Current Projects
Role of Teachers Vital for Democratic Citizenship: Quetta-Based Faculty Members
The gatekeeping role of teachers - at different levels of education - to inoculate democracy against the threats from extremism, inculcate the democratic values of peace and harmony in youth as leaders of tomorrow, and develop their critical thinking skills as an inherent communal capacity against/ to refute extremist narratives, figured prominently in the discussions among Quetta-based faculty members. Representing different universities across Quetta, the faculty members converged at the Quetta Press Club for the Balochistan Chapter of Paving Pathways to Social Cohesion, an initiative by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS). The Center screened four original short films during the workshop, one each on i) Equality, Diversity and Tolerance Perspectives, ii) Women Rights and Empowerment, iii) Challenges to Peacebuilding, and iv) Rule of Law and Accessible Justice. In the discussions based on the short-films, the participating faculty members noted that the differences, a difference of understanding, & misunderstandings, if not resolved timely and respectfully, can lead to devastating outcomes. No democracy can be successful without the socio-political ideals like equality, humanity and equal opportunities for all members of the society regardless of their socio-political, ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. The extension of acceptance and respect towards the minorities should not be determined by the choice of majority groups, instead, by the constitution and the milestones like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). We can be born to Muslims or to the believers of any other faith, that's not our choice, but we do have a choice to deal with the people from different backgrounds respectfully. “We are making doctors, engineers, and honing and producing other expertise in the society in an effort to respond to the market needs, but are we creating good human beings as something that our society needs?”, questioned participants....
TTP Threat in SWAT: NACTA warning to Senate Committee
The following information was laid out by National Counter-Terrorism Authority (NACTA) to the Senate Standing Committee on Interior: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) strategy for engaging in discussion with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has failed and, on the contrary, encouraged TTP terrorist activity in Pakistan. With TTP’s base still intact in Afghanistan, the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan “provided impetus to TTP activities.” TTP’s resurgence in Swat and surrounding areas “can be attributed to their efforts to gain pulse of locals and response by the state.” The division of Malakand was described as “susceptible” to terrorism because of its “central location and access to inhabited regions” in the study. Although there has been a drastic increase in terrorist activities, strong opposition to the terror group from all social groups can be termed as a positive development. Locals have requested protection for their communities, particularly for the political leadership involved in the conflict with the militants. With the onset of weather, it is likely that TTP fighters may leave their present location and merge in with the local population hence all militant activities should be closely monitored. NACTA also recommended in-camera discussions concerning security-related matters, peaceful rallies and promoting tourism. Finally, the Committee on Interior approved the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2022 to address the rise in incidents of child sexual exploitation and cybercrime in light of Pakistan’s constitutional obligations and international commitments. For more info: https://www.dawn.com/news/1725422/ttp-used-peace-talks-to-swell-its-ranks-nacta
Europe And Its Dependence on The United States
The ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia has placed Europe in a dilemma. For years now, Europe has been dependent on Russian gas supplies during winter. However, as a consequence of the conflict and Western-imposed sanctions, Europe has been under pressure by the US to diversify its requirements. Furthermore, the Biden administration’s manipulative use of the Russian-Ukrainian war to advance its own interests at their expense has infuriated Europeans. A case in point is the US charging the Europeans four times more for natural gas supplies than it does for domestic sales, especially in these times of crisis. Ever since the election of Democratic candidate Joe Biden as President of the United States, the hawkish European NATO partners have heaved a sigh of relief. It is no secret that former President Donald Trump was not in favor of continuing support for the US-led NATO alliance, mainly for political and financial reasons. Europe got cold feet as it began to feel left out of any form of defensive shield and realised that, if there ever was a threat from Russia, it could not defend itself without US support. However, all that changed with Joe Biden`s election as President. Being a staunchly anti-Russian and anti-communist follower, one of his first declarations that he announced as President was “America is back”. His statement was made specifically to pacify his NATO allies in Europe and assure them of continued US support to the alliance, unlike his predecessor Donald Trump. Unfortunately, though, he brought the US and Russia back to the Cold-War era, with Europe helplessly following. Under US pressure and direction, NATO has been pursuing an expansionist policy in Europe for a while. Its principal objective is to corner Russia, despite the fact that this strategy has backfired. They say that, if you keep poking a bear with a stick, it will react, hence Russia seeing itself cornered by NATO`s insistence on Ukraine to join the alliance, the bear reacted...
