Current Projects
Sabawoon Showcase: Earthquake and Disaster Preparedness in the KP
November 2, 2015, Peshawar: The Center for Research and Security Studies’ (CRSS) flagship radio program Sabawoon’s latest episode was about the recent earthquake that struck Pakistan. The program discussed the damages caused by the earthquake, the rehabilitation process initiated by the government, civil society organizations, and the issuance of No Objection Certificate (NOC) to Non-Government Organizations (NGOs). Other topics like Provincial Disaster Management Authority’s (PDMA) role for rehabilitation, survey of the affected areas and lack of psychosocial support for victims were also a part of the discussion. The program aired on Monday under the theme of “Jarga Marraka” (public dialogue). Mr. Lateef Ur Rehman, Communication Officer PDMA, took part as a guest in the show. The other two guests, Mr. Shoukat Yousufzai, a Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA), Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KP) and Mr. Zahid Khan, Secretary Information, Awami National Party (ANP) participated through telephone. The program’s central theme was highlighted in reports from Swat and Bajaur Agencies in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The reports discussed the problems of the victims of the earthquake, and the level of government support in rehabilitation. Two callers took part in the live program. They urged the government to help the earthquake victims and to make the NOC process easier, so that the civil society organizations can provide more assistance to the people. Waheed Gul, a caller, said, “The government should make the NOC process simple because they will not be able to handle emergency situations entirely on their own.” Another caller, Adil, said, “The government should speed up the rehabilitation process as the weather has also started to change. The situation in the earthquake affected areas might worsen if it starts to rain or snow.” Mr. Lateef Ur Rehman, Communication Officer PDMA “We are struggling to help and support the victims. We have deployed our staff...
Reasons to Ponder
Finally, Pemra has asked private radio and TV channels to refrain from covering banned groups, including Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) and its charity extension, Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FiF). The Pemra directive issued on November 2 covers about 72 different outlawed groups and includes the JuD, essentially the rebranded proscribed group, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Similarly, the FiF is tied to the JuD and is very active in charitable work. It even campaigned in upscale Islamabad sectors for sacrificial hides and donations before and during Eid a few weeks ago. Pemra also warned private channels against broadcasting any programme that could potentially incite violence or is prejudicial to the maintenance of law and order. This directive coincided with news from Karachi that the Rangers are now set to take the counter-crime and counterterror campaign to a new level by going after terrorists, contract killers and their facilitators, particularly those involved in attacks on law enforcers, security personnel, lawyers and witnesses. Launched on September 5, 2013, the Rangers-led Karachi operation has so far seen arrests of some 10,353 suspects in 5,795 raids. Officials claim the detainees include 826 terrorists, 334 target killers and 296 extortionists. As many as 364 alleged terrorists associated with various banned organisations — including al Qaeda, different factions of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi — were also killed in gunfights. Both the counter-terror and counter-crime campaigns got an extra kick after the military and the government converged on the National Action Plan (NAP). Given the capacity gaps within the civilian and military security establishments, the progress in general has so far been encouraging for the simple reason that the NAP and the Karachi operation have unleashed a new socio-political dynamic and created space for a more critical and bolder discourse on some fundamental issues. Recent rulings and observations by the...
