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After Years of Violence, Pakistan Is Winning Its Fight Against Terrorism
by Murtaza Hussain A group of men from the militant Islamist group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan infiltrated the campus of Bacha Khan University in northwestern Pakistan. Armed with assault rifles and grenades, they managed to kill over 20 students and faculty before they were gunned down by local security forces. The attack managed to shock a country that for years has endured terrorist outrages. That the killings occurred at a university, targeting innocent students and teachers, made them feel particularly heinous. But the attack was also remarkable because Pakistan, for more than a year, had appeared to be on the way to finally defeating its homegrown insurgency. And despite the horror of what happened at Bacha Khan, that still seems to be the case. Last year saw precipitous decreases in both terrorist attacks and fatalities in Pakistan. Though exact figures differ, statistics compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal, the research arm of the New Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management, as well as a study by the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies, a pro-democracy think tank, showed significant decreases in violence in the country. A CRSS study said terrorist incidents declined 56 percent in 2015 from 2014, and the SATP, which conducts a running tally of terrorism figures, said that Pakistan in 2015 suffered the lowest number of suicide attacks and deaths from terrorism since 2006. These reported declines follow Pakistan’s initiation in 2014 of a large-scale military operation against Taliban sanctuaries in the ungoverned tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. That effort, which is ongoing, has succeeded in reclaiming most territory in the tribal areas. The seven years preceding this operation coincided with the escalation of the American war in Afghanistan and were among the bloodiest in Pakistan’s history. Those years saw a deluge of terrorist attacks that targeted markets, shrines, mosques, and major landmarks throughout the country....
To Protect Chinese Investment, Pakistan Military Leaves Little to Chance
by Syed Raza Hassan A heavy police presence, guarded convoys, new checkpoints and troop reinforcements have turned parts of the southern port city of Gwadar into a fortress, as Pakistan's powerful military seeks to protect billions of dollars of Chinese investment. Securing the planned $46 billion economic corridor of roads, railways and pipelines from northwest China to Pakistan's Arabian Sea coast is a huge challenge in a country where Islamist militants and separatist gunmen are a constant menace. The armed forces and interior ministry have sent hundreds of extra soldiers and police to Gwadar, the southern hub of the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and more are on their way. "Soon we'll start hiring 700-800 police to be part of a separate security unit dedicated to Chinese security, and at a later stage a new security division would be formed," Jafer Khan, regional police officer in Gwadar told Reuters. A senior security official in the town of around 100,000 people said a further 400-500 soldiers had been recruited as a temporary measure to protect Chinese nationals. On a recent visit, an SUV carrying Chinese visitors was escorted by two police cars and an army vehicle, while police blocked traffic at every crossroad along the route. It was not clear who the passengers were. Keeping foreign workers and executives safe in Gwadar, which has expanded significantly over the last 15 years largely thanks to Chinese investment, is relatively straightforward. The same cannot be said of the corridor as a whole. Its western branch passes north through Baluchistan province, where ethnic Baluch separatist rebels are opposed to the CPEC project and chafing under a military crackdown. It skirts the tribal belt along the Afghan-Pakistan border where Islamist militant groups including the Pakistan Taliban and al Qaeda have long been based, and takes in Peshawar, scene of some of the worst insurgent atrocities of recent years. CRACKDOWN AND ANGER The main...
Balochistan Reconciliation: 625 Insurgents Surrendered in Six Months
ISLAMABAD: Negotiations are currently under way with 125 insurgents in Balochistan over their possible surrender of weapons. Some 625 militants have already surrendered before the state in the past six months. The reconciliation process started under the National Action Plan (NAP) against terrorism has borne fruitful results in the restive province, officials say. Militants who give up violence have been offered cash support and jobs to help them lead a violence-free life. Balochistan insurgency: 400 militants surrender on Independence Day According to official documents available with The Express Tribune, exhaustive steps were taken for reconciliation in Balochistan to fulfil a major point under the revised anti-terror policy devised after the Peshawar school attack in December 2014. The policy also called for fully empowering the Balochistan government for political reconciliation with complete ownership by all stakeholders. Balochistan Home Secretary Akbar Durrani told The Express Tribunesaid the provincial government was committed to its reconciliation policy and the militants who have already surrendered were being rehabilitated. Under the scheme, each pardoned militant would be awarded Rs500,000 in instalments besides getting the compensation for his guns. Durrani said many such men have been already paid Rs100,000 as the first instalment. Insurgency in Balochistan: 49 militants surrender These people, he added, have been told to get the computerised national identity cards (CNIC) from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to obtain the benefits. They would also be provided ‘Pur Aman Balochistan Card’, which would then be used for withdrawing rehabilitation funds. “Estranged Baloch aged between 18 and 30 years who surrender will be awarded government jobs, including in military and in public sector organisations,” Durrani said. “Those above this age group will be trained in technical education.” The female family members of the...
