Current Projects
The long road to Gwadar – I
by Zeeshan Salahuddin Some very clinical language is used to describe the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). It is a “game-changer” for Pakistan, “an unprecedented economic opportunity”, and “the foundation for industrial and technological revolution”. This is largely accurate, but in order to achieve it, Pakistan will have to move a few steps beyond the financing, the infrastructure, and the rhetoric. Pakistan will need to drastically improve its strategic communication with all stakeholders and citizens, and engage in transparency of information. This was a key takeaway in a recent bilateral dialogue between Chinese and Pakistani security sector practitioners. CPEC is indeed a game-changer, a veritable metamorphosis for Pakistan, catapulting the country into economic and cultural maturity. It is the beginning of a much larger Chinese vision, a vision that ends with China at the center of a united, inter-dependent, free-trading Eurasia. The CPEC, approximately 3,000 kilometers long, connecting Gwadar port in Balochistan to Kashgar province in western China, is just one of the several planned roads China plans to build over the next decades. Strategically, it is the most important for two reasons. First, it is the pilot project for the massive undertaking, and its success could make or break Pakistan’s future. Second, the CPEC connects the planned Chinese maritime route with the overland silk route, thus providing the crucial connection between the two roads. Working with Pakistan is like working with several governments at once The Chinese have trusted Pakistan with improving its internal security situation in order to facilitate the CPEC. This is paramount, because China has finally managed to provide Pakistan with something that six decades of western policy was never able to provide: a tangible, economic, existential reason for why Pakistan should stabilize itself from within and cast out the cancerous tumors that have been feeding on its soul for...
Sabawoon-Monthly Progress Report March, 2016
Executive Summary: In the month of March, 2016, a total of 18 radio shows were aired under the Sabawoon (the dawn) program. We collected 26 reports from our reporters from various parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). A total of 30 reports were aired on various programs. During the entire month we received 196 phone calls (live and post show) along with 207 SMS messages. A total of 27 guests took part in the live program, 14 of which were females. We aired the voices of 53 women in different reports. Out of 18 radio shows, 11 focused on women’s issues. One of our guests who appeared in Jwandey Jazbey (alive spirits), said, “Sabawoon as the name reveals, proved to be a tremendous dawn for me. After the show highlighted my achievements as a businesswoman, a listener of the show approached me from Dubai to help expand my business. My first contract with her is for Rs2 million. The show provided me a platform to market my business and to motivate people to believe in enterprising females.” Highlighted Episodes: Sabawoon is a CRSS flagship radio program aired from Peshawar for KP and FATA regions. It has been designed to inculcate respect for basic human rights, underscore the need for good governance, create awareness for democratic and governance reforms in democratic institutions and stress the need for improving women’s rights and participation in public spheres. It also creates avenues for the public to participate in policy discourse through formal or informal consultations. Brief descriptions of the Sabawoon programs aired in the month of March are given below: One episode was focused on “Women’s role in the Decision and Policy Making Process”. It was aired under the theme Jwandai Jazbey (alive spirits). The guest included a PHD student and FATA Youth Organization Female Wing President Shumaila Javed. The main point of the discussion was that women are not only facing problems like domestic violence,...