At least 80 US Airstrikes hit Afghanistan in October: The White House’s Covert Drone and Air War – Monthly Update
Monthly Updates on the Covert War Scores of US air and drone strikes hit Afghanistan in October as the country’s military and police continued struggling to control the resurgent Taliban. While at least 80 strikes reportedly hit Afghanistan, the CIA’s drone strikes stopped at the Pakistani side of the border. There were also no US drone or air strikes reported in Yemen or Somalia last month. Pakistan All the strikes in the table above were carried out by the CIA using Predator or Reaper drones. The Pakistan Air Force has also carried out air strikes in the same region as the CIA, using jets and its own armed drone – the Burraq. There were no reported US drone strikes in Pakistan in October, the third calendar month to pass without a strike there this year. The Pakistan Air Force continued to target alleged militants in the mountains of Pakistan’s tribal region. Pakistan’s armed drone, the Burraq, carried out its first night strike, according to the Pakistan military’s public relations wing – the ISPR. Afghanistan The US Air Force has a variety of aircraft carrying out missions over Afghanistan, including jets, drones and AC-130 gunships. The UN reported in August 2015 that most US strikes were by unmanned aerial vehicles. This matches the Bureau’s records which show most US air attacks since January have been by drones. Due to a lack of official US information, it remains unclear which type of aircraft carried out the attacks. The Bureau’s data on strikes in Afghanistan is not exhaustive. The ongoing war creates barriers to reporting and the Bureau’s data is an accumulation of what publicly available information exists on specific strikes and casualties. The US government publishes monthly aggregates of air operationsin Afghanistan, but not casualty figures. A US AC-130 gunship destroyed a hospital in the northern city of Kunduz on October 3, run by the international charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), killing at least 30 staff and patients. The attack hit...
Economic Corridor: Pakistan, China Agree on Four-Layer Security
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China have agreed on a four-layer security plan for over 3,000km-long trade route that will connect the Gwadar port to China’s north-western Xinjiang province. “We are going for a four-layer plan for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), integrated with a new security policy,” said a senior security official, who attended a meeting in China last month. “An estimated 32,000 security personnel will guard over 14,321 Chinese workers engaged in some 210 small and mega projects in Pakistan.” Before this decision, a three-layer security plan was envisioned, he said. China-Pakistan corridor: Nawaz to break ground of western route ‘soon’ The fresh plan of providing security to Chinese nationals includes over 500 Chinese security personnel for capacity-building of the newly-raised special force as well as local police to better guard the sensitive routes surrounding the port, added the official. “The Chinese are pretty much satisfied with the new security plan,” said CPEC Project Director Maj Gen (retd) Zahir Shah. According to this plan, Balochistan would get more security, as six wings (5,700 personnel) of the Frontier Corps, 3,000 police constables and 1,000 Levies personnel would guard all the routes, disclosed an official at the Ministry of Interior. He said the Pakistan Marines and the border security forces would also guard the port and its adjacent routes. More than 3,500 policemen, 900 Rangers, 4,100 private security guards and 740 Askari Guards would protect various projects linked to the economic corridor in Punjab, he said. China calls for improved security for its workers engaged in CPEC He said the military was setting up a special security force (nine battalions) comprising an estimated 12,000 personnel, who would be
Turkey is More Divided than Ever, and New Elections won’t Solve its Problems
Only three days before historic elections are to take place in Turkey (Nov. 1), the police raided a critical media institution—Koza Ipek MediaGroup. For the first time in the nation’s history, a television station’s broadcast was cut off live on air. This was a major blow to Turkey’s already-deteriorating press freedoms. Ordinary Turks across the country are outraged. Yet despite increased solidarity among different segments of society against this brutal crackdown, Koza Ipek’s friends in the mainstream media industry have largely kept quiet. The news manager of Kanaltürk, which is also owned by Koza Ipek, has criticized his colleague’s apparent indifference to this audacious act of censorship—going so far as to call them “penguins.” But this is not surprising. Turkish society has never been especially unified. And its media industry reflects this reality. Turks vs. Kurds, Sunnis vs. Alevis—strong divisions have always had a presence. There is, however, a consensus that Turkey has never before been this polarized; and that this is worrisome in the run-up to such significant elections. This is, in in part, thanks to the increasingly authoritarian politics of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. His bitterly divisive rhetoric, which frequently employs religious narrative and the demonization of opponents, has cleaved the country in two: those who love him, and those who hate him. Both parties are equally passionate in their conviction, which makes the divide all the more volatile. The country is so divided that even after the deadliest terrorist attack in the history of the Turkish nation on Oct. 10, reportedly committed by ISIL, the government could only issue a bland, unfeeling statement of mourning. Indifference toward the excruciating pain of those with loved ones who were killed (mostly leftists, Kurds, and Alevis) exacerbated tensions. It kept the country from understanding these deaths as shared pains, and kept us from mourning together. It’s not hard to...
