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Pakistani Constitution & Religious Minorities

CRSS Note: Since 2011, Pakistan celebrates national “Minorities Day” on August 11. The first “Minorities Day” was observed to the context of the cold-blooded assassination of former minister of minorities affairs Shehbaz Clement Bhatti on March 2, 2011. CRSS is releasing this article as its commitment to equal rights for religious minorities living in Pakistan. Pakistani Constitution &Religious Minorities “What the Muslim League has done is to set you free from the reactionary elements of Muslims and to create the opinion that those who play their selfish games are traitors. It has certainly freed you from that undesirable element of maulvis and maulanas (as well as (the clutches of the British government, the Congress, the reactionaries and so-called Muslims)” Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Founder of Pakistan, in a speech at the Strachey Hall of the Aligarh University on February 5, 1938. And on August 10, Pakistan’s Minister In-charge for National Harmony Dr Paul Bhatti in a message on the Minorities’ Day also recalled what Jinnah had said decades ago. “The day we celebrate every year on August 11, recalls the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah with reference to his speech and the contribution of non-Muslim communities to Pakistan. The celebration of Minorities’ Day provides us with an opportunity to re-assure that despite belonging to different faiths we are one nation that continues to march for a united and prosperous Pakistan,” Dr.Bhatti said. Several events, seminars and social gatherings were arranged across the country by members of various religious minorities as well as the Ministry of National Harmony to commemorate But away from these ceremonial gestures, the situation of religious minorities is not comforting at all; Pakistan today finds itself in the clutches of exactly the same elements that Mohammad Ali Jinnah – also known as the QuaideAzam - spoke about three-quarters of a century ago. These elements bear down heavily on the religious...

Pakistani Constitution & Religious Minorities

CRSS Note: Since 2011, Pakistan celebrates national “Minorities Day” on August 11. The first “Minorities Day” was observed to the context of the cold-blooded assassination of former minister of minorities affairs Shehbaz Clement Bhatti on March 2, 2011. CRSS is releasing this article as its commitment to equal rights for religious minorities living in Pakistan. Pakistani Constitution &Religious Minorities “What the Muslim League has done is to set you free from the reactionary elements of Muslims and to create the opinion that those who play their selfish games are traitors. It has certainly freed you from that undesirable element of maulvis and maulanas (as well as (the clutches of the British government, the Congress, the reactionaries and so-called Muslims)” Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Founder of Pakistan, in a speech at the Strachey Hall of the Aligarh University on February 5, 1938. And on August 10, Pakistan’s Minister In-charge for National Harmony Dr Paul Bhatti in a message on the Minorities’ Day also recalled what Jinnah had said decades ago. “The day we celebrate every year on August 11, recalls the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah with reference to his speech and the contribution of non-Muslim communities to Pakistan. The celebration of Minorities’ Day provides us with an opportunity to re-assure that despite belonging to different faiths we are one nation that continues to march for a united and prosperous Pakistan,” Dr.Bhatti said. Several events, seminars and social gatherings were arranged across the country by members of various religious minorities as well as the Ministry of National Harmony to commemorate But away from these ceremonial gestures, the situation of religious minorities is not comforting at all; Pakistan today finds itself in the clutches of exactly the same elements that Mohammad Ali Jinnah – also known as the QuaideAzam - spoke about three-quarters of a century ago. These elements bear down heavily on the religious...

Pakistani Constitution & Religious Minorities

CRSS Note: Since 2011, Pakistan celebrates national “Minorities Day” on August 11. The first “Minorities Day” was observed to the context of the cold-blooded assassination of former minister of minorities affairs Shehbaz Clement Bhatti on March 2, 2011. CRSS is releasing this article as its commitment to equal rights for religious minorities living in Pakistan. Pakistani Constitution &Religious Minorities “What the Muslim League has done is to set you free from the reactionary elements of Muslims and to create the opinion that those who play their selfish games are traitors. It has certainly freed you from that undesirable element of maulvis and maulanas (as well as (the clutches of the British government, the Congress, the reactionaries and so-called Muslims)” Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Founder of Pakistan, in a speech at the Strachey Hall of the Aligarh University on February 5, 1938. And on August 10, Pakistan’s Minister In-charge for National Harmony Dr Paul Bhatti in a message on the Minorities’ Day also recalled what Jinnah had said decades ago. “The day we celebrate every year on August 11, recalls the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah with reference to his speech and the contribution of non-Muslim communities to Pakistan. The celebration of Minorities’ Day provides us with an opportunity to re-assure that despite belonging to different faiths we are one nation that continues to march for a united and prosperous Pakistan,” Dr.Bhatti said. Several events, seminars and social gatherings were arranged across the country by members of various religious minorities as well as the Ministry of National Harmony to commemorate But away from these ceremonial gestures, the situation of religious minorities is not comforting at all; Pakistan today finds itself in the clutches of exactly the same elements that Mohammad Ali Jinnah – also known as the QuaideAzam - spoke about three-quarters of a century ago. These elements bear down heavily on the religious...