Afghan Delegation of Civil Society Arrives for Track 1.5/2 Dialogue
An eleven-member Afghan delegation comprising members of civil society and parliament arrived in Islamabad on Sunday, February 7, 2016 for a land-mark series of Track 1.5/2 meetings/ dialogues. This initiative - called “Beyond Boundaries” has been undertaken by an Islamabad based independent think tank Center of Research and Security Studies (CRSS), in partnership with its Afghan counterpart organization, DURAN Research and Analysis (DRA) and sub-national partner (Pakistan), the Foundation for Integrated Development Action (FIDA) - is a major Pakistan-Afghanistan Track 1.5/II dialogue series to help improve relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, soothe bitter context, deescalate tensions and tackle trust deficit. Beyond Boundaries comprises two working groups, the Regional Security Group, and Civil Society and Youth Group, aimed at facilitating and promoting people-to-people contacts. The fifth meeting/ workshop in the series and the third meeting of regional civil society experts from Pakistan and Afghanistan is taking place from February 08-09, 2016 in Islamabad with several high level meetings on the sidelines on February 10, 2016. The dialogue unusual significance because of the high profile formation of working groups from both sides and the context between the two countries. The arrival of the Afghan delegation marks the continuity of dialogue - facilitated by CRSS - between the stakeholders from the two countries to the backdrop of a politically difficult and challenging environment. The Track 1.5/II is also important because the bilateral relationship has been fraught with mutual mistrust being the proxy battleground for complicated regional relationships. An unstable Afghanistan-Pakistan relationship is fundamentally detrimental to peace and development in the region. Initiatives like Beyond Boundaries will bring together influential government and non-governmental stake-holders who can help lessen tensions, address misconceptions, and revive some...
A New Hotbed of Terror
by Imtiaz Gul Two major events on February 2 appear to provide strong evidence of the presence of the battered Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in eastern Afghanistan. They also make one understand the Afghan Unity Government’s worries about the emergence of the Islamic State (IS) in eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar. In short, they signal the need for a multilateral counterterrorism strategy. Security officials in Peshawar claimed on February 2 to have arrested Waheed Ali alias Arshad, previously dubbed “Terrorist A” – the main facilitator of the attack on the Bacha Khan University. The arrest was made in Nowshera. They said Arshad, who is said to be in his early 30s, had hired a taxi to take him to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border at Torkham. He has reportedly confessed that the planning of the attack on the university was carried out for six months in the Achin district of Afghanistan, which he said Khalifa Omar Mansoor was using as his base. The key Taliban commander had initially planned to target Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan, but cancelled the plan because of the security arrangements on that campus. An equally surprising news the same day said there were joint Afghan-US airstrikes in the mountainous area of the Achin district in Nangarhar, which destroyed an Islamic State radio broadcast station and the group’s internet communications, among other facilities. The air raids killed five staff of the ‘Voice of Caliphate’ radio The air raids also killed 29 IS fighters, including five staff at the so-called “Voice of Caliphate” radio, according to provincial government spokesperson Attaullah Khogyani. The spokesperson said the IS has established its headquarters in Achin, from where the terrorist group has been trying to expand its influence and stage attacks elsewhere in Afghanistan. A US military spokesman, Col Michael Lawhorn, also confirmed the operation but refrained from sharing operational details with reporters. Officials and residents in...
CRSS China Watch – February 4, 2016
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif asserted that the political hostility does not relate to the economic development of Pakistan. The Essential Services Maintenance (ESM) Act was extended to Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) for its advancement. The PM highlighted the rationale of projects being undertaken by the Chinese companies in Pakistan that are aiming to reduce the energy crisis. Sino-Pakistan joint production of the JF-17 Thunder aircraft was the most significant addition to Pakistan Air Force (PAF) indicating strong bilateral relations. The PM also emphasized that the government would not bear political opposition at the cost of economic development of state.[1] The government of Pakistan is keen to develop the first Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Gwadar under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which would be operative by the end of next year. The development of the rest of the SEZ would also be following the pattern of SEZ at Gwadar.[2] The construction of Gwadar-Turbat-Hoshab motorway in Hoshab district is the main part of western, central and eastern routes of CPEC. Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and the PM specifically went to Balochistan to review the performance of workers on the motorway.[3] [1] http://www.geo.tv/latest/100821-PM-says-progress-on-one-side-protest-on-the-other [2] http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/letters/03-Feb-2016/sez-under-cpec [3] http://www.samaa.tv/pakistan/2016/02/pm-army-chief-in-balochistan-to-inspect-cpec-projects/
K-P’s Curriculum: Khan’s Real Fight
by Imtiaz Gul Imran Khan and company are getting ready to stage street protests again. The electoral fraud saga refuses to fade from Khan’s narrative. “I will continue fighting the forces of status quo,” he insists. While he draws derision from his detractors due to his fixation on what many consider is his ‘quest for power’, he faces a minefield of issues in the province his party is ruling. One of the battles he faces, and which all parties need to fight on a war-footing, is on the education front. This becomes even more pressing if a recent private review of some of the textbooks being taught in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s (K-P) schools is any indicator. The security threat in K-P stands out and has been spelt out by Umer Mansoor, the man who sent four suicide bombers to Bacha Khan University. In his video message, he threatened to target educational institutions because “this is the place where lawyers … military officers … members of the parliament are made … we will target and demolish the foundations”. The second and more critical front that Khan needs to take into account is that of the kind of material being taught in K-P’s textbooks. The review, undertaken by the PEAD Foundation and led by social activist and human rights defender Tahira Abdullah, attempts to scrutinise K-P’s public sector education curriculum and textbooks from 2002 to 2015. The review is an excellent tour de reason through the province’s textbooks and offers food for thought to all those who dream of a youth raised on ideals of diversity, inclusion, and respect for human and women rights. It also points out how little the textbooks offer in terms of inducing critical and analytical thinking among students. Consider what the last chapter in the class five Islamiyat textbook has to say. It lauds conquerors Muhammad bin Qasim and Mahmood Ghaznavi for their “occupation” of the subcontinent, and accuses Hindus of “plotting to subjugate and enslave Muslims of the subcontinent upon gaining...
