Current Projects

Launch of “Balochistan’s Maze of Violence” and other CRSS Annual Publications

Press Release Islamabad (Tuesday, February, 20, 2012): Balochistan and Pakistan have never been on the same page during history. History, which is taught in Pakistan, does not tell us about the circumstances under which Pakistan came into being and Balochistan joined it. This was said during an event by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) for launching three of its annual publications, including 'Balochistan Maze of Violence' at its office premises in Islamabad. During the launching ceremony, Senator Mir Hasil Bizenjo, vice president, National Party, Balochistan underscored that since beginning Baloch people were not part of the process, through which some Baloch sardars decided to join Pakistan in 1947. And even after the passage of 65 years, they are not part of the political process. He narrated that oppressive military operation of 1973 set the stage for separatist sentiments in Balochistan and in 1977 first militant organization, Balochistan Popular Liberation was formed. 'Today, military through its para-military force, Frontier Constabulary (FC) is ruling the province and it is duly guided by the Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI)', he observed. Present civilian government badly failed to change the long held status quo in the hapless province, as first case of mutilated bodies came up just ten days after the speech of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani in the Parliament in connection with the announcement of Balochistan Rights– Package on November 24, 2009. As a way forward, he suggested that the government should try to ebb the tide of missing persons– killing and recover them. CRSS report underlines that the situation in Balochistan continues to aggravate with the passage of time, despite the government efforts to curtail the downward spiral and win back the trust of the disenchanted Balochis. The present government announced NFC Award and Balochistan Rights– Package in 2009 to upend the rising tide of militancy in the province, yet the...

Launch of "Balochistan's Maze of Violence" and other CRSS Annual Publications

Press Release Islamabad (Tuesday, February, 20, 2012): Balochistan and Pakistan have never been on the same page during history. History, which is taught in Pakistan, does not tell us about the circumstances under which Pakistan came into being and Balochistan joined it. This was said during an event by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) for launching three of its annual publications, including 'Balochistan Maze of Violence' at its office premises in Islamabad. During the launching ceremony, Senator Mir Hasil Bizenjo, vice president, National Party, Balochistan underscored that since beginning Baloch people were not part of the process, through which some Baloch sardars decided to join Pakistan in 1947. And even after the passage of 65 years, they are not part of the political process. He narrated that oppressive military operation of 1973 set the stage for separatist sentiments in Balochistan and in 1977 first militant organization, Balochistan Popular Liberation was formed. 'Today, military through its para-military force, Frontier Constabulary (FC) is ruling the province and it is duly guided by the Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI)', he observed. Present civilian government badly failed to change the long held status quo in the hapless province, as first case of mutilated bodies came up just ten days after the speech of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani in the Parliament in connection with the announcement of Balochistan Rights– Package on November 24, 2009. As a way forward, he suggested that the government should try to ebb the tide of missing persons– killing and recover them. CRSS report underlines that the situation in Balochistan continues to aggravate with the passage of time, despite the government efforts to curtail the downward spiral and win back the trust of the disenchanted Balochis. The present government announced NFC Award and Balochistan Rights– Package in 2009 to upend the rising tide of militancy in the province, yet the...

Balochistan’s Maze of Violence

Short Summary The security situation in Balochistan continues to aggravate with the passage of time, despite the fact of the government efforts to curtail the downward spiral and win back the trust of the disenchanted Balochis. The present government announced NFC Award and Balochistan Rights– Package to upend the rising tide of militancy in the province, yet the situation on ground remains stubbornly volatile. In part, situation on ground also magnifies the apathetic attitude on the part of the central and provincial governments to address Balochistan issue. At a time, when the reports of disinterest among provincial lawmakers in discussing provincial issues in the assembly are widespread; the central government is also contributing towards existent indifference among lawmakers to take Balochistan issue seriously. As the parliamentary committee constituted as a result of a unanimous resolution by the Parliament in August 2011 to ascertain the causes behind deteriorating law and order situation in the province, has failed to visit the province, even once during last five months. Against this backdrop of apathetic attitude on the part of the government and raging militancy in the province, relentless violence marked 2011. Moreover, while mapping the territory of violence, we found that unlike in the past, the present year witnessed overlapping of the forces behind violence in the province. According to our findings: Staggering violence left 621 people dead during the course of the year. Among these, 281 people were shot dead in different incidents of target killing and firing, 68 fell prey to two deadly suicide attacks, while bomb blasts and landmine explosions perished 120 others. The ongoing ¿kill and dump– operation, further contributing to the already dismal law and order situation in the ill fated province, swallowed 231 people, whose mutilated and bullet-ridden dead bodies--- were mostly found lying by the roadsides in different parts of the province....