CIA Drones and Pakistan

A yet another CIA-operated drone, seventh in 2014[i], killed six militants and injured two in Datta Khel, North Waziristan, on Wednesday, August 06, 2014[ii], amid international anger and concern over the legality of drone strikes. The drone strikes resumed in June 2014 after an intermission of six months around the time when Pakistan army had already launched its military offensive Zarb-e-Azb against al-Qaeda-linked militants in North Waziristan. Those killed in the latest drone strike were reportedly Uzbek militants. The CIA-operated drones remain an extremely contentious issue in Pakistan and continue to stir up public resentment for loss of innocent lives in such attacks. Although the number of US drone strikes in Pakistan has dropped to six so far this year, the issue remains a major irritant in bilateral relations and a public discourse theme. Foreign and Pakistani legal experts and academics, including ex-UN rapporteurs on human rights Philip Alston and Ben Emmerson, have been raising voice for an accountable mechanism for such illegal strikes which not only entail collateral damage i.e. innocent killings but also violate international law and human rights conventions. A recent report by the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism[iii] said at least 2,342 people have died in CIA drone strikes in the tribal region of North-West Pakistan since 2004. It also published a record of the people reportedly killed in these strikes, who have been identified. The Bureau, under its “Naming the Dead” project, has now recorded the names of more than 700 people reportedly killed by CIA drones in Pakistan. Nearly half – 323 – of the people identified are reported to be civilians, including 99 children. The database of names has grown since its launch last year, but those identified still make up fewer than one in three of the 2,342 reportedly killed in drone attacks. Over the past nine years, the tribal region of Pakistan’s north-west has been hit by hundreds of...

Challenges of Policing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), formerly North-West Frontier Province, northernmost province of Pakistan, is presently abuzz with the debate as to whether the police in the province is poised to become a model law enforcement agency under Nasir Khan Durrani, the inspector general? IGP Durrani claims that the KP police is totally free of political influence and is undergoing a radical transformation that is required to battle the non-traditional security challenges such as ideologically-driven militancy, political terrorism and the increasing nexus of militants and criminal syndicates. This collusion of crime and terrorism has claimed lives of 1,015 police officials and wounded some 2,000 in attacks throughout KP since 2006[1]. The string of major attacks including the ones on the Peshawar airport on December 12’ 2012, the April 2nd Electricity Grid Station on the outskirts of the city in 2013, or the firing on the PIA passenger aircraft on June 24’ 2014 represent the security threats to the greater Peshawar region on the one hand. Abductions for ransom and extortions as well as surreptitious illegal activities by the organized crime syndicates in unison with religious militants is another ever looming threat. Official statistics provided by the KP IGP office suggest an over 18 percent decrease in casualties of general population and police personnel between July 2013 and June 2014. During the said period the KP police managed to repulse 77 terrorist attacks, arrested 260 terrorists. It was also able to work out 626 cases of terrorism in the past year and arrest 70 kidnappers of which 43 were convicted by the courts. More importantly, the KP police also resolved 78 cases of extortion and secured convictions for 109 terrorists from Anti-Terrorism Courts.[2] Does this make the police chief happier? Not really, quips Durrani. Look at the enormity of the challenges that surround the KP police, a province bordered by Afghanistan to the west and north, Azad Kashmir and the...

From tactics to strategy

Pakistani leaders told the visiting US Special Representative James Dobbins on July 21 that the army is going after all militants in North Waziristan, without any distinction, and the operation will continue the objectives are met. They also told Dobbins that Pakistan and Afghanistan are working on a code of conduct to regulate their cooperation in the fight against terrorists and redress each other’s grievances. The same day, special adviser to the prime minister on foreign affairs, Tariq Fatemi, told reporters that the policy of interference in the affairs of other countries had never benefited anyone, and it is about time the countries in South Asia realized that and made “a paradigm shift” in their policies. And from the Pakistani perspective, China’s newly appointed special envoy for Afghanistan Sun Yuxi came in with a reassurance from an old ally: “I think as an agency for the government and military for Pakistan, the ISI has been effective in fighting against terrorism,” Yuxi, a former ambassador to Afghanistan and India, told the Indian daily The Hindu. A much more serious issue flowing out of these “reassurances”, however, is how they will shape Pakistan’s relations with Afghanistan and the United States after December 2014. Will Pakistan’s reliance on the US end after that, and will the Chinese make up for the loss of crucial US support in access to global financial resources such as IMF and the World Bank? During a confirmation testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on July 17, Marine General Joseph Dunford, who commands the war in Afghanistan, provided some insights on how the US and its allies view Pakistan’s role in the stability of Afghanistan. Dunford has been nominated to serve as the 36th commandant of the Marine Corps. He also delivered a quasi warning when asked by a senator whether the US leverage over Pakistan goes up after the 2014 drawdown in terms of getting cooperation. “It does. I think our footprint in Afghanistan has made...