Tensions on Korean Peninsula Rise
This show of missile tests by North Korea was a retaliation to the ongoing largest ever joint military drill of South Korea and the US, in which thousands of military personnel and 240 aircraft were taking part. At a time when the USA is already engaged in multiple global challenges like the Ukraine war, the Russian threat of using nuclear weapons, Iran’s nuclear plans, and deteriorating relations with China on the Taiwan issue, opening up another front to comply with its security agreements with Japan and South Korea is another challenging task for US and North Korea knows it very well. Last month (November,2022), the tension on the Korean peninsula escalated after North Korea fired 23 missiles in one day on 2nd November and then launched another six missile the next day; one of which was suspected be an intercontinental ballistic missile. Japan claimed that one of these missiles had flown over its territory and it was the second occurrence in a month. South Korea reacted by firing several missiles on the next day. Earlier, a missile was fired by North Korea that had crossed the maritime border with South Korea for the first time and caused a panic leading to televised announcements for the residents of the border area to “evacuate to the nearest underground shelter”. This show of missile tests by North Korea was a retaliation to the ongoing largest ever joint military drill of South Korea and the US, in which thousands of military personnel and 240 aircraft were taking part. In response to this provocative military exercise, North Korea had warned that it might take “more powerful follow-up measures” from Pyongyang[1]. What happened on 2nd November was in line with this warning but there are more reasons for the rise of tension in the region. It wasn’t the first time North Korea had fired missiles directed towards the Sea of Japan or South Korea. On 28 September, it fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast a day before the arrival of US...
Pakistan Tops List of Countries at Risk for Mass Killing
A recent study by a renowned US-based think organization places Pakistan at the top of the list of countries most at risk of a new wave of mass killings. One of the primary issues for the country, which is already experiencing political and economic woes, is violence by the Taliban, according to the research. The Washington, DC-based think tank, Early Warning Project, stated in a report that Pakistan faces numerous security and human rights challenges, including rising violence by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is accountable for a nonstate-led mass killing episode that has been ongoing since 2001. “Our statistical model estimates that there is a 16.3%, or approximately 1 in 6, the chance of a new mass killing beginning in Pakistan in 2022 or 2023. Pakistan ranks first highest-risk among 162 countries,” the EWP says in its report. This is the third year in a row that Pakistan has been put at the top of the list of 162 countries facing the highest risk of mass killings. The report said, “Pakistan has numerous security and human rights issues, including rising Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) violence.” Both domestically and from across the border in Afghanistan, where TTP enjoys safe havens under Afghan Taliban protection, Pakistan has seen a substantial rise in terrorist strikes. The country’s blasphemy laws, which have led to instances of mob violence against religious minorities, and threats of strikes by ISIS, according to the EWP assessment, were further reasons for Pakistan’s high-risk ranking. The report was released a few days after the TTP militant group made a statement canceling a months-long truce with the government to stop the carnage and urging its members to start attacking again. On the list, Afghanistan was rated eighth. Two other Asian countries made the top ten list, including Myanmar at number three, where the military overthrew the government in a coup in February of last year. India was ranked eighth because, according to the...