Balochistan's Maze of Violence

Short Summary The security situation in Balochistan continues to aggravate with the passage of time, despite the fact of the government efforts to curtail the downward spiral and win back the trust of the disenchanted Balochis. The present government announced NFC Award and Balochistan Rights– Package to upend the rising tide of militancy in the province, yet the situation on ground remains stubbornly volatile. In part, situation on ground also magnifies the apathetic attitude on the part of the central and provincial governments to address Balochistan issue. At a time, when the reports of disinterest among provincial lawmakers in discussing provincial issues in the assembly are widespread; the central government is also contributing towards existent indifference among lawmakers to take Balochistan issue seriously. As the parliamentary committee constituted as a result of a unanimous resolution by the Parliament in August 2011 to ascertain the causes behind deteriorating law and order situation in the province, has failed to visit the province, even once during last five months. Against this backdrop of apathetic attitude on the part of the government and raging militancy in the province, relentless violence marked 2011. Moreover, while mapping the territory of violence, we found that unlike in the past, the present year witnessed overlapping of the forces behind violence in the province. According to our findings: Staggering violence left 621 people dead during the course of the year. Among these, 281 people were shot dead in different incidents of target killing and firing, 68 fell prey to two deadly suicide attacks, while bomb blasts and landmine explosions perished 120 others. The ongoing ¿kill and dump– operation, further contributing to the already dismal law and order situation in the ill fated province, swallowed 231 people, whose mutilated and bullet-ridden dead bodies--- were mostly found lying by the roadsides in different parts of the province....

Balochistan Weekly Monitor (February 6- 12, 2012)

Violence in Balochistan continued raging relentlessly during the week, adding to the volatility of the province. The hallmark of the week was a deadly cross border raid by the Afghan security forces in Qilla Saifullah district on February 12, resulted in the killing of two Pakistanis. In sum, eight people lost their lives during different episodes of violence across the province. PPP Senator Mian Raza Rabbani, the chief advocate for the rights of the Baloch and head of the parliamentary committee on national security, condemned the US for meddling in the internal affairs of Pakistan on February 9 and said that no state or committee has the right to call a hearing on an issue which lies inside the territorial ambit of Pakistan. Terming the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations– hearing on Balochistan as direct interference into the internal affairs of Pakistan and an 'ill-advised and ill-considered move', Pakistan ambassador to US Sherry Rehman underlined that such steps by the US will undermine Pak-US ties, and will have serious repercussions for the already soaring bilateral relations. Nature of Incidents Dead FC Army Civilian Injured Target killings 0 0 4 0 Natural incidents 0 1 0 0 Abductions 0 0 6 0 Bomb blasts+ hand grenade+ landmine explosion 0 0 1 12 Militants 0 0 1 0 Border clash 0 0 2 0 Total 8 12 Week in Review a) Acts of Terrorism/Subversion and Abduction In the backdrop of killing of Domki wife, daughter and driver on January 31, Chief Justice Supreme Court of Pakistan, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, took suo motu notice on February 6. In this connection a three member bench of the Supreme Court summoned Advocate General and Inspector General Sindh on Monday, February 13, 2012. Also, the Court ordered to arrest the culprits by February 10.[1] Provincial Minister Nasreen Khetran belonging to Pakistan Muslim League´Quaid e Azam (PML-Q) resigned from the ministry on February 6, in protest against the murder of MPA Mir Bakhtiar Domki wife and daughter....

