roots with...
India’s Communal Cauldron
Kashmir is ablaze and relations with Pakistan are at a low. Consequently, the communal cauldron is on a slow simmer. The gas can always be turned on for it to bubble over. All of this is not without purpose. Elections to UP, Punjab and Goa state assemblies are due in February 2017, that is six months from now. The Narendra Modi government would have completed half its term. If hard saffron is to be the chosen line in these elections, softness with Pakistan hardly serves a purpose. “Development” as a platform will be required in 2019 general elections. What shade of saffron is to be mixed with development, will be improvised in the light of experience after the February state elections. The Atal Behari Vajpayee led government faced similar choices in July 2001. UP elections then, as now, were due in February, six months away. Today, of course, the Modi-Amit Shah duo will settle on a hard line for the coming state elections. But in July 2001, there were two views in the BJP on the platform for the UP elections. Vajpayee and External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh were on the same page – a softer line, approximating to the middle ground which would open the door to a wider electorate. This was one of the reasons they were so enthusiastic about the Agra Summit with President Pervez Musharraf in July 2001. This was anathema to leaders like LK Advani. Helped decisively by senior MEA officials, they wrecked the summit. A hard line for the UP elections became a fait accompli. Luck favoured the hardliners. Within six weeks of Agra, 9/11 happened. By October 7, 2001, President George Bush had embarked on the world’s most riveting fireworks on live TV – air strikes on Afghanistan. The global war on terror metastasized into global war on Muslim terror. Anti Muslim rhetoric soared. Journalist Geraldo Rivera whipped out a revolver live on Fox News. He would shoot Osama bin Laden if he ever saw him. New standards in journalism were being set. An irony confronted New Delhi. Since...
Russia's Omsk to Host Forum of SCO Young Leaders In September
Young leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will have a meeting in Russia’s Omsk in September, the regional government told TASS on Monday. "The forum will take place between September 19 and 23, and we expect participation of delegations from Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan," the organizers said, "We also expect representatives from the foreign affairs and from economic development ministries." They also expect participation of ministers and high-ranking officials responsible for youth affairs, as well as leaders of major youth organizations. Head of the Russian youth authority, Rosmolodezh, Sergei Pospelov suggested organizing the forum along with celebration of the 300th anniversary of Omsk, which was supported by the region’s Governor Viktor Nazarov. The forum’s key event would be the 10th meeting of the SCO Youth Council, where the young leaders will discuss results of work in 2015-2016 and will make plans for 2016-2017. The plenary session will be devoted to involvement of the youth in work of SCO institutes. The SCO Youth Council was organized at a meeting of the Youth Assembly in May, 2009 in Yekaterinburg. This article originally appeared in the Russia & India Report, June 27, 2016. Original link. Disclaimer: Views expressed in the article are not necessarily supported by CRSS.
Russia’s Omsk to Host Forum of SCO Young Leaders In September
Young leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will have a meeting in Russia’s Omsk in September, the regional government told TASS on Monday. "The forum will take place between September 19 and 23, and we expect participation of delegations from Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan," the organizers said, "We also expect representatives from the foreign affairs and from economic development ministries." They also expect participation of ministers and high-ranking officials responsible for youth affairs, as well as leaders of major youth organizations. Head of the Russian youth authority, Rosmolodezh, Sergei Pospelov suggested organizing the forum along with celebration of the 300th anniversary of Omsk, which was supported by the region’s Governor Viktor Nazarov. The forum’s key event would be the 10th meeting of the SCO Youth Council, where the young leaders will discuss results of work in 2015-2016 and will make plans for 2016-2017. The plenary session will be devoted to involvement of the youth in work of SCO institutes. The SCO Youth Council was organized at a meeting of the Youth Assembly in May, 2009 in Yekaterinburg. This article originally appeared in the Russia & India Report, June 27, 2016. Original link. Disclaimer: Views expressed in the article are not necessarily supported by CRSS.
