Current Projects
A Long Way to Go
Data from initial reports of violence-related fatalities in Pakistan in 2015 paints a rosier picture than we have seen in years. Compared to 7,611 deaths in 2014, a total of 4,654 people died in 2015 as a direct result of violence, which is an average decrease of roughly 40%. This is even more impressive when you consider that year-over-year, 2014 had seen a 35% increase in fatalities over 2013, and that 2015’s figures are lower than those of 2013 as well. A few conclusions can be drawn. First, the space for proscribed and terrorist groups is rapidly shrinking in the country. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is reportedly beleaguered, in severe disarray and has had considerable difficulty finding any reliable footing in Pakistan. The leader of one of the most violent groups, Malik Ishaq, along with several followers were gunned down in a police encounter in July. The death of Ishaq, leader of the globally designated terror group Lashker-e-Jhangvi, marked a new turn for the security strategy in the country, but was answered brutally in the murder of Punjab’s Home Minister Shuja Khanzada, just over a month later. On the other hand, several other groups and individuals have been allowed to operate unimpeded in the country. Oddly, Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar stood on the floor of the parliament and asked the public to bring to light any evidence against the controversial firebrand cleric of the Red Mosque. This is a strange and unsettling departure from the security endeavors in the country, as cases have already been registered against the cleric, a non-bailable arrest warrant issued well over a year ago, and yet he roams the streets holding rallies to enforce Sharia Law, in open defiance of the state and its apparatus. Additionally, newer threats have also emerged, such as the group that targeted an Ismaili bus at Safoora Chowk in Karachi, killing dozens, as well as the ever-looming threat of Islamic State recruitment, financing and presence....
On the Edge
The Pathankot air base saga and a nearly simultaneous attack on the Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif has turned out to be the real “existential” challenge to the India-Pakistan relations, resurrected recently from the ruins of acrimony and hostility. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was quick to ring up Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Colombo to condemn the strike in Pathankot, and committed “prompt and decisive action against the terrorists.” A press statement by the Indian Prime Minister’s office said Sharif promised “to act on the intelligence given by India about suspected handlers and the mastermind of the terrorist attack.” During the telephonic conversation, Mr Modi called for “firm and immediate action” against those involved in the Pathankot strike. “Specific and actionable information in this regard has been provided to Pakistan,” Mr Modi was quoted by the Indian external affairs ministry to have told Mr Sharif. The Indian National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and his Pakistani counterpart Nasir Khan Janjua held a similar telephonic dialogue, which helped in quelling the scornful noises resonating in much of the Indian media. Unlike the Indian statement, according to a Pakistan national daily, the statement issued by Mr Sharif’s office did not contain any explicit commitment about action on Islamabad’s part, but said: “Our government is working on the leads and information provided by the Indian government. We would like to investigate the matter.” Equally measured response came from the Indian defence minister Manohar Parrikar, who admitted “gaps in security” but refused to drag Pakistan’s name into it. All he said was that “once the investigations are over, things will become clear, and every security detail cannot be discussed openly.” There is no way around talks So far so good. All this sounds good and augurs well for both neighbours. They seem to have survived the storm arising out of these attacks. Critical will be whether they stay on the...
Committee Formed To Monitor CPEC: Minister
PESHAWAR: Keeping in view reservations of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a four-member committee has been constituted to ensure liaison with the federal government and monitor execution of the CPEC in order to resolve differences. The committee comprises KP Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, opposition leader Maulana Lutfullah, Senior Minister Inayatullah Khan and Chief Secretary Amjad Ali Khan. Speaking at a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday, the Minister for Planning, Development and Reform, Ahsan Iqbal, said that at a meeting in the Governor House he had answered questions raised in a 13-point letter sent to the federal government by the provincial government and had tried to remove reservations over the CPEC project. The federal minister was accompanied by Senator Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Amir Muqam, Pir Sabir Shah and some MPAs. Mr Iqbal said the federal government was determined to give due share from development schemes and funds to all the provinces and there was no plan to deprive KP of its rights. He said that out of the $46 billion meant for the CPEC, $35bn was to be spent on power plants through the private sector. He clarified that the Chinese government was not giving cash to Pakistan but was financing its companies so that they could invest in the country. He said it was a new plan signed in July 2013, which was scheduled to be initiated in 2014, but could not start in time because of political turmoil in the country. The original master plan of the CPEC, he said, would be strictly followed and no change had been made in its western route. Mr Iqbal said he had briefed Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and his cabinet colleagues on the original master plan of the CPEC. He said that no changes could be made in the project without consultation with all the provinces. Stability in the energy sector, he said, would be crucial because adequate electricity production would be required to enable the...