THE PIPELINES AND GEO-POLITICS

Introduction Energy security, being the principal driving factor behind the economic development of any state, has been remained the most contested field among states in post- industrial world. Energy, on the one hand, is essential for running the machinery of industrial and agricultural units, lighting up the cities, while on the other hand it is required for the domestic use by the citizens. Because of the unprecedented industrialization during the last two decades, surge in population,changing lifestyles, greater transportation needs; and lack of proactive and integrated planning for production of energy, Pakistan is currently facing acute energy crisis. Today Pakistan is fulfilling its energy needs through the consumption of gas, oil, and coal. Among these, natural gas is the primary energy source, accounting for 43.7 percent in total energy consumption of Pakistan. Due to decades long neglect, mismanagement and lack of investment in energy development sector, the intermittent gas and electricity outages is order of the day in recent years. And which is in return crippling daily life across the country and leading towards the closure of hundreds of industrial units, leaving millions of people, directly or indirectly attached to the textile manufacturing trade, unemployed. In recent years the gap between supply and demand of gas has reached nearly one billion cubic feet per day (BCFD) mark. According to the petroleum ministry estimates, natural gas shortfall against committed supplies remained around 911 million cubic feet per day (MCFD) in December, 1.1 MCFD in January 2012 and will swell to 1.4 MCFD in February before easing down to 726 MCFD in March. And unfortunately the forecasts suggest that the problem is likely to worsen in coming years. According to official estimates, gas shortfalls are estimated to reach 2.5 BCFD in 2014-15, 3 BCFD in 2015-16 and 3.5 BCFD in 2016-17. Thus the gap is likely to shoot up to 5 BCFD in 2020-21, unless major gas...

Balochistan Weekly Monitor (January 30- Feb. 5, 2012)

Executive Summary At a time when the federal government announced 2012 as the year of Balochistan, the violence in Balochistan continues to spill out of control, rendering the start of year very tragic for the prospects of peace in the province. The killing of 15 Frontier Corps (FC) personnel at check posts near the Margat coal mine by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) on February 1 marked the week. In sum, 24 people perished in different episodes of violence across the province. Interior Minister Rehman Malik termed the killing of Balochistan lawmaker Domki wife and daughter, a conspiracy against the county and to disrupt the peace efforts in Balochistan. PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain denied any involvement of his party in the killing of Baloch tribal chief Nawab AkbarBugti. He called for assuaging the long held grievances of the Balochis. Nature of Incidents Dead FC Army Civilian Injured Target killings 0 0 1 0 Natural incidents 0 0 3 0 Security forces firing 0 0 2 4 Ambush 15 0 3 12 Total 24 16 Week in Review a) Acts of Terrorism/Subversion and Abduction In November 2011 a boat bound for Australia capsized near the island of Java, Indonesia and until today only onebody of Syed Kefyat Hussain, 20, has been brought to Quetta where he was buried on January 30. The remaining people are stillmissing and all of them belong to the persecuted Hazara community of Quetta. Faisal Naeem, assistance director for reliefactivities at Balochistan provincial disaster management authority, said that most bodies are mutilated and beyondrecognition. He also said that Balochistan government is in contact with Pakistan ambassador in Indonesia for the recovery ofremaining dead bodies.[1] The Balochistan Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on February 1 condemning the killing of lawmakerNawabzada Bakhtiar Khan Domki wife and daughter and demanded the provincial government to ask his Sindh counterpart toapprehend the culprits behind the killings, rather than calling it an...

Pakistan: Back From Brinkmanship

Conscious of their respective limitations, the titans have decided to deescalate, and climb down from their stated positions. The Centre of Gravity ´ the Supreme Court, on January 30, gave two more months for the controversial 'Memogate' investigation, and lifted the travel ban on the man in the eye of the storm, Husain Haqqani, former ambassador to Washington[i]. Was it after all a tea-cup storm, hyped up by the security apparatus and Mansoor Ijaz, who acted as the whistle-blower on a memo not many believed in or did the refusal by Research in Motion (RIM) ´ the Blackberry owners ´ to share data with Pakistani judiciary ´ eventually consigned the case to the dustbin of history? For several weeks, the Memogate agonized the entire nation for quite some time ´ an unnecessary expense of time and resource practically for nothing. This distasteful episode has clearly left a trail of unpleasant brinkmanship, slander, and speculation. But seen from a distance, it has also exposed some realities; for the first time in history, the apex court has emerged as the second strongest and largely unified power structure, only second to the mighty military establishment, which had until Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry revolt against General Pervez Musharraf on March 9, 2007, acted as the unquestioned wielder-cum-arbiter of political power. Ideally, the Parliament should stand out as the ultimate centre of power but given its shortcomings, precipitated by absence or lack of integrity on the political top, the pendulum has clearly swung towards the apex court ´ turning it into the centre of gravity that the Military, Imran Khan, head of Pakistan Tehrik e Insaf ´ a rising political force, and Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the opposition party Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz Group, look up to. The Zardari-led PPP (Pakistan Peoples– Party) government, too, is panting and gasping to escape the wrath of the enigmatic Supreme Court. Yet, the Court cannot dislodge the government, nor can it morally...