CRSS China Watch – February 3 2016
The people of Balochistan always suspected the Chinese projects in the province. They alleged the government of Pakistan for disturbing the demographical balance merely in favour of Punjabi and Sindhi communities. The security of Chinese personnel working in Pakistan has been a matter of concern since the inauguration of Gwadar Sea port. Over 14,321 Chinese engineers/technicians working on 210 Chinese aided small and mega projects, particularly in Balochistan are not secured. This issue has triggered tension on both the sides. Consequently, Both Pakistan and China agreed on a four-layer security plan meant for over three thousand kilometer long trade route, connecting Xinjiang province to Gwadar sea port. Since the civilian government has assigned the task of protecting Chinese to Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) assured to protect the Chinese working in Pakistan. On the eve of Chinese New Year, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif greeted the Chinese personnel working in Pakistan. The PM stressed upon the time tested friendship of both the countries. He underlined that the government is strongly committed to the fast economic development of Pakistan, hence various deferred projects have been completed. It would never step back in fear of opposition at any cost.
Anticipating China’s ‘One-Belt One-Road ‘ in South Asia
by Cameron Munter The ‘One-Belt-One-Road’ initiative has the potential to have significant impact on both China and Pakistan. If general impressions are to be believed, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s One-Belt-One-Road project—at least as it plays out in Pakistan and its neighborhood—is either a major step toward Chinese projection of power outside its borders, or an example of the importance of domestic constituencies in Chinese foreign policy. The first camp believes that the hesitancy and inherent conservatism of China is finally giving way to a more muscular and confident role, and that Chinese claims that its investment in infrastructure to its west and south is “win-win” for everyone is actually cover for a new manifestation of its global role. The latter believes that the foreign implications of the plan are secondary to the real issue on the Chinese leadership’s mind: the domestic Chinese economic transformation that will see cheap labor producing mass exports replaced by higher value-added production that depends on technological savvy and education. On the other end of the One-Belt-One-Road project, in Pakistan for example, there is the prospect of an opening of an economy long stagnant, unleashing Pakistan’s potential in its labor force, accessibility of goods, and role in international trade. That, of course, is what the government of Prime Minister Sharif states, expecting that the 48 billion dollars expected to pour into infrastructure projects in Khyber Pakhtunkwa and Balochistan will transform the country, alleviating much of the poverty that has been increased by the violence and insecurity of recent decades. But it could in fact do no such thing. The economy of Pakistan has become more autarkic over time, as political elites defend their roles in traditional sectors like agriculture, textiles, and basic manufacturing, resisting the changes that have brought neighboring areas like Southeast Asia in to the world economy. Some suspect that the 48...
Anticipating China’s 'One-Belt One-Road ' in South Asia
by Cameron Munter The ‘One-Belt-One-Road’ initiative has the potential to have significant impact on both China and Pakistan. If general impressions are to be believed, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s One-Belt-One-Road project—at least as it plays out in Pakistan and its neighborhood—is either a major step toward Chinese projection of power outside its borders, or an example of the importance of domestic constituencies in Chinese foreign policy. The first camp believes that the hesitancy and inherent conservatism of China is finally giving way to a more muscular and confident role, and that Chinese claims that its investment in infrastructure to its west and south is “win-win” for everyone is actually cover for a new manifestation of its global role. The latter believes that the foreign implications of the plan are secondary to the real issue on the Chinese leadership’s mind: the domestic Chinese economic transformation that will see cheap labor producing mass exports replaced by higher value-added production that depends on technological savvy and education. On the other end of the One-Belt-One-Road project, in Pakistan for example, there is the prospect of an opening of an economy long stagnant, unleashing Pakistan’s potential in its labor force, accessibility of goods, and role in international trade. That, of course, is what the government of Prime Minister Sharif states, expecting that the 48 billion dollars expected to pour into infrastructure projects in Khyber Pakhtunkwa and Balochistan will transform the country, alleviating much of the poverty that has been increased by the violence and insecurity of recent decades. But it could in fact do no such thing. The economy of Pakistan has become more autarkic over time, as political elites defend their roles in traditional sectors like agriculture, textiles, and basic manufacturing, resisting the changes that have brought neighboring areas like Southeast Asia in to the world economy. Some suspect that the 48...
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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.