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Pakistan Conflict Tracker Monthly Report (June 2012)
Ethno-political violence in Karachi, religio-terrorism violence in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and nationalist-separatist violence in Balochistan led to the decimation of staggering 544 persons during June. Meanwhile, renewed wave of religio-terrorism violence in FATA and KP ate up almost 324 persons during the month under review. The data collected through different sources suggests that some 545 people lost their lives in 195 incidents of violence across the country (for details see data sheet). It also underlines that the overall level of violence escalated in June in comparison to May, wherein 530 people were perished. The violent clashes also left 498 people injured across the country during the reported month. Trail through data suggests that the defenseless civilians remain the primary target of violent actors, with the civilians accounting for almost half of the total deaths in various acts of violence and terror across Pakistan. As noted in pie chart I below, civilians accounted for almost 51 percent of the total dead in June. The proportion of the civilian deaths isslightly lower than the previous month, when 54 percent of the dead were innocent civilians. As a whole, 277 civilians were killed in different circumstances during the month. The second highest number of fatalities were of militants– i.e. 38 percent of the total dead, 11 percent deaths were of the security forces and these were mostly recorded in insurgency infested areas of KP and FATA. Furthermore during June, six CIA operated drone strikes were reported in different areas of South and North Waziristan Agency (FATA), leaving as many as 40 killed, most of them reportedly suspected militants. On the contrary during last month, eight drone attacks were reported. Between March and June of this year, 18 drone attacks have left 123 suspected militants dead. Meanwhile, carrying on their sabotage campaign to disrupt and dismantle state infrastructure,...
Supplies Roll, Relations Stall?
Trucks carrying US-NATO non-lethal supplies have begun rolling across from Pakistan Karachi Port on the Arabian Sea through to Afghanistan after a seven month suspension. The United States has hailed the opening of the ground lines of communication (GLOC), while Pakistan is touting the move as a goodwill gesture by a 'responsible global player,' an act, according to Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, taken in national interest. Sherry Rehman, the 180 Million strong countries– ambassador to Washington, dubbed the resumption of supply lines as an 'historic turn in the trajectory of relations with the US (interview with CNN Situation Room, June 5). Yet, while the ruling coalition projects this as a tactical victory, a storm is gathering around it, with almost all opposition parties threatening to protest theambiguous deal with the US, which they decry as a step that has bypassed the Parliament. The opposition is unhappy with the muted and conditional 'sorry' that the US Secretary of State expressed over the killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers killed in a US-NATO strike in November last year. The opposition also wants to know the details of the deal, but to the surprise of many, a Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman told media on June 5 that a formal agreement was still in the works. This revelation also entails the question as to what has Pakistan gained after its insistence brought the supplies and the crucial relations with the NATO and US to a grinding halt. And also, whether the move will help mend and normalize relations? Can Pakistan really think beyond tactics, and can it translate tactical gains, if any, in long term strategic advantages? The prospects look grim ´ if the history of relations with the US and the known reasons for disagreements are any indicator. Despite the resumption of the ground lines of communication (GLOC), the promised 'reset ' for an enduring, friction-free partnership is not likely to come about even in the medium term. It is likely...
Pakistan Conflict Tracker Weekly Report (June 22 – 28, 2012)
No respite in violence was witnessed during the current week across Pakistan. Clashes between militants and military in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and spree of target killings in Karachi continued to make Pakistanis bleed and toil. The total death toll due to the ongoing infighting among ethno-political and sectarian factions in Karachi has peaked to 230 during the last two months. The data collected (through ten newspapers that CRSS uses as the source) suggests that 136 persons were killed as a result of 43 incidents of violence across the country during the reported week (for details see data sheet).These violent incidents also left 92 people injured, number of injured decreased sharply from last week 167 to 92 this week. The persistent wave of violence and spree of target killings across the country once again pushed the civilian death toll to the top, wherein 44 percent civilians were decimated in different circumstances. Numerically speaking, 60 civilians lost their lives and 73 others were wounded during the course of week. Militants suffered the second highest number of fatalities, wherein 40 militants got killed and another five wounded, mostly during operational attacks by the security forces in different areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and (FATA). Furthermore, like the previous two weeks, only one CIA operated drone strike was reported, killing six suspected militants and injuring another two in Dre Nishtar area of Shawal valley, North Waziristan Agency (FATA). The sabotage campaign, launched by the militants to dismantle state infrastructure continued unabated, as two power pylons of 500KV were blown up by the miscreants in Surizai Mera area of Peshawar city (KP); disrupting the power supply of many districts of KP province. Militants also blew up a government girls– primary school in Ghulam Banda village of Kohat district (KP). Unlike the previous week, wherein three sectarian attacks were reported, only one sectarian attack was...
Weekly Data Sheet (Jun 22 – 28, 2012)
Visit of National Democratic Institute’s (NDI) delegation to CRSS
National Democratic Institute (NDI) delegation led by Director of Asia Programs Peter Manikas, including Director Afghanistan and Pakistan Program Raisssa Tatad-Hazell, and Resident Country Director, Pakistan, Sandra Houston visited CRSS office on Thursday, June 28, 2012. Executive Director Imtiaz Gul briefed the delegation about the Center role in promoting democratic values in Pakistan.
