Current Projects
On-Ground Situation of Pak-Afghan Bilateral Trade
Pakistan is the biggest trade partner of Afghanistan and thus has provided significant indirect support to the struggling Afghan economy after the regime change. Though the actual trade potential between the two countries is much higher than its current value, it cannot be manifested fully due to infrastructural and bureaucratic hindrances on both sides. What is the on-ground situation of Pak-Afghan bilateral trade? https://youtu.be/szYofn8wcXU
Pakistan Government’s narrative on Afghan Refugee Influx
With the change of regime in Afghanistan, thousands of people have been internally displaced in Afghanistan and are expected to leave the country fearing more violence, which means Pakistan can expect a refugee influx in the near future. Is Pakistan ready to accept more refugees? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRdiacgZNQU
Participants’ Feedback – Seminar on ‘Fake News and Critical Thinking’ at University of Gwadar/Turbat Campus
On 12th October, 2021 CRSS held a session at University of Gwadar on critical thinking and fake news where the students, along with faculty members, were apprised about media ethics and its applications in this digital and technical world. Critical thinking is a pivotal aspect in problem solving and acts as a universal remedy for any unfathomable obstacle. Critical thinking helps us in making better decisions. There’s no doubt about the fact that critical thinkers make the best choices. Critical thinking helps us deal with everyday problems as they come our way, and very often this thought process is even done subconsciously. It helps us think independently and trust our gut feeling. Critical thinking is one of the most desirable skills, as it helps us analyze information and think out of the box. It can solve any clustered problem with innovative solutions and a systematic plan. The second session was about fake news, it had a great impact on our thinking about fake news. False information means creation of news, stories, or hoaxes to deliberately misinform or deceive readers. Usually, these stories are created to either influence people’s views, push a political agenda or cause confusion. The seminar educated us on the use critical thinking in identifying fake news. CRSS’ sessions on cognitive development, conceptual learning, and community development have great implications on teaching and learning of the students and faculty members of the Gwadar Campus. The session discerned that curriculum and textbooks do not properly distinguish Islamic education, citizenship and civic education. Similarly, the teaching and learning practices do not produce critical thinkers, who develop their social consciousness to the extent that they become the agents of social change. Where there is a lack of shared understanding about the citizenship education and being critical. The session encouraged students to have a clear background about these matter of concerns in...
CRSS held webinar on ‘Content Writing Made Easy: Skills and Tools Essential to Earn from Home
CRSS, under its program women arranged a webinar themed ‘Content Writing Made Easy: Skills and Tools Essential to Earn from Home’ on November 18, 2021 on Zoom. The event was attended by youth from all socio-economic groups from across the country. Ms. Sharoon Shahid, a content and copy writer, was invited as the keynote speaker to apprise the audience about the skills and tools required to ace the freelancing sector. In addition to the keynote address, the speaker answered numerous questions raised by the audience and explained the dos and don’ts of freelancing with them. While speaking at the webinar, Ms. Sharoon highlighted the significance and convenience of working from the comfort of one’s home and encouraged the participants to invest time, energy, and resources into developing the habit of writing, as it can help one in acing one of the most popular economic domain. The session proved to be a success, as CRSS received excellent feedback from the listeners. The series will be continued in the months to come.
Gwadar To Be Logistic Hub In The Region In 5 Yrs: Zhang Baozhong
November 18, 2021 GWADAR, Nov. 15 (China Economic Net) – “According to our plan, Gwadar would become the logistic hub in this region within 5 years!” noted Zhang Baozhong, Chairman of China Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC) while reviewing the 5-year-journey of Gwadar. China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) reached an important milestone on November 13, 2016 by the starting of the first shipment of trade cargo from Gwadar Port to international destinations. Five years on, the progress achieved in Gwadar is a prelude to a rosy future. And the story of Gwadar needs to be heard. Mission Impossible? Stepping on Gwadar for the first time, “I thought I was on the Mars,” Zhang told China Economic Net. It was 2016, not many activities, not many people, not much traffic could be seen in the dusty Gwadar. “The whole city was like a dying town without any environment for doing business.” “I was under such pressure that I thought it’s mission impossible [to develop Gwadar],” Zhang said. By that time there were no signals or internet. For 2 weeks he completely lost connection with his family and head office. “From the very top level to the ground level, all the people from Pakistan are very helpful and kind to us,” said Zhang Baozhong. [Photo/China Economic Net] Life was tough, so was the task. How was it possible to realize the target of the government? “I wrote a lot of reports to Chinese government, to my head office and I discussed with my local Pakistani brothers. And we were very lucky that both governments helped a lot.” “From the very top level to the ground level, all the people from Pakistan are very helpful and kind to us. And they are ready to assist us to overcome all the difficulties we are faced. We are really grateful to the Pakistani government for giving us 923 hectares of land (10 square kilometers) dedicated to the development of Free Zone as well as the incentives to investors,” he said. And with a view to attracting investors, Pakistani government...