Sabawoon Showcase: Right to Public Services Act Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Its Commission’s Performance
April 11, 2016, Peshawar: The Center for Research and Security Studies’ (CRSS) flagship radio program Sabawoon’s latest episode was about the Right to Public Services (RTS) Act 2014 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa(KP). The idea was to sensitize listeners about the Act, and the performance of the RTS C. The key points of discussion related to the need of the Act and Commission as a tool to ensure basic human rights, timely delivery of public services and the Commission as a tool to enforce the rule of law, imrpove governance, and accountability. Moreover, the program also highlighted the lack of public confidence in government institutions, lack of awareness among the public about the act, and progress made by the RTS commission to date. The program was aired under the theme of “Jarga Marraka” (debate and council), on Monday, Mr. Azmat Hanif Orakzai, Chief Commissioner, RTS Commission, was a guest on the show. The special report aired during the show highlighted concerns of the public about the progress of the RTS commission and government officials to provide on time services. Mr. Aurangzeb Khan, a resident of Peshawar, said,: I used to visit the deputy commissioner office but never found him in office to resolve my property documentary evidence issue, which is stuck due to him. Deputy Commissioner lives in his bungalow where a common man is hardly allowed to get in. We have submitted many applications but in vain. Mr. Bilal Khan, from Peshawar, said,: I am not satisfied with the act and commission. Still, government officers delay our work. I have submitted documents for domicile certificate, but no progress so far. Five callers took part in the show. They urged the Commission to spread awareness among the masses about the Act, establish a complaint box in each government institution, and make its practical implementation possible in all the regions of KP. Mr. Muhammad Umar, a caller on the show, said: , We don’t know about this law and the Commission. This is the...
CPEC: Paradoxical Approaches
by Imtiaz Gul The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is an inescapable part of the conversation, whenever officials, private businessmen or intelligentsia from both countries meet — regardless where. In Islamabad, the talk around CPEC is loaded with promises of a “game-changing initiative”. Here, ambiguities still surround many issues such as the preference for the western route. Projects such as the Orange Line or coal-based power plants continue to draw flak and controversy. Controversy, confusion, convolution of facts and connivance of the mighty ones to reap the maximum dividends (to the exclusion of merits and transparency) probably is one way of describing how the Sharif government is going about the CPEC. In Beijing, or elsewhere in China, guarded optimism and veiled or even direct questions accompany this conversation which, in fact, is rooted in a very clear strategy flowing from President Xi Jinping’s vision of One Belt One Road (OBOR); this initiative exemplifies China’s effort to produce new opportunities for itself as well as for others because no country can develop in isolation. Neither can you be well if your neighbour is poor, so they believe. Also, an inclusive development strategy is seen as the engine of the Chinese economy which is being run by local/regional governments. In contrast, the manner with which the ruling party in Islamabad and Lahore embraced the CPEC, entailed the impression that they aimed to create a haven of peace and prosperity i.e., Punjab (by advancing the longer eastern route). This clearly ignored the regions that are key to the shortest Kashgar-Gawadar route i.e., Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. This deliberate deviation also reflected the rulers’ selfishness and apathy towards areas that have, in the recent years, been battered by conflict and insecurity. In Beijing, the entire state machinery representing all regions hunkered down to work out the best strategies for implementing the CPEC as the first of the...
First Round of PACE Collaborative Workshop Concluded
The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) conducted a five day collaborative workshop for young lecturers and professors of universities from March 5-9, 2016 at COMSATS Institute of Information and Technology. The workshop was conducted under the umbrella of the Pakistan Center for Excellence (PACE), a counter-radicalization pluralistic values focused project, in collaboration with the Dutch Embassy. Participants included young university lecturers and professors from COMSATS Institute for Information Technology (CIIT), CECOS University, Quaid-e-Azam University, and the Journalism and Mass Communication Department, Peshawar University. Her Excellency Ms. Jeannette Seppen, the Netherlands Ambassador, was the chief guest at the inaugural session. While addressing the cadre of lecturers, she said, “Participation of opinion multipliers in the potential exercise of tolerance and dialogue was the need of the hour. For Netherlands, all issues of radicalization, extremism and fundamentalism have been priority agendas across all those countries where we are involved through our international cooperation”.PACE Mr. Imtiaz Gul, Executive Director, CRSS, after showing a brief video to the audience encapsulated some of the ideals that prompted the creation of PACE. He said that these ideals also resonated with the core values that are acknowledged, practiced and respected as fundamental to social harmony, political peace and national cohesion. “PACE is anchored in the central theme of equal citizenry and the rule of law because these are the critical values that can and may minimize conflict and help promote peace and generate respect for diversity of thought, faith and ethnicity”. Mr. Gul said that by sticking to the constitution, promoting respect for the universal declaration of human rights and by creating awareness on the UN indicators for rule of law and equal citizenry, we could help rationalize the conversation on governance, national unity, peace and harmony....