Sabawoon Showcase: Lack of Women Participation in the Employment Sector
October 28, 2015, Peshawar: The Center for Research and Security Studies’ (CRSS) flagship radio program Sabawoon’s latest episode was about the lack of women in the workforce and the hurdles they face in their professional lives. The program highlighted topics such as cultural barriers for women, the professional fields that women are engaged in the most, female education, and the lack of family support for female employment. Issues like harassment in offices and outdoors, exploitation of women in professional life, and the misuse of religion due to lack of awareness was also a part of the discussion. The program aired on Wednesday under the theme of “Jwandey Jazbey” (alive spirits). Two guests took part in this program, Ms. Nihal Tabassum, a lawyer and social activist, and Ms. Haseena Zeb, a student of Engineering from Abasyn University, Peshawar. The program’s central theme was highlighted in a report from Peshawar, which drew attention to the views of a doctor, journalist and a student about the lack of government support on women’s employment. Norms and traditions that create hurdles for women in this sector were also shared in this report. Six callers participated in the live program. They urged the public to encourage women for employment and demanded that the government should facilitate women with transportation and day care facilities. Danish Bibi, a caller on the show, said, “The Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KP) government should focus on providing special opportunities and allowance so more women can help serve the nation.” Another caller, Muhamad Sadiq, said, “The Islamic scholars should show the real face of Islam that has always shown the importance of women.” Wahid Gul, a third caller, said, “Parents should encourage their daughters to take part in their profession of interest and should discourage them from sitting idle at home.” Ms. Nihal Tabbasum, Lawyer and Social Activist “We must fight for our rights. In this male dominated society, women are...
Pakistan Exports Chinese HJ-8 Missile to 20 Nations
With the help of Pakistan, China North Industries Corporation, better known as Norinco, has been able to export its HJ-8 anti-tank missiles to 20 countries around the world, Duowei News, a news outlet operated by overseas Chinese, reported on Oct. 21. Pakistan produces the HJ-8 under license from China, which helped the South Asian country build an independent production line to manufacture the anti-tank missile. In the late 1980s, China convinced the Pakistan Army, which had been using the American-built BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missile, to purchase the Chinese-made HJ-8. Pakistan carried out tests pitting the HJ-8 against the TOW system to see which missile was more suited to its ground force. The HJ-8 came out on top by destroying all five targets with five launches, while the TOW only destroyed three, according to the Duowei report. Nearly 10,000 HJ-8 missiles have since exported to around 20 countries. These include Bangladesh, Bolivia, Egypt, Ecuador, Kenya, Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. As Islamabad opens up new overseas markets for China, it also builds trust with Beijing to gain access to the further arms technology in the future, creating a win-win situation for both nations, Duowei said. Published on http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news/content?id=20151027000008&cid=1101
Bannedwidth
Preventive blocking of cellphone services does not make us any safer. On the 9th and 10th of Moharram this year, the government decided to shut down cellphone and mobile internet services in 68 districts. This has become a standard operating procedure. It was the 24th time since the beginning of 2012 that cellphone services were suspended in the name of national security, although admittedly the frequency has reduced significantly. Shutting down network services is a contentious and controversial step. The given reason is that terror groups can use mobile phones and networks to detonate improvised explosive devices from a safe distance. This is not a novel phenomenon in Pakistan, or abroad. Cellphone services have been shut down in the Great Britain and the United States for security reasons in the past. In London, a mobile phone service interruption followed the 2005 bombings, while in the US, mobile services were shut down after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. In both cases however, the measure was to ensure that no additional explosives were set off while rescue and investigations were underway. Authorities in San Francisco shut down services in some public transport stations to mitigate the impact of protests in the area – a tactic also used to disrupt protests in the Indian-held Kashmir as recently as May 2015, as well as in Gujarat in the past. Most countries do not assume control of communication services during national emergencies. In Pakistan, however, cell phone services are discontinued as a preventative measure. What should be a last-ditch measure has become a kneejerk frontline mechanism This measure seems to create more problems than it solves. The security measures taken during Moharram were unable to prevent a suicide bombing in Jacobabad that killed 22 and injured dozens others. The bombing was carried out by a suicide attacker carrying an estimated 10 kilograms of explosives. The target was a Shia procession, once again underlining the...