NATO Chief Warns Against Repeating Russia Errors With China
BUCHAREST (Nov 30): NATO countries must avoid repeating mistakes they made in relations with Russia to ensure they limit dependence on China, alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said. “I believe in free trade and member states should continue to trade with China but we cannot make these decisions only based on commercial considerations,” Stoltenberg, secretary general of NATO, told Bloomberg Television on Wednesday, after its foreign ministers discussed issues including China ties and the Russian invasion of Ukraine in Bucharest. “We’ve seen this issue with Russia, it’s not just a commercial decision, it has to do with our security. Over dependence of resources on authoritarian regimes like Russia makes us vulnerable and we should not repeat that mistake with China,” Stoltenberg said. He added: “We should assess our vulnerabilities and reduce them.” Earlier in Bucharest, some ministers stressed that Beijing could help push for a deal to end the war in Ukraine. This comes after the leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization had agreed in June that China posed a “systemic challenge” and warned about a deepening strategic partnership between Beijing and Moscow. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters after the meeting that governments need to “make sure that when China is making investments in our countries,” which “we want to sustain,” it is necessary “to be careful with that, in particularly sensitive areas, strategic areas, strategic industries, companies infrastructure.” Security considerations must be taken “fully into account before allowing any investments to go forward,” Blinken said. ‘Aggressive’ Behaviour Stoltenberg described China’s behaviour toward Taiwan as “aggressive, coercing and threatening”, saying “there is no reason for that and any conflict around Taiwan would be in nobody’s interest”. While the allies pledged increased support to Ukraine at the Bucharest meeting, including air-defence systems, Stoltenberg acknowledged the need to...
Washington Pledges Support For Islamabad’s Anti-TTP Efforts
WASHINGTON: The United States and Pakistan have a shared interest in combating threats to regional security, such as the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Washington will support the Pakistan government’s efforts to combat terrorism in all its forms, a State Department spokesperson told Dawn on Tuesday. On Monday, the outlawed TTP had asked its combatants to carry out attacks across the country because of alleged “unabated” operations by security forces against militants in the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Deploring the outlawed TTP’s decision to end its ceasefire with the government of Pakistan, the United Nations also expressed grave concern over the move that, they fear, could lead to increased suffering for civilians in the country. “We seek a strong partnership with Pakistan on counterterrorism and expect sustained action against all militant and terrorist groups. We look forward to cooperative efforts to eliminate all regional and global terrorist threats,” a State Department spokesperson told Dawn in response to a query. The spokesperson recalled that the Pakistani people have suffered tremendously from terrorist attacks in the past two decades, adding: “We support the Pakistan government’s efforts to combat terrorism in all its forms”. Separately, Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary General called the TTP’s decision “most unfortunate”, saying that this could lead to an increase in acts of terrorism. “That would be most unfortunate if that is, in fact, true,” he said when informed at a briefing that TTP had announced ending its ceasefire with the Pakistani government, and that its leaders have already ordered their cadres to re-launch attacks on Pakistani targets. When asked to elaborate this response, Mr Dujarric said: “I personally haven’t seen those reports, but obviously, any action that leads to increased violence that could lead to increased acts of terrorism and increase suffering for civilians is something that is of...
Russian Economy Rises Amidst Global Sanctions
The global sanctions imposed on Russia have hampered the trade process and has impacted it’s economy. However, with the historic grain export agreement from Turkey and the UN, and exports to the countries like India and Pakistan, the Russian economy has seen a significant increase. Russia is the largest fertilizer exporter in the world; however, its conflict with Ukraine has hampered the trade process, which has also driven the price of gas, a natural ingredient in the fertilizing process. Previously, the COVID-19 personnel shortages and factory closures in 2020 had already disrupted and caused instability in the fertilizer market. Furthermore, the international community’s sanctions amid the war have restricted several imports from Russia. Fertilizer costs in the US and around the world surged as a result of shipping companies and insurance companies avoiding Russia. According to a World Bank report, there was an increase in fertilizer prices worldwide by 80% in 2021 and 30% since the beginning of 2022. The historic grain export agreement that was reached between the warring parties with support from Turkey and the UN was unilaterally suspended by the Russian Federation on October 29, 2022, Fortunately, on November 2, 2022, Russia agreed to rejoin the agreement with the help and efforts of the UN and Turkey. One of the countries that also remained neutral and did not join the Western coalition arrayed against Russia was India. According to government and industry sources, Russia captured more than a fifth of the market share in the first half of the 2022–23 fiscal year, becoming India’s largest fertiliser supplier for the first time. During the first half of the year, India’s imports of fertiliser from Russia increased by 371% to a record 2.15 million tonnes, according to a senior government official’s statement to Reuters. Moreover, India’s imports during this period spiked 765% to $1.6 billion. In the last entire fiscal year, India imported 1.26 million tonnes...