Coal-Fired Power Generation in Pakistan Technology, Efficiency and Pollution
by Engineer Arshad H. Abbasi CRSS Note: Pakistan plans to install about a dozen coal-fired power plants in the next three years or so. Their cumulative generation would be close to 10,000 Megawatts. This is likely to help overcome acute power shortages that the country currently faces. But it comes with huge environmental concerns. What consequences will the coal energy entail for the already precarious environment? Is the technology being commissioned efficient enough to prevent carbon emissions into the air? Is it the technology that has already resulted in a blanket of smog over major Chinese cities such as Guangzhou, Chengdou, Beijing? Massive emissions from coal-fired power plants, factories, and tens of millions of vehicles in major Chinese cities are already touching alarming levels not only in China but in countries like India, Philippines, Vietnam. Concerned energy and environment experts wonder as to whether coal-based power plants - which have already caused huge ecological damage - will ever be efficient enough to preclude further damage to the environment. With these concerns in view, CRSS is pleased to share this incisive paper with readers for a greater understanding of the issue. This paper is a comparative analysis of the old and new technologies, their efficiency and impact on the ecology. We are thankful to Engineer Arshad Abbasi for allowing us to publish this paper. And the views expressed and conclusions drawn in the paper are entirely his own. Executive Summary In coal-fired power generation, the global trend is towards improving the efficiency of thermal power plants by generating more electricity while using the minimum quantity of fuel (Natural Gas, Coal and Residual Fuel Oil) as well as lowering emissions. In fact, High Efficiency and Low Emissions is the collective mantra of the 21st century with coal-fired power plants in operation having reached a thermal efficiency of 45%. Higher efficiency translates into less consumption of...
CPEC: teething problems
By Khaleeq Kiani IN APRIL of last year, Pakistan and China signed more than 50 agreements and memoranda of understanding to push forward around $46bn worth of a development roadmap — China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. As the two nations complete the first anniversary of the landmark opening later this month ahead of convening 6th round of the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) in June, it is time for a bird’s eye view of the progress some critical development projects have achieved so far. It is difficult to judge the implementation pace at this stage but it is ironical that executing agencies are still facing different sorts of confusions and difficulties. Water supply to Gwadar Port is a key challenge. Hence a Rs11.2bn project to develop water treatment, supply and distribution was taken in hand to connect Swad and Shadikaur dams with Gwadar. As of March 15, the Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) is still not clear on the financial modality of the Swad-Gwadar City Water Supply, nor about its second phase — connecting Shadikaur dam. The GPA is not aware if the project is to be developed through grant, an interest-free loan or a commercial loan from China. The Rs9.9bn worth of Hospital Upgradation of GDA (renamed China-Pakistan Friendship Hospital) is also yet to take off as Pakistan awaits a feasibility report, the cost estimate of the first phase, supply of equipment for the existing 50 beds, and the nomination of contractor by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. The coal-fired power plant at Gwadar is also facing issues of clarity. China had nominated China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) as contractor for a 600MW coal-based project but then agreed on the insistence of Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) and the Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) for a 300MW plant on public-private partnership mode at a cost of Rs55bn. Major issues facing this power project include reluctance of the National Transmission and Dispatch Company for connectivity with...