Back From The Brink
Is Pakistan on its way to becoming the first country to defeat a large scale Islamist insurgency? In 1990, three colonels were inducted into the Pakistani army’s planning cell for Kashmir, the Himalayan territory at the heart of its conflicts with neighbouring India. Tasked with assessing the ramifications of the withdrawal the year before of Soviet forces from Afghanistan, the three men recommended the mujahideen, or holy warriors, returning home after inflicting defeat on the Red Army should be disarmed. They also recommended the militants be prevented from getting involved in – and radicalising – Pakistan’s Kashmir campaign. Their recommendations went ignored and the consequences were catastrophic. “There were strong voices inside the military against any culpability with terrorists, because it ruined the legitimacy of the Kashmir struggle,” one of the three colonels, Mahmud Shah, tells The World Weekly. “After all, Pakistan is a regular country, with a military, intelligence services and a diplomatic corps, we concluded,” adds Mr. Shah, who went on to become a provincial chief for the army’s Military Intelligence directorate. “We feared the militants could turn Pakistan into something like Lebanon.” After retiring as a brigadier, Mr. Shah served as the first ever chief administrator for the seven federally-administered tribal areas (FATA) bordering eastern Afghanistan between 2003 and 2006. It was in that capacity he witnessed, first-hand, the repercussions of the military’s failure to act on the recommendations he and the other two colonels had made in 1990. Pakistan was at the eye of the geopolitical storm known as the ‘War on Terror’, stirred by al-Qaeda’s September 11, 2001 terrorist strikes on the United States. By 2004, Pakistani militants, who had adopted the Taliban branding of their Afghan colleagues, had inflicted a humiliating defeat on the military in the South Waziristan tribal area – the first of many in the FATA. The other six tribal areas fell...
Sabawoon Showcase: FCR Reforms and the Future of FATA
October 26, 2015, Peshawar: The Center for Research and Security Studies’ (CRSS) flagship radio program Sabawoon was about the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR) and the future of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The key points of discussion include the FCR reforms bill, amendments in the FCR, merging of FATA with Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KP), and the role of political parties in reforming FCR. The education sector’s performance under the current system in FATA was also a part of the discussion. The program aired on Monday under the theme “Jarga Marraka” (public dialogue). Two guests participated in the program. They were Mr. Sajid Momand, president of the political party Pakistan Tehreek–e-Insaf (PTI) in Momand Agency, and Mr. Zarnoor Afridi, a leader from Jamaat–e-Islami (JI). The programs central theme was highlighted in a report from Khyber Agency which featured opinions of political leaders and local elders about the abolition of FCR. It also focused on the amendments in FCR, FCR reforms bill and the merging of KP with FATA. Mr. Akunzada Chattan, a political activist and member of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), said that, “We want to get rid of this barbaric law, imposed on us for 114 years. FATA should be a part of KP. We are united on this stance and have presented a bill in the national assembly regarding this.” Four callers participated in the live program. They demanded that the FCR be abolished and urged the government to extend the constitution of Pakistan to FATA. Sabir Khan, a caller on the show said, “FATA cannot govern as a separate province thus when KP and FATA combine it will bring a better solution.” Adil Tori, another caller said, “There are few people opposing the abolition of FCR and its high time the government streamlines FATA to get rid of the FCR.” Another caller Abdul Qadir, said, “The law and order situation in FATA is at its worst which has made people’s lives miserable.” Sajid Momand, President PTI, Momand Agency “We are...
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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.