Current Projects
CRSS China Watch – April 19, 2016
Federal Minister of Planning, Development and Reforms, Ahsan Iqbal said that all efforts are underway to speed up the development work on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He asserted that the civil-military leadership is committed for the quick completion of the project which will usher economic stability and prosperity not only in Pakistan but also in the neighboring region. The project would bring revolutionary changes and will overcome the energy crisis of Pakistan by the year 2018.[1] Habib Bank Limited stands as the first South Asian lender to operate in the world’s second largest economy since it has been allowed to open a branch in China. The bank intends to open a branch in Urumqi, the rising business and industry center and the regional hub for China’s Belt and Street Initiative (B&RI) in Central Asia.[2] Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Pakistan has registered a 15 percent growth during the first nine months of the current fiscal year, owing to the inflow for projects under the CPEC. The government has estimated $2.1 billion FDI disbursement from China in 2015/16, and power and construction sectors have been estimated as the prime recipients. According to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the country received $975.4 million as FDI during July-March 2015/16 which is $125.2 million higher than the corresponding period of the last fiscal year.[3] [1]http://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/113362-CPECs-first-phase-to-be-completed-by-2018-Ahsan-Iqbal [2]http://tribune.com.pk/story/1087196/hbl-to-open-branch-in-china/ [3]http://tribune.com.pk/story/1087399/foreign-investment-china-contributes-more-than-half-to-fdi-inflow/
Muslim Identity and a Multicultural, Pluralistic Society can Coexist, says Bosnian Ambassador
Islamabad, April 18, 2016: Setting a good example as a Muslim is critical to building a better image of Muslims. Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH) is a nation that exemplifies multiculturalism, pluralism and ethnic and religious diversity. Muslims, Christians and Jews coexist peacefully, crime is at zero, and literacy rate is at 100%. BH has created a law-abiding, peaceful, tolerant society, all without sacrificing its proud Muslim identity. These remarks were made by His Excellency, Dr. Nedim Makarević, the Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Pakistan, during the closing ceremony of Pakistan Center of Excellence’s (PACE) second round of collaborative workshops; a five day residential training program from April 15-18, 2016. PACE is a major CVE initiative launched by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) - with the support from the government of Netherlands - to promote democratic values, respect for diversity, fundamental human rights and virtues of tolerance as a measure of ensuring social peace and harmony for peaceful co-existence. It aims to facilitate a socio-political discourse – the Alternate Narrative on democratic rights and responsibilities anchored in the globally accepted and practiced concepts such as Rule of Law, Equal Citizenry, Secular Governance as a primary condition for social cohesion, and Tolerance for, and acceptance of cultural diversity. The resource persons and public intellectuals who interacted with the participating university lecturers and professors from different universities across Pakistan included Dr. A.H. Nayyer, Ms. Sara Farid, Mr. Safiullah Gul, Mr. Dr. Mohsin Naqvi, Mr. Jehangir Khattak, Ms. Humaira Masihuddin, Dr. Samina Yasmeen, and Mr. Niaz Murtaza. The discussion themes we primarily rule of law, tolerance, diversity, fundamental human rights, equal citizenry, democracy and governance, and perhaps most importantly, the scientific need to question the narratives we are given. Imtiaz Gul, Executive Director,...
CRSS China Watch – April 15, 2016
The Chief Minister of Balochistan, Nawab Sanaullah Khan, had a meeting with a team from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In the meeting, he said that, since the initiative of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the investment opportunities in Gwadar and Balochistan have increased to a great extent. He assured that the government would assist the efforts involved in the exploitation of such potential investment opportunities.[1] Pakistan’s former permanent representative (write down the name if it was available) at the United Nations in Geneva and envoy at the Conference on Disarmament claimed that China would not allow India to enter into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). He said that, regardless of the support of the United States (US), India would not be able to join the NSG as china aims to endorse the membership of Pakistan and India at the same time.[2] Pervez Khattak, the Chief Minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), wrote a letter to the federal government seeking clarification over uncertainties of the western alignment of the CEPC. He has also sought reservations over the inclusion of some projects as part of the western corridor. However, the federal government has not made any clear commitment in this regard.[3] The Senate Standing Committee on Defence was informed that India’s premier spy agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), had set up a ‘special cell’ in New Delhi to disrupt the CPEC project.[4] In order to increase cooperation among the private sector of the Punjab province of Pakistan and Shandong Province of China, two agreements and six MOUs were signed. The agreement was signed by the Punjab Chief Minister, Shahbaz Sharif, and Shandong vice Governor, Xia Geng.[5] [1] http://tribune.com.pk/story/1084288/safe-environment-cpec-opens-investment-vistas-says-cm-zehri/ [2] http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/pak-says-china-will-stop-india-s-entry-into-nsg-116041400264_1.html [3]...
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...
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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.