CRSS China Watch – April 8, 2016
The Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz had a meeting with Mr. Zhang, member of the political bureau of the Communist Party of China. In a meeting they discussed the enhancement of cooperation between the Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region and Pakistan. Mr. Sartaj Aziz said that the strategic Pak-China relationship would endorse the regional peace and stability. It was asserted by Mr. Zhang that the two countries were joined by land, mountains and rivers. He ensured China’s unwavering support to Pakistan’s sovereignty, national security and territorial integrity. He extoled Pakistan’s efforts in combating terrorism and acknowledged its sacrifices. Highlighting the prominence of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), further he said that it would have long-term impact on the region and would be equally beneficial. [1] Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has also declared that the CPEC is a fusion of multiple development projects, aimed at the prosperity and well-being of the citizens of the country and the region at large. [2] The former president of Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) and UBG Chairman Iftikhar Malik stressed that Pakistan should strike the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China to stimulate the bilateral trade. [3] Xinjiang's top official visited Pakistan and the companies from Xinjiang signed deals worth about $2 billion to strengthen bilateral partnership. [4] [1] http://www.pakistanherald.com/news/10454/06-april-2016/pak-china-partnership-to-ensure-regional-peace(col)-aziz [2] http://nation.com.pk/national/07-Apr-2016/cpec-reflects-all-weather-pak-china-ties-nawaz [3] http://nation.com.pk/business/08-Apr-2016/china-fta-must-benefit-pakistan [4] http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-pakistan-idUSKCN0X507K
Bilateral Security and Communication Concerns Addressed In CRSS-CAF Dialogue
Beijing, China: Participants of a bilateral China-Pakistan security dialogue on Friday agreed that improved communication strategies and transparency were central to successful, friction-free implementation of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, the first major component of the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative. It is important for people of both countries to know how both governments are bracing for the political, administrative and security challenges arising from the CPEC projects, Pakistani and Chinese participants concluded at the end of the dialogue held between representatives from the Chinese Association for Friendship (CAF) and Pakistani think tank the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS). The day-long dialogue series addressed a range of issues including the complexities of the security landscape in Pakistan, Pakistan’s response to terrorism and the way forward, China’s role in facilitating political cohesion in Pakistan to ensure success of CPEC and OBOR, the reality and perception of the threats to CPEC, countering the common enemy through state-level strategic communication, and ways to secure CPEC. Chinese scholars from CAF, the Peking University and a members of think tanks gave their assessment of the threats both the CPEC as well as to the ever-growing Pak-China strategic relationship. They underscored the need for a more comprehensive joint approach to counter common threats such as terrorism and religious extremism. A few key points can be gleaned from the discussion that highlight some of the concerns Chinese think tanks have in Pakistan: The instability associated with the region through with the Western Route passes is of major concern. However, given the recent attack in Lahore, and the crackdown in Punjab, the Eastern Route is also a challenging proposition. The three primary security concerns are crime (such as political militancy in Karachi), terrorism (such as ETIM, TTP and IS), and sectarian disharmony within Pakistan, as...
Lessons From Sri Lanka – II
by Imtiaz Gul Can development projects substitute political reconciliation? Rehabilitation, reform and reintegration of ex-combatants, and the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) constitute the four important “R” challenges for post-conflict strategies. If handled in a politically injudicious way, they can hardly prevent a relapse of the rebellion. During my recent visit to Sri Lanka, I saw that Tamil nationalists are still wary of the high-handed and allegedly discriminatory handling of the conflict in the country by Colombo. They are demanding an international probe into the final anti-LTTE assault that reportedly killed tens of thousands in May 2009, and calling for accelerated Tamil-owned development strategies that can help the national integration of the eastern and northern territories. Tamils don’t trust the national Supreme Court, which is dominated by ten Sinhalese judges, although the chief justice is a Tamil. On the face of it, Colombo has done well as far as de-radicalization and rehabilitation are concerned. Soon after the elimination of LTTE chief, the central government threw in a lot of funds for infrastructure development, including massive uplift of road and rail communication. India also chipped in with funding for 43,000 housing units – repairs, reconstruction or entirely new construction – to facilitate Sri Lankan IDPs. They live under the shadows of suspicion In order to placate the Tamil sentiment, as many as 1,500 former LTTE cadres from Jaffna, Killinochi, Mannar, and Vavuniya districts have already been inducted into the army. Over 400 Tamil women have also joined the army since 2013, including close to 100 from Killinochi, once the LTTE stronghold. Besides the military’s plan to recruit 5,000 rehabilitated LTTE cadres from the North and East, the government also has plans to recruit 2,000 Tamil police officers from the Northern and Eastern provinces. But mistrust is a major issue. “It is a Catch-22 situation for the...
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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.