Current Projects
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...
Pakistan’s Evolving Security Paradigm — II
If Narendra Modi is strident, Xi is the strongest Chinese leader in decades India detonated its nuclear device in Pokhran in 1998. Pakistan matched its response at the Chagai Hills and both states became formally nuclear armed. Under a perverse but effective logic of mutually assured destruction (MAD), Pakistan’s security was considered assured. Also, a full-scale war between the two adversaries has been successfully held at bay since 1984, the time Pakistan’s nuclear weapons’ programme was made known. The Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and Afghan resistance to foreign occupation was, fatefully, converted into global jihad as a clandestine arrangement between the US, Pakistan and meddling Middle Eastern kingdoms. Money, arms and glory seeking volunteers started to pour in. Eventually the Afghans won and the Soviets retreated. So did the US in indecent haste. Coincidently, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan occurred a few years after the dismemberment of Pakistan. The festering notion in Pakistan to fall back on Islamic precepts of active resistance against aggression found a physical form in the Afghan jihad, and its success confirmed their belief in its effectiveness. It is reasonable to assume that radicalisation and militancy in Pakistan are the cumulative results of India’s momentous invasion of Pakistan in 1971, its needlessly Pakistan-centric military and nuclear build up and the US’ exploitation of the Afghan war riding over our leadership of the time’s quest for legitimacy and quixotic ambition. To obviate a future nuclear war in South Asia, a vigorous policy of positive persuasion and constructive engagement from a position of reasonable strength is still possible. Despite the storm clouds over the horizon, one sees a window of opportunity for just such a sensible strategy. An example is that of post WW II Japan, which is relevant particularly with reference to its nuclear weapons’ policy. Notwithstanding full technological and industrial potential,...
China to Spend Billions in Pakistan to re-create Silk Road Trade Route
China plans to spend $46 billion in Pakistan on a range of projects that are shown below in different images. Laborers load goods into a truck in Pakistan. China plans to spend $46 billion in Pakistan on an array of projects, including a 1,700-mile trade route to the Arabian Sea Chinese engineers work on a bridge in the Karakorum mountain range in Pakistan. Some of the tunnels are inscribed with the phrase “Pak-China Friendship Tunnel.” The Karakorum Highway, one of the world’s most dangerous thoroughfares, passes through a tunnel in the Karakorum mountain range. Chinese engineers are adding bridges, guardrails and concrete overhangs to funnel landslides and avalanches away from travel lanes. Chinese engineers work on the Karakorum Highway near Attabad Lake. The lake was created in 2010 when a landslide damned the Hunza River, flooding the Karakorum Highway and surrounding villages. A view of the Attabad Lake in the Karakorum mountain range. China has just built four large tunnels on the south end of the 13-mile lake to reopen the highway. Construction work is seen in the Karakorum mountain range. Analysts say the Chinese investment represents a major opportunity to jump-start Pakistan’s economy, which is thought to be primed for growth. Men travel on a boat with a van loaded with chickens while crossing the Attabad Lake. Pakistanis are eager to ship more medicinal herbs, textiles, gemstones and yak meat to China. Shair Karim, 50, works in his field on the Karakorum Highway. China is promising Pakistan 18 new energy projects to mitigate the country’s pressing electricity shortage. A herd of yak moves along the Karakorum Highway. Shopkeeper Arman Amin, 40, works at his shop along the Karakorum Highway. A flock of sheep moves along the Karakorum Highway. The Chinese flag flies on the check post at the Khunjerab Pass on the border between Pakistan and China. Published on...
China Targets Financial Sector in Corruption Probe
BEIJING (APP) – China’s anti-corruption watchdog said it would expand its inspections to major financial institutions including the central bank and regulatory authorities, which are already under pressure after a spectacular stock market meltdown. After a series of probes into large state-owned enterprises — in particular oil firms — the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the Communist Party monitor, now plans to target the financial sector. The new round of inspections will cover the central People’s Bank of China, the China Banking Regulatory Commission, China Insurance Regulatory Commission and the watchdog China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), according to a long list posted online Friday night. China Investment Corp (CIC), the world’s largest sovereign fund, commercial banks ICBC and the Bank of China and the country’s major insurance companies will also come under scrutiny. The anti-corruption watchdog will also examine stock exchange operators in Shanghai and Shenzhen, and the parent company of major brokerage Citic Securities. After soaring 150 percent in one year, the two bourses went into a tailspin in June that extended into August, tumbling nearly 40 percent despite massive intervention by the authorities at a cost of hundreds of billions of dollars. The frantic and clumsy state intervention was criticised, with a number of experts questioning the apparent contradiction with Beijing’s intention to give a greater role to the market and private sector. And the failure of government efforts to stabilise the stock markets reinforced growing doubts about the effectiveness of its economic policy while Chinese growth is experiencing a severe slowdown. The authorities also reacted to the stock market crash by launching high-profile police investigations into supposedly illegal transactions to reassure public opinion. Authorities in August detained a CSRC official and four senior executives from Citic Securities for “stock market...
Earthquake 2015- Another Wake-up Call
On October 26, 2015, Pakistan and other countries in South Asia were hit by one of the strongest recorded earthquakes. The northwestern province of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa reportedly suffered the most with over 200 deaths recorded within 48 hours of the tremors. The quake left large parts, mostly in mountainous and hilly regions, a trail of destruction of property and damages to infrastructure. This is not the first time an earthquake has affected Pakistan. In September 2013, an earthquake in the province of Balochistan resulted in 386 deaths and affected over 27,000 families. Furthermore, most Pakistanis of my generation clearly remember the tragic 2005 7.8 magnitude Kashmir earthquake, which left 75000 people dead, thousands injured and an estimated $7 billion loss to the Pakistani economy. According to United States Geological Survey (USGS), the territory of Pakistan is in a region categorized as “Indus-Tsangpo Sucture Zone[1]” – and is vulnerable to strong earthquakes due to continuous movement within thrust faults. This implies that due to the unpredictable nature of these movements, Pakistan will have to remain ready for such disasters in the future. An important question is whether the Pakistani government has learnt any lessons from past experiences (Kashmir 2005, Balcohistan 2013) to respond effectively to these emergency situations? It is important to note that natural disasters of such massive scale have long term implications for recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction. Unfortunately, despite the huge loss of life and property and massive donations from the international community after the Kashmir quake, the ability of government institutions to respond still remains practically limited – and legally vague. Traveling from Islamabad to Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-governed Azad Kashmir one can see how life in these regions have not changed much in the last ten years; the healthcare centres are without any trained health care professionals;...
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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.