Analysis: Pakistan’s embattled government finally overcame big opposition on July 2, when it  managed to push through the national legislature –lower house of Parliament – the  controversial anti-terrorism legislation titled the  “Protection of Pakistan Bill (PPB).” The Bill is supposed to support the armed forces and law-enforcement agencies in their fight against militants and anti-social elements across the country for maintenance of peace.[1]  The PPB had earlier sailed through the Senate – the upper house – on June 30, 2014, following a grand political consensus among all parties present in the house. Now after the expected assent by the President of Pakistan, the PPB will become an Act of Parliament and would be called Protection of Pakistan Act (PPA). The National Assembly[2], had initially passed the bill in its original form which kicked a big controversy among opposition political parties as well as rights’ groups , who termed it as a “carte blanche” to the security forces.  But the proposed legislation got stuck in the Upper House, where the ruling coalition is in a minority. The entire opposition opposed the draft terming it harsh.[3] Left with no choice but to incorporate the amendments proposed by the Opposition parties, the government then tabled a fresh Bill in the Senate where it was passed unanimously. Several Senators still expressed serious reservations but eventually consented to support it in what they said “in view of the serious security challenges” the country faces at the moment. While religio-political party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) Senator Talha Mehmood, who is also chairman of the Standing Committee on Interior, had told the Senate that the committee approved the Bill “keeping in mind that it should be used on merit and not against religious seminaries.” Mehmoood, accompanied by his party’s Senator Hamdullah, walked out of the Upper House of the Parliament when the Bill was being passed to underscore his party’s reservations....

Center for Research and security Studies (CRSS) conducted an exclusive radio program ‘Jaraga Maraka’ from Peshawar on June 30,2014, highlighting the problems faced by the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and the government’s efforts to alleviate their problems. “A total of 38,000 Internally Displaced People (IDPs) have been registered so far and FATA Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) is taking every measure to help the IDPs in this extremely hot weather,” said Mr. Farmanullah, a representative of FATA-DMA in ‘Jaraga Maraka’, Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) radio show on June 30, 2014. He said FATA-DMA is providing Rs. 12,000 to the IDPs immediately after registration at ‘Sayed Gai’ check point. The situation of the IDPs is improving and with the help from a local cell company that is distributing free SIMs to the people in the camps; it is becoming easier to transfer money electronically through ‘Easy Paisa’ scheme. This was done on FDMA’s request so as to avoid long queues of the IDPs in the scorching heat. Farmanullah added that all the related departments are working in collaboration with FATA-DMA under the supervision of Commissioner Bannu. Problems facing IDPs are decreasing as many national and international organizations are providing food and other assistance to the IDPs along with FDMA, Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and the federal government. “All nonprofit and civil society organizations are allowed to help the IDPs. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), World Food Program (WFP) and UNHCR are all assisting in relief operations”. After Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit to Bannu IDP Camp, rehabilitation work is fast progressing and number of registration and food points has also been increased. Mr. farmanullah and other representatives of the respective relief organizations report to the Commissioner Bannu daily and coordinate with each other to alleviate the challenges facing the IDPs. Mr. Safdar Hayat Dawar, a...

What distinguishes Dr Tahirul Qadri from the militants operating out of the mountainous Waziristan region if viewed against the backdrop of the violence and lawlessness accompanying Qadri’s arrival on June 24th? Not much indeed because both: a) reject the current political edifice and demand a revamp of the system according to their interpretation of welfare state, b) question the legitimacy of the ruling elites and also doubt their commitment to people’s welfare, c) act as self-proclaimed reformers of the society. TTP’s foot-soldiers snipe and ambush security forces and people at large, while Qadri’s boys beat up the police in front of cameras. The TTP is being hunted by the army these days, while Qadri keeps projecting the armed forces as his only “credible interlocutors.” Both Qadri and TTP – and by implication their foot soldiers – treat law as rubbish. There is a bigger concern – how expedient military and civilian rulers responded to challenges raised by the TTP and mavericks like Qadri by bending and breaking the law for the opposition to save their own skin. What is the consequence? The erosion of the rule of law with every passing day. TV screens, for instance, were awash with images of baton-armed Qadri boys pouncing upon policemen in Lahore and Rawalpindi. Nearly three dozen landed in hospital. And the next day, the provincial government ordered the release of all the arrested hooligans, even including those who were subjecting law-enforcers to violence. More importantly, diversion of the Emirates flight from Islamabad to Lahore exposed the panic as well as the sheer incompetence of the ruling clique. Little did they realize the damage accruing from this very act. Secondly, by allowing Qadri to hold other passengers on board for several hours, the politicians and law enforcers trampled national international laws on civil aviation. What Qadri did amounted to an unruly conduct on board and for that there are very very clear regulations. The Tokyo...

Many in the international media are still not sure which of the two acronyms, ISIL and ISIS, is more suitable to describe the Sunni militia that recently made headlines as itcaptured the Iraqi city of Mosul and its adjoining districts. Until recently it was referred to as ‘The Islamic State of Iraq and Levant’, hence the acronym ISIL. The acronym now being commonly used is ISIS as the militant organisation is being referred to as ‘The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’. The Sunni militia, in Arabic, calls itself Al-Daulatul Islamiya fil Iraq wal-Shaam, meaning ‘The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham’. Thus calling it ISIS is correct. But few in the media know that Levant is not the same as present-day Syria. The Levant is an old term referring to countries of the eastern Mediterranean. Some scholars include in it Cyprus and a small part of Turkey. But basically the Levant has throughout history meant Syria, Lebanon and Palestine. This means Jordan, the West Bank (now under Israeli occupation) and Israel itself are part of the Levant. For Pakistanis there is added confusion because we refer to Syria as Shaam. Which is misleading, because the country we call Shaam is referred to by the Arabs as Soorya. In Arabic, the Levant is called Baldatush-Shaam, of which Soorya, with its capital at Damascus, is part. The Jordan river’s east bank was also part of Palestine. Now it is the state of Jordan and part of the Levant. The Levant is the world’s most blood-drenched land, especially the coastal strip, for there is no other place in the world which has been fought for so much, the next being perhaps Flanders. This article, written by Muhammad Ali Siddiqi, was published in daily Dawn, June 17, 2014. CRSS is sharing this with readers as part of its social obligation to disseminate critical information on socio-political issues. (Link http://www.dawn.com/news/1113209/what-is-the-levant)