Challenges Facing the Counter-Terror Drive
Operation Zarb-e-Azb, the National Internal Security Policy and the National Action Plan (NAP) are all symbols of Pakistan’s struggle to wrest back the space that the state had lost to non-state actors. Of these, the NAP most probably qualified as the country’s first formal counterterror framework, adopted on the back of Operation Zarb-e-Azb. Both promised to destroy any challenge to the state — from Karachi to Waziristan. They have succeeded in regaining considerable territory that non-state actors such as the TTP had wrested from the state, establishing the government’s writ in the mountains of Waziristan, once considered no-go areas. For operations in Waziristan and Karachi, the military provided the muscle the government needed to cow down terrorists masquerading as religious crusaders. These successes deserve appreciation as they have helped revive citizens’ trust in the state security apparatus. But what about the country’s capital, Islamabad, where the civilian administration is still struggling with the remnants of the Lal Masjid? What to make of the more than 306 mosques and madrassas that, according to a report submitted to the Public Accounts Committee a year ago, exist in Islamabad? Has any action been taken against them? In fact, a few more such structures have emerged in sectors F, mostly in the Green Belt, where even government officials offer their Friday prayers. Isn’t this a direct challenge to the NAP, which had promised indiscriminate action against all those threatening state and public interest? The Capital Development Authority (CDA) — often emasculated by the offices of the prime minister, the interior minister and the cabinet division for finance and land grabbers — is currently pursuing a crackdown against all illegal structures and the unlawful commercial use of residential buildings. More than five dozen restaurants, showrooms and brand outlets have been sealed and several more are under scrutiny. But mind you, this happened under a...
CRSS Conducts Workshop with PBC Broadcasters on Local Information Programming
The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) has conducted a two-day workshop on local information programming at Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) namely Radio Pakistan from December 28-29, 2015. The activity was a part Deutsche Welle Akademie's "Access to Information" program in Pakistan, participated by the PBC Officials; programme and editorial staff from KP, FATA and Balochistan. The engagement with the visiting broadcasters was an attempt to support PBC to self-dependently and sustainably provide local information programming for KP, FATA and Balochistan. The two day event included a focus group discussion for needs-assessment vis-à-vis program production and broadcast of local information participatory programming and sensitized PBC staff about the participatory, location information, demand oriented and community focused programming. As part of the practicum activities, each participant presented the PBC profile of their concerned areas. One way or the other, all presentations stressed upon the similar points as following: The flagship shows Community focused programs Stations’ footprints Usual feedback from the communities Dissemination strategies for dispensing local information During the inter-active discussion, participants shared that it was the policy of Radio Pakistan to consider culture, religion and constitution while scheduling programs. No programs can be broadcast contradictory to religion and constitution. Being a public sector, there are certain limitations on radio. We consider the sensitivities of a local context; moderate narratives can accommodate descending views. Two types of issues were identified and discussed during the activity/exercise of participatory programing: Regular/ evergreen Issues Health Education Environment Terrorism and Peacebuilding Social Harmony Corruption Gender discrimination Forest degradation Sectarian issues Price hikes Human trafficking Drugs and smuggling Aerial firing Fake...
Milestones in 2015
CRSS continued its proud tradition of focusing on our core strength areas in 2015. They say a picture speaks a thousand words. The following infographics for CRSS milestones in 2015 say it all .