Taliban Reject UN Claims Of Human Rights Abuses
A U.N. panel of specialists claimed that the Taliban may have committed a crime against humanity by how it treated women and children in Afghanistan and that this should be looked into and prosecuted per international law. The Taliban denied the UN claims. The Taliban confirmed that three women were among the 12 persons who were beaten on Wednesday in front of a large crowd at a regional sports stadium, prompting the United Nations to assign experts. In front of elders, scholars, and locals at Taloqan’s main mosque during Friday prayers on November 11, ten men and nine women in the northeastern Takhar province were each whipped 39 times. They were charged with fornication, adultery, and running away from home. The latest Taliban measures against women and girls have intensified previously-existing rights breaches, which are already among the “most severe globally,” according to U.N. experts. They also may constitute gender persecution, which is a crime against humanity. In August 2021, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan as American and NATO forces prepared to leave the nation after 20 years of conflict. They first pledged a more liberal administration to protect the rights of women and minorities, but instead, they have curtailed liberties and applied their stringent interpretation of Islamic law. Girls have been barred from attending middle and high school and they are required to dress from head to toe in public. Women are also excluded from most types of employment. Additionally, parks, gyms, and amusement parks do not allow women. During the previous Taliban rule, from 1996 to 2001, when they were ousted in a U.S.-led invasion after the September 11 terrorist attacks, public lashings, public executions, and stoning for alleged offenses were commonplace throughout Afghanistan. Although the examples of public beatings were not particularly mentioned in the experts’ statement, they did note that the Taliban had assaulted men who were with women who were...
No Society Can Grow Without Lubricants of Tolerance, Inclusion and Rule of Law: Huma Baqai
The kind of socio-political polarization, toxicity and utter lack of tolerance being witnessed in the society today - where we have stopped listening, rather listen to attack - is increasingly and alarmingly becoming a political and social culture. This deadly mix also takes a devastating toll on the social capital, and has repercussions for the economic output of the country. These remarks were made by Dr. Huma Baqai, Rector, Millennium Institute of Technology and Entrepreneurship (MITE), Karachi, during the Sindh Chapter of Paving Pathways to Social Cohesion - Faculty Members Workshop Series, organized by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) at and in collaboration with MITE. She further said that unfortunately, Pakistan today has become a country which is suffering from brain drain, much more than it has ever experienced in the past due to disillusionment among youth so much so that they don’t see a future for themselves in the country. In this entire scenario, there is a huge onus on faculty members - given their youth outreach potential - as nurturers and mentors to sow seeds of peace in the minds of the young people who will become the leaders of tomorrow. In a country like Pakistan where around 65 percent of the overall population is under the age of 30, such an intervention becomes ever more important. While we are teaching skills and technology - as market needs, let us not forget teaching the lubricants as dire needs of the society for cohesion, where the lubricants are tolerance, inclusion, rule of law, equality and equity, and no society can grow without these lubricants. Diversity is an asset the society needs the most. Only by equally accessible justice - to everyone regardless of individual identities/ backgrounds, can rule of law be upheld. In the endeavor to bolster women empowerment, it is extremely important to onboard and sensitize male members of the society. Paving Pathways to Social Cohesion is a great initiative, in fact,...
TOP STORIES
TESTIMONIALS
“
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.