Visit of National Democratic Institute's (NDI) delegation to CRSS
National Democratic Institute (NDI) delegation led by Director of Asia Programs Peter Manikas, including Director Afghanistan and Pakistan Program Raisssa Tatad-Hazell, and Resident Country Director, Pakistan, Sandra Houston visited CRSS office on Thursday, June 28, 2012. Executive Director Imtiaz Gul briefed the delegation about the Center role in promoting democratic values in Pakistan.
Honourable Chief Justice of Pakistan,
Your son, Dr.Arsalan Iftikhar Chaudhry has dragged and sullied yourname by dealing with the real estate tycoon Riaz Malik. Now, in thename of security that you have purportedly ordered for his safety,your son is projecting power and total indifference to what hisconduct in public might entail for you Please read the following message from an eyewitness on June 24,Sunday and do something if you do not want him to further discredityour position and name. >>> „Today (June 24) I have witnessed it myself that our beloved CJP's son Dr.arsalan accompanied by not less than 25 guards came to Gloria jeans Kohsaar Market Islamabad for a coffee in the evening & there were around 3 police vans & one surf with a hooter in a convoy they riding in an expensive jeep so they've stayed der for good ol' 45 min or so sitting in the open and the area was cordoned off for an hour or so & nobody was allowed to park the car in front, but the best thing was that I was not the only witness to all that. There were many others too who witnessed what appeared to be part of a thriller/action movie. I'm wondering if he can afford to do that after all that fiasco what was he up to prior to this saazish against poor CJP's tony to create an empire of 300 employees & a cash flow of around 10 million $ or so.<<<<<< Honourable Chief Justice, this message comes from a respectablePakistani citizen and a resident of Islamabad. We hope you will readthis and take concrete action to prevent use of your name and authority. If nothing happens on this front, then the people ofPakistan would be justified in concluding that sons and scions of allthose who matter in the governance structures care little about theuse and abuse of their authority. Thanking You, Centre for Research and Security Studies, Islamabad
Pakistan Conflict Tracker Weekly Report (June 15 – 21, 2012)
Violence surged marginally across Pakistan during the current week in comparison to the past week. Bomb blasts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and insistent target killings in Karachi continued rocking Pakistan during the entire week. Casualties due to the ongoing infighting among ethno-political and sectarian factions in Karachi reached to whopping 195 during last seven weeks. The data collected (from ten newspapers that CRSS uses as the source) suggests that 136 persons were killed as a result of 54 incidents of violence across the country during the reported week (for details see data sheet).These violent incidents also left 167 people injured. The persistent wave of violence and spree of target killings across the country once again pushed the civilian death toll to the top, wherein 68 percent civilians perished. Numerically speaking 93 civilians lost their lives and 149 others were wounded in violent incidents of various kinds during the week. Militants suffered the second highest number of fatalities, wherein 38 militants got killed and another nine were wounded, mostly during operational attacks by the security forces in different areas of KP and Federally Administered Tribal areas (FATA). Furthermore, like the preceding week, only one CIA operated drone strike was reported during the current week killing three suspected militants in Miramshah Bazaar, North Waziristan Agency (FATA). The sabotage campaign, launched by the militants to dismantle state infrastructure continued unabated, as two power pylons of 132KV were blown up by the miscreants in Maund area of Kohlu district (Balochistan). Unlike the past week where no sectarian attack was reported; three sectarian attacks were witnessed during the current week claiming seven lives, among them five Shia and two Sunni Muslims. Moreover, casualties due to the target killings surged by eight percent (25 percent against last week 17 percent) and the number of target killing incidents almost doubled (32 against last...
Weekly Data Sheet (Jun 15 – 21, 2012)
CRSS Accomplishes Landmark: 1,500 Radio Shows Strategic Communications/ Advocacy
In June 2012, CRSS achieved an unparalleled landmark; i.e. roughly 1,500 radio shows in humanitarian information and strategic communication for communities affected by conflict and crisis. It began in October 2009, with a 30-minute, 7 days a week humanitarian information intervention in response to the Swat crisis in partnership with Internews, USA. Given the socio-political context, it was an ambitious understanding i.e. the urgency to inform over two million IDPs of Swat through a radio programme named Sabawoon (the dawn). The challenge was not only to keep them connected with the information highway of health, hygiene and relief centres, but also to prompt the affectees and the extended community in to critical and soul searching questions such as why did Malakand/Swat sink in religious radicalism. CRSS inter news programmes covered all aspects of the communities, and were aired through five FM/AM radio stations, keeping them informed once a day through a structured, professionally produced programme. In 2010, flash floods in the northwestern regions disrupted life beyond imagination, destroyed homes and hearths adding to the miseries of the people who were still ruling under the consequences of the militancy. The new situation directed the partial focus of programming from conflict to natural crisis and its consequences. It eventually expanded the spectrum of the Inter news-CRSS programming to central and southern Pakistan, which lasted until October 2011, making it the longest ever humanitarian information programme in Asia that the Internews ever supported. Additionally, in June 2011, CRSS had launched another live, 6/days a week Strategic Communications programming from Peshawar, syndicated through FM 101, AMC Peshawar, FM 93 Kohat, D.I.Khan, Abbottabad. In June, 2012, Sabawoon completed a year of successful live strategic communications– shows i.e. counter-radicalization in conflict-militancy-hit regions. With the support of the donors, these shows will...
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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.