Who is Dying in Afghanistan’s 1,000-plus Drone Strikes?

CIA-operated drones being deployed in Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan, remain an extremely contentious issue and continue to stir up public resentment for loss of innocent lives in such attacks. Although the number of US drone strikes in Pakistan has dropped to six so far this year, nevertheless, the issue remains a major irritant in bilateral relations and a source of public outrage. CRSS is sharing the report link with its readers for the benefit of, and in public interest, courtesy The Bureau of Investigative Journalism. http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/TBIJ-Afghanistan-Report.pdf

Who is Dying in Afghanistan's 1,000-plus Drone Strikes?

CIA-operated drones being deployed in Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan, remain an extremely contentious issue and continue to stir up public resentment for loss of innocent lives in such attacks. Although the number of US drone strikes in Pakistan has dropped to six so far this year, nevertheless, the issue remains a major irritant in bilateral relations and a source of public outrage. CRSS is sharing the report link with its readers for the benefit of, and in public interest, courtesy The Bureau of Investigative Journalism. http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/TBIJ-Afghanistan-Report.pdf

The Battle for Hearts and Minds

For the first time in Pakistan’s history, three major stakeholders – Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Army find themselves caught in an unprecedented point-scoring contest over the internally displaced persons (IDPs) from North Waziristan. This also underscores absence of willingness to work jointly for a national cause even in crisis. The army, beside its anti-terrorist drive through Mir Ali, Miranshah and Boya sub-districts, is also busy in manning the entry points as well as relief and cash distribution centres in and around Bannu. It is also mobilizing food supplies on its own as part of an effort to win hearts and minds. But the real competition is between the federal and the provincial Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, which is doling out Rs 8,000 for every IDP family. The federal government has offered a package worth Rs 32,000 (this includes a special Ramzan package too that would be valid only until the end of the fasting month), while the Punjab government – the younger Sharif didn’t want to be left behind – has chipped in with Rs 7,000 each. An additional incentive is the 80kg of wheat per family plus other items such as edible oil, sugar and rice being distributed by the World Food Programme. Other UN-affiliated agencies are also active, though other national and international NGOs have so far not been allowed to get involved in the relief work altogether. Cash compensation has, however, turned out to be biggest incentive for residents of North Waziristan. On the face of it, all three stakeholders attribute this to their commitment to the helpless and hapless IDPs. These payments are being made through mobile phones after verification of the IDPs through the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA). NADRA uses the national identity card to electronically verify the existence of the IDP. Additional NADRA mobile registration units were also rushed to Bannu to a) provide electronic national identity...

Narco-trafficking from Afghanistan

Current Situation United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime UNODC says Afghanistan produces more drugs like ‘opium’, ‘heroin’ and ‘hashish’ than any other country in the world. Before 1991, Myanmar was considered to be the primary source of opium but now Afghanistan has taken the lead in this. Afghanistan holds a near-monopoly as it produces over 92% of the world’s opium.[i] Despite the little efforts made by Afghan government in reducing the production of drugs, the drastic upsurge in the production of opium can be attributed to the increased demand of the drug globally, as well as to the country’s favorable socio-politico-economic environment. This has allowed the unlawful trade and production of opium’ to become an essential part of Afghanistan’s informal economy.[ii] This also works to the advantage of Afghan militant groups and terrorists associated with Al-Qaeda. Taliban have seen the advantages of the drug trade as, the money they are making out of it sums up to huge amounts. They see it as means of getting money for activities such as equipping themselves with advanced weapons to fight their enemies.[iii] Boon for Non-State Actors? Afghanistan’s socio-politically fragile conditions and the Islamist militancy offers a conducive environment for the illicit drugs’ trade. The endless warfare has allowed the abuse and trade of drugs. The Afghan government in this regard, is believed to be involved in protecting its “drug market” as this is boosting the amount of money being generated in the country. The money is being used for wrong purposes though and the involvement of Afghan government in this matter is substantial. It was speculated that Ahmed Wali Karzai, brother of the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, was strongly believed to be involved in the narco-trafficking in Afghanistan and fueling his bank accounts by the drug money.[iv]. The drug money and its profits were so irrefutable that insurgent groups, including the Taliban could no longer overlook them....