Balochistan Weekly Monitor (January 23-29, 2012)

The spiraling violence continued to dominate the security landscape of Balochistan. The week in focus witnessed gruesome episodes of militant, sectarian, and target killings in the province. The hallmark of the week was an ambush by the Baloch Republican Army (BRA) on a security check post in the Sui area of Dera Bugti, on January 26, killing five security personnel. In sum, 15 people lost their lives during different incidents of violence across the province. Local journalists termed Balochistan as the second most dangerous place after Afghanistan for journalists, since there are no security arrangements for them and they work under constant threats to their lives. The Balochistan assembly, on January 26, in a unanimous resolution applauded the efforts made by the Prime Minister and the President of Pakistan for the restoration of democracy in the county. Meanwhile, lawmakers in provincial assembly severely criticized the provincial and the federal governments for their failure in providing basic facilities to the people of Balochistan and called upon the government to fulfill its obligation towards the people of the province. Nature of Incidents Dead FC Army Civilian Injured Landmine explosions 0 0 1 1 Sectarian attacks 1 0 2 0 Target killings 0 0 0 0 Gas incidents or natural incidents 0 0 3 0 Militants 5 0 0 0 Abduction 1 0 0 0 Border incident 0 0 6 4 Total 18 5 Week in Review a) Acts of Terrorism/Subversion and Abduction According to police officials, three persons, namely Mumtaz Ali, Kamal Khan and Bilawal in Killi Baro, on Sariab road in Quetta, on January 24, left the heater on, before going to bed.The heater went off due to low gas pressure in the middle of the night but gas supply suddenly improved filling the room with poisonous gas that led to suffocation of all three to death.[1] Three people, including an inspector of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and a television artist, while traveling by car on Mekangi road in Quetta, on January 25, were...

Balochistan Weekly Monitor (January 16-22, 2012)

The spate of unabated violence continued in the province to batter security, economic and political environment in the hapless province during the current week. The highlight of the week was a deadly clash between militants and the paramilitary troops on January 17 in Behlol area near Chamalang coal field, killing 10 militants. In sum, 15 people fell prey to different incidents of violence across the province. Inspector General Frontier Corps (FC), Major General Ubaidullah Khan Khattak said that although Balochistan is witnessing unprecedented fall in rocket attacks and bomb blasts, the kidnapping for ransom is emerging as the new phenomena in the province. He termed this trend as the major source of generating funds for the militants. The Balochistan Bar Association (BBA) observed strike on January 19 across the province to protest the killing of Lawyer Malik Sadiq by unidentified militants in Hub, Lasbela district and demanded to bring the culprits to justice. Balochistan Governor Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi said on January 22 that every lawmaker in the provincial assembly is responsible for deteriorating law and order in the province. He urged that realization of responsibilities is the call of the day for everyone to restore peace in the volatile province. Nature of Incidents DeadFC Army Civilian Injured Abductions 0 0 4 0 Sectarian attacks 0 1 0 Dead bodies found 0 0 3 0 Target killings 0 0 1 0 Militants 0 0 10 0 Total 15 0 Week in Review a) Acts of Terrorism/Subversion and Abduction According to police officials, unidentified armed men intercepted a vehicle that was on its way from Dera Ghazi Khan to Quetta near Chori Bridge and abducted four people identified as Ghafoor Khan, National Bank Manager Cantonment Branch, Abdul Shakoor, a lecturer in Khuzdar College, Yasir and Jabar on January 16. Meanwhile, in another incident of sectarian killing, armed men opened fire on a security guard identified as Musa Khan in Jam Colony in District Hub, Quetta who died later...