Pak-China Cooperation in Countering Terror
Pakistani Naval Task Force returned from a seven day visit to Shanghai where the Chinese People’s Liberation Army-Navy and the Pakistani Navy concluded their first-ever exercise in the East China Sea. This exercise took place from over two days at the end of the year[1] Additionally, since CPEC has crucial importance and has been considered as the bedrock for future economic development of Pakistan, safety of visiting Chinese engineers, workers and other personnel is paramount. In the pursuit of this objective, Pakistan Navy has trained a special Marines unit to protect Chinese personnel working at the Gwadar Port[2] ___________________________________________________________________________ [1] http://thediplomat.com/2016/01/a-first-china-and-pakistan-conclude-naval-exercise-in-east-china-sea/ [2] http://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/pakistan/pak-navy-raises-special-marines-to-protect-chinese-engineers-at-gawadar-port/
Bond Amid CPECE And Economic Growth Of Pakistan
Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan, Governor KP has recognized certain serious issues in the current governance and stressed that there is dire need to maintain unanimity for the progressive and peaceful development of Pakistan[1] [2]. He acknowledged China-Pakistan Economic Corridor a perfect initiative for the economic development of the whole country rather any particular region. Additionally, under the umbrella of CPEC, the federal government has endorsed five industrial estates as special economic zones[3]. These SEZ would permit to harness the physical and human resources of the country. It would attract the foreign direct investment with more employment opportunities. The CPEC investment of 40 billion, which contributed to the improved GDP of 2.8%, correspondingly would cause the attraction of indirect investment. Despite of the huge standing of CPEC, it national significance does not seem to supersede domestic political conflicts and differences of opinion. There is substantial lack of consensus among federal and provincial political leaders over CPEC. Sardar Mahtab said, “The country was facing internal and external enemies, and the nation would have to act in unison to foil the enemies’ designs”.2 _______________________________________________________________________________ [1] http://www.thenews.com.pk/print/86407-Governor-reopens-Bara-Bazaar [2] http://www.dawn.com/news/1230624/cpec-to-generate-economic-activity-in-hazara-governo [3] http://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/pakistan/five-industrial-estates-upgraded-as-special-economic-zones-under-cpec/
Hue And Cry in NA Over CPEC
ISLAMABAD: The Opposition comprising of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) parliamentarians indulged in a war of words with the treasury over the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). On the other hand, the parliamentarians were of the view that Pakistan must play role of a mediator so that the rift between Saudi Arabia and Iran could be put to rest. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Ahsan Iqbal revealed that the KP government had demanded the federal government for permitting them to borrow from Asian Development Bank (ADB) so they could also provide their people with the Metro Bus Service (MBS). Iqbal went on to say that permission was granted almost a year ago and so far the project is merely on paper. Iqbal expressed sorrow over the parliamentarians for spreading negative propaganda against the CPEC in the media forgetting that this project is of national significance, adding that the negative propaganda also reaches China and a continuity of which may sabotage the entire plan. Iqbal further said that CPEC is as important as the national nuclear programme. Iqbal expressed grief that although several briefings have been given both during the All Parties’ Conference (APC) and to the Senate but reservations still exist, adding that all reservations be put before the parliamentary committee rather than the media or the Lower House. Iqbal revealed that out of $46 billion, $38 billion are for energy projects for which private investors on the framework of Independent Power Producers (IPP) are expediting efforts, adding that China is investing in Pakistan at a time when the local investors are shying away. He further revealed that CPEC is a “15 years” long project and that in the first phase, energy infrastructure will be put in place. He further revealed that for ensuring compatibility with phase one, it is essential that the economy growth rate is maintained at 7 to 8%. The funding for all phases are being fetched from China, from our own resources and as well...
CPEC, Understanding the Bigger Picture
China is investing 500 billion U.S Dollars in different countries on building infrastructure and developing industrial and business projects. Pakistan is just one country among many where China is building infrastructure projects, the latest and the biggest one is termed as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. (CPEC). China is investing 60 billion Dollars in Africa on infrastructure and developmental projects. China has pledged 30 billion Dollars in deals and investment in the United Kingdom. Agreements between Chinese government and the UK were signed during the state visit of the Chinese President Xi Jinping to the UK in Fall 2015. The British public and media do not view China favorably but Prime Minister David Cameron’s government is very excited because Chinese investment will create nearly 4000 new jobs in the UK. China is also investing heavily in infrastructure projects in Russia. Moscow and Beijing are developing mega projects to link the Eurasian Economic Union with the Silk Road Economic Belt, another project is a high-speed railroad between Moscow and Kazan, also planned is a highway from Kazakhstan to Europe. These are among many projects which China is funding. China will invest many billion Dollars in energy and other sectors in Russia. China has built several oil and gas pipelines in Central Asia. China’s annual trade with five Central Asian states has exceeded 50 billion Dollars. Russia and China mutual trade has decreased due to low oil prices but China plans to increase its trade with Russia to 200 billion Dollars per year by 2020. China is expanding its influence and investment in the EU as well. U.S companies are eager for Chinese investment. From Singapore to Bangladesh the at one end of the world to Latin America at the other, China has given new meanings to diplomacy and international relations. More than 30,000 Chinese companies and businesses are operating abroad and 400 million Chinese nationals are expected to visit or work in other...
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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.