American University Attack: 12 Dead and 44 Injured in Afghanistan
At least 12 people have been killed and 44 wounded after militants attacked the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, trapping students and foreign staff members in their classrooms amid explosions and automatic gunfire. Witnesses said the attackers blew up an outer wall before bursting into the university compound around 7pm on Wednesday. Seven students, three police and two security guards were killed, police said, while dozens of people were wounded by bullets or shrapnel or injured themselves while jumping from second-storey windows. About 700 students were rescued in the attack in which two suspected militants were killed by security forces. One student, Mohammed Khalid Feroz, said he was playing basketball at the university gym when he heard the first explosion and rushed to escape with other students. He returned to look for his friends only to find a professor bleeding profusely from his throat. “He was badly injured. I took him to a dorm,” said Feroz, who attempted to provide first aid. Ten minutes after the attack began, dozens of officers from the Afghan special police force (CRU) cordoned off the scene. The ministry of interior affairs spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said they were heading inside to look for the “terrorists”. Foreign troops were also involved in the operation to secure the university. A spokesman for the international forces in Kabul said the number of foreign troops was “small”. The troops were “not directly involved or in a combat role, but advising their Afghan counterparts”, Brig Gen Charles Cleveland said. Outside the university, a crying man, who declined to give his name, said his brother had called him from inside the university after suffering three gunshot wounds. “I don’t know where [in the university] he is,” the man said. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes just weeks after two university professors – an American and an Australian – were kidnapped at gunpoint nearby. Their whereabouts...
Altaf has Shot Himself in The Foot
A visibly unstable Altaf Hussain made an apology within hours of a shocking tirade against Pakistan. But the damage is done. With his 20-second statement, he has handed to the state a stick that they had long been waiting for to beat him with. It also resulted in the long-overdue unraveling of a party that is linked with high-handedness, coercion, and brute force. They have used these tactics for survival, for self-perpetuation, for the persecution of dissenters, and for the projection of their political power as and when necessary. MQM’s history is replete with such shows of strength, as well as fatal political mistakes, miscalculations and a problem-child approach to politics. Altaf Hussain has his own peculiar style of public speaking, that includes everything from singing during a press conference to openly threatening his opponents. His careless statements have often embarrassed his party, and they are expected to come up with something-ridiculous explanations and justifications. The violence in Karachi on May 12, 2007 stands out as proof for some of the aforementioned “guiding principles” that the MQM cadres had to follow in Karachi. “Once we received the instructions to prevent (former chief justice) Iftikhar Chaudhry from reaching the Karachi Bar via road, we had to make elaborate arrangements,” an intelligence officer posted in Sindh recalls. “Every pro-Musharraf person and party, including the MQM, were taken on-board for consultation. We were told to let the MQM handle the city. Karachi had been literally handed over to the MQM. We did successfully prevent Chaudhry from getting out of the airport but at the cost of over 40 lives, mostly activists of ANP and PPP,” the officer said. He said they had advised the president not to address a public rally in front of the Parliament that evening (because of the bloodshed in Karachi). But Musharraf’s aides turned down the advice, he said, and prompted by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and his likes, the president...
SCO Could Help Improve India-Pakistan Ties – Russian Expert
Full membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) could bring a host of benefits for India and Pakistan, Topychkanov, South Asia expert and Associate in the Carnegie Moscow Center’s Nonproliferation Program told RIR in an exclusive interview. “This organization can provide you a platform for bilateral dialogue and also to help you to understand, experience confidence building measures on borders,” Topychkanov said. He cited the example of agreements that China signed with Russia and Central Asian republics on the transparency of the deployment of conventional forces on borders. “I believe that if India and Pakistan or China agree on such confidence building measures, it would be helpful and the SCO could help the countries enforce these agreements… and then help them achieve something more at a bilateral level.” India and Pakistan are in the process of becoming full members of the SCO. The organization presently has Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as full members. Topychkanov added that the Indian and Pakistani armies would participate in SCO military exercises. “They should take part in drills, trainings, data sharing,” he said. “This would be very helpful for the SCO as well as bilateral dialogue between India and Pakistan.” Russia’s concerns on terrorism from Pakistan While emphasizing the need for good relations between Moscow and Islamabad, Topychkanov said Russia did have genuine concerns about terrorism originating in Pakistan. “We need to have a fair conversation with this country about terrorism, about Pakistan’s policy in Afghanistan and many other issues,” he said. Topychkanov said there were cases of Russian citizens, even in the Moscow region, who could have participated in terrorist activities in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He added that Russia was aware that there were more than dozens of groups of Russian citizens who were involved in terrorist activities in the Af-Pak region. “This threat is growing,” 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.