Topic National Assembly and action for FATA Reforms Guests ​Senator Afrasiyab Khatak. ANP Dr. G.G. Jamal Theme The programme discusses administrative and legal hurdles in the way to reforms in FATA and establishes the constitutional point that it is for the Senate and National Assembly of Pakistan to legislate for reforms in FATA and this is the responsibility of the federal government to prepare a package of reforms and get it approved from Senate and National Assembly with the support of political parties.

Radio programs have successfully served as a means to encourage an informed discourse on religions harmony and tolerance, social cohesion, education, accountability and rule of law.. The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) has been using radio as an effective tool  for its advocacy on social and political issues to  highlight the need for an inclusive and tolerant dialogue among communities. CRSS has started airing  a radio drama series ‘BADLOON (Badloon means ‘change’)  from 05th November 2014 every Wednesday and Friday at 03:45pm from FM 101.5 with AM 1170 KHz Peshawar and AM 711 D-I-Khan. The core intent of the endeavor is to underscore the imperatives of peaceful conflict resolution, inculcate the spirit for tolerance for others’s views, Rule of law and to motivate public to strive for equal citizenry, rights and good governance in individual capacity.

What is Pakistan’s fundamental interest? This question has been making rounds in Islamabad’s diplomatic circles, with even countries considered very close to Pakistan wondering if the leadership realizes the futility of its obsolete rhetoric and the gravity of its imminent consequences. The inaugural ceremony of Invest Pakistan International Conference (Oct 27) provided the latest triggers – as viewed by a foreign participant. The prime minister walked in flanked by his military ADCs to his right and left, followed by ministers and officials. “Why do army officers take precedence over civilian ministers, and why should the military ADCs be present at all around an elected prime minister?” asked a foreign diplomat, saying this was not only paradoxical but also reminiscent of military dictatorships where the ruler cannot think without uniformed officers. Secondly, observed another foreigner, a ten-minute long recitation of the Holy Quran in the presence of dozens of foreigners also appears out of step with the demands of time. Thirdly, in his talk with the media, Sharif played down the impact of the PTI sit-in by saying it “posed no threat to the government but had inflicted losses on the economy.” The foreign participant wondered as to how the premier could draw consolation from the fact that “his government remains unaffected, though the economy has taken a hit by Imran Khan’s protest.” Does it mean the loss to economy is inconsequential to the country simply because the government remains intact? “Why can’t Pakistani leaders be candid and clear in their diagnosis of the issues facing the country?” asked the diplomat, saying the diplomatic community has not been able to figure out as to what is Pakistan’s fundamental interest. The Pakistan leadership’s failure in spelling out its core interest is baffling for all those who would want to help the country. A report by the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (released on Oct...

Topic:    North Waziristan IDP Crises: IDP Rights and FATA Reforms Guests:  1 Asad Afridi QWP Khyber Agency​ 2. Rakhshinda Naz Aurat Foundation 3. Malik Ghulam Muhammad IDP North Waziristan Theme: The programme establishes a link between the IDPs crisis and the struggle for their rights and reforms in FATA, highlighting importance of the IDPs participation in political, civic and community life with particular focus on the IDP women and children. The rights of the IDPs are explained in the light of Pakistani and international laws, addressing the questions: whether these laws are being violated and, if yes, how can the rights of the IDPs be protected? Similarly, the programme also highlights the situation on ground to create a demand for reforms in FATA.    

Introduction The Drone strikes in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan remain one of the major obstacles when it comes to Pak US relations. These strikes, carried primarily by the CIA, are targeted towards militant factions operating from FATA and target the coalition forces in Afghanistan (Zenko, 2013). According to the New America Foundation’s national security database on drones, since 2004, there have been a total of 373 Drone strikes in total killing between 2100 to 3400 people with civilian causalities accounting for 258 to 307 people1. FATA, the tribal frontier also called as the most dangerous place on earth, is a semi-autonomous region that harbors a number of militant factions operating both inside and outside Pakistan (Nawaz, 2009). FATA’s semi-autonomous status leads to a complex administrative mechanism when it comes to delegating administrative authority for governing the region (Khan, 2010). Therefore, the region, divided in 7 Tribal Agencies and six Frontier Regions, is run by Political Agents, appointed by the Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who are facilitated by the Frontier Constabulary (FC). For that reason, this complexity of governance resulted in FATA being used as springboard for training Jihadi fighters in the 80’s Afghan war against the Soviets, and eventually became a terror hotbed after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center (Gul, 2010). Furthermore, the same drone strikes have also targeted Taliban groups that are only operating against Pakistan such as the Tehrik e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) (Williams, 2010). Although armed drone strikes started in Yemen in 2002, the technology and method came into the global headlines because of FATA, Pakistan (Williams, 2010). The frequency of these strikes started to rise from 2007 peaking in 2010, where reduced drastically from 2012 onwards (Williams, 2013). There were no strikes in 2014 until a predator drone struck Uzbek militants in June soon after a deadly attack...