The resolution endorsing support for military action in North Waziristan that started on June 15, 2014, was issued after a meeting of Civil Society Organization’s held in Karachi on June 16. The civil society organizations, intelligentsia and a number of politicians have been demanding for quite some time that the government and the military move against terrorist groups involved in indiscriminate killings of people at large. By posting this joint resolution, Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) also endorses the civil society call for a definitive offensive against terrorist havens in the Pakistan-Afghan border regions, and in Waziristan in particular. We, the representatives of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), fully support military operation in North Waziristan launched under the direction of the Federal Government and assert that the nation must stand behind our military and democratic forces as no country can allow insurgents to control parts of its territory. While appreciating the operation, the Civil Society Organizations demands: Pakistan should declare all terrorist and militant groups, including both their foreign and Pakistani supporters, as enemy of State State machinery should take action to eliminate these terrorist and militant groups State machinery should take action to de-weaponize Pakistan State should prohibit all political parties to organize and establish armed militant wings to show their power of militancy. The terms of existing discourse where terrorists and militants are seen as our ‘brothers’ should be changed to reflect what they really are – the enemies of Pakistan Government should tighten and implement regulations through PEMRA and other means to ensure that terrorists and militant groups, banned outfits and their supporters are not given space on media to incite people to violence A commission should be formed to highlight the security lapses that contributed to the Karachi Airport attack and fix responsibility for...

Pakistan’s turn-around early this year on Syria and its faltering relations with Iran epitomize the ambivalence that has often accompanied its foreign policy for decades. Geo-political compulsions aside, the foreign policy has either remained frozen or perpetuated on false, duplicitous premises. The policy on Syria offers a classic reflection of this. In response to probing questions about the 1.5 billion dollars worth of Saudi Arabian “donation,” Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Mr Sartaj Aziz had in several interviews argued that nothing was wrong in getting financial donations from a country where “two million Pakistani workers reside and annually remit about 4 billion dollars.[1] He had also justified the renewed warmth in the Saudi-Pak relation, saying the relations had cooled down during the Zardari government and there was a need to revive it.[2] But interestingly, Sartaj Aziz posed a counter-question to the critics: “Saudi Arabia gave us a lot of help after the nuclear tests in 1998; what did we do for them? Nothing,” Aziz said in a couple of media interviews. “I am really surprised (to hear this) because they will ask why are Pakistanis critical when Saudi Arabia is helping them,” was what he exactly told a foreign radio. Detractors raised objections and expressed reservations about the Saudi-Pak relations to the context of the rumours that Pakistan was being used to recruit fighters for the anti-Assad war in Syria. Reports from within Waziristan suggest that the recruitment began in March 2013, followed by a few batches in October and November, when at least 132 Taliban/Mujahideen commanders reportedly transited through Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi on their way to Syria. Some unconfirmed reports speak of clandestine training camps being run by some proscribed Punjabi and Pashtoon groups in Shawaal, Janikhel and Mirali. Locals have also reported arrival of about two dozen foreigners into FATA for several week-long...

TOPIC: “Role of FATA Parliamentarians” Hosts: Mr Imitiaz Gul and Ms Feryal Ali Gauhar Guests: • Dr. Ashraf Ali, FATA Research Centre • Ms. Nighat Orakzai, PPP • Mr. Iqbal Afridi, PTI • Mr. Munir Orakzai Ex MNA Theme:  This show discusses as to why should precious public funds be wasted on FATA parliamentarians if they cannot legislate on issues relating to FATA? Most participants agreed that these parliamentarians are probably an additional burden on the national exchequer because of their inability to introduce legislation on FATA. Most end up much richer at the end of their tenure because they often side with the government in return for certain perks and favors. Please watch the program Hum Bhi Pakistan and share your feedback on 

Justice and Separation of Powers in FATA: Extensive Power of Political Agent, Democracy vs. Draconian Hosts: Mr Imitiaz Gul and Ms Feryal Ali Gauhar Guests: • Mr. Zahir Shah Safi, FATA Lawyer’s Forum • Mr. Ayaz Wazir, Ex Ambassador • Mr. Ajmal Wazeer, PML Q • Ms. Ayesha Hasan, Social Activist Theme: The theme is “Justice and Separation of Powers in FATA: Extensive Power of Political Agent, Democracy vs. Draconian System”. This show discusses as to why not the extensive powers of the executive (Political Agent) given under the FCR be amended? With the help of case studies, the show aims to elaborate on how the powers vested in the Political Agent under the FCR promotes corruption, cronyism, and poor governance without any accountability mechanism and how these powers have impacted adversely on the lives of the people of FATA in many different ways? The show also focuses on implications of the FCR on the Rule of Law in adjacent settled areas, the role of FATA judicial tribunal, and citizen’s access to the appeals process. Extending court jurisdiction to the victims of FCR who are denied justice would also be discussed in the show.