CRSS organized a seminar on ‘Role of Journalists in Socio-Political Development’ at Turbat Press Club
CRSS in collaboration with Turbat Press Club arranged a seminar themed 'Role of Journalists in Socio-Political Development' on November 16, 2021 at Turbat Press Club. The event was attended by the representatives from different socio-political organizations and the traders' union of Kech. The president of Turbat Press club apprised the audience about the significance of journalists as agents of social development. The journalists in Balochistan face huge challenges but continue to serve even in the toughest of socio-political situations. The local political parties and leadership should collaborate with Turbat Press Club to facilitate the journalists. The seminar proved to be a stepping stone for the empowerment and uplift of the journalist community in Turbat, Balochistan. https://youtu.be/EuElqb76fn4
CRSS’ Executive Director Launches Book on Pak-China Relations
Mr. Imtiaz Gul, Executive Director CRSS, launched his book titled “What Lies Behind the Iron Brotherhood?” on September 29, 2021. The book explores the 70+ years of friendship between China and Pakistan, and illustrates his hands-on insight on the relationship between the two countries, eliminating the rampant misconceptions about the nature of Pak-China relationship. Notable dignitaries including the current Chinese Ambassador, His Excellency Mr. Nong Rong, Senator Mushahid Hussain, and the former Ambassador of Pakistan to China Ms. Naghmana Hashmi graced the event with their presence. China is fortunate to have Pakistan as a strategic partner and puts Pakistan on priority for cooperation in all sectors. The Chinese government is overjoyed to see Pakistan’s accomplishments in nation-building and looks forward to work hand in hand with Pakistan, remarked His Excellency Nong Rong while addressing the event virtually. While commending the author, he stated that the book comprehensively views the age long Pakistan-China relationship from a broader perspective and serves as a guide to understand the nature of this bilateral relationship. Senator Mushahid Hussain, in his keynote address during the event lauded China’s overall progress as a nation. Highlighting the core ingredients of Chinese success; excellent leadership, the ability to do course correction, learn from other’s mistakes, and a peaceful foreign policy, he suggested Pakistan to learn from the iron brother and adopt a similar development model. While congratulating Mr. Gul on writing a book which serves as a milestone in strengthening the bilateral ties between the two countries, he said that Pakistan and China share an important strategic and substantive relationship which is not interest driven, it is an all-weather friendship. Ambassador Naghmana Hashmi, former Ambassador of Pakistan to China, admired Mr. Gul’s effort in penning down this bond to which words cannot fully do justice. She stated that it...
Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) conducted a two-day workshop on media ethics, critical thinking, and fake news in University of Turbat and Gwadar Campus.
The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) organized a two-day workshop in the University of Turbat and Gwadar campus on October 11 and 12, 2021 respectively. Thirty students, senior faculty members of the university, and representatives from local media were among the participants. The main purpose of this workshop was to enhance the ability of the students to understand the importance of media ethics, critical thinking, and fake news. Gohram Baloch, a freelance journalist from Balochistan, representing CRSS started the proceedings by presenting a welcome note and introduced the guests to the participants. Senior journalists and media experts; Tahir Javed Rathore, Shehzada Zulfiqar, and Mansoor Ahmed were amongst the trainers for this workshop. The inaugural address of the workshop was delivered by Dr. Abdul Saboor Baloch, Dean of Faculty of Languages and Humanities, and Jamil Baloch, Chairman, Departbment of Politics. The workshop comprised of two sessions, Critical Thinking and Fake News. Addressing the workshop in University of Turbat, both Tahir Javed and Shehzada Zulfiqar shared their experiences and stressed on examining things critically and emphasized on knowing the significance of understanding their responsibilities as a responsible citizen. The current cycle of breaking news and ratings along with negative news is spreading rapidly and attempts are being made to mislead the public, Rathore stated while talking about fake news. He further added that being responsible journalists, it is our duty to highlight misleading content and discourage the idea of spreading irrelevant information. Tahir, further added that the vision of CRSS is to promote the youth by providing them with a platform where they can analyze things from their own perspective, and on the basis of their analysis their work can get recognition from the top-level. All the stakeholders should be taken into consideration before enacting legislation to curb fake news legally. In the...
Quarterly Security Report – 2021
July 1, 2021 to September 30, 2021 by Senior Research Fellow M. Nafees Casualties from violence in Pakistan During the third quarter (Q3) in 2021, an uptick was observed in fatalities from violence with the loss of 237 persons as opposed to 203 for the last quarter. KP province, once again, recorded the highest number of fatalities from violence in the country and the majority of the victims hailed from the erstwhile FATA region – an apparent fallout of the Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan. Balochistan, another province bordering Afghanistan, remained the second most affected by violence with loss of 66 persons during Q3. These were followed by fatalities in Punjab, Sindh, and Islamabad (table 1). Despite a near constant decline since 2016, 2021 has witnessed a slight rise in violence-related fatalities, which continued into this quarter. There was 4% rise in Q1, followed by a 3% rise in Q2, and there is a 17% rise now. KP (including ex. FATA) witnessed a sharp rise in violence during Q3 compared to Q2 figures. More than 50% of all fatalities from violence in the country were reported from this region alone. Balochistan remained the second most highly affected in the country, though the number of fatalities took a small dip in Q3 (66) compared to Q2 (74). More than 80% of the total fatalities in Q3 took place in these two regions, bordering Afghanistan. Sindh recorded a marginal surge in fatalities while Punjab and Islamabad witnessed a little drop in fatalities this quarter (table 2). The violence took a sharp rise in August and declined by roughly the same amount in the following month of September (table 03). Coincidentally, August 15 was also when the Taliban declared victory in Afghanistan, and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) stepped up its attacks in Pakistan. District level violence North and South Waziristan ranked the highest in violence-related-fatalities among all districts having recorded greater number of fatalities from violence. Both of these...
First Ever Afghan Trade Delegation after Taliban takeover flags issues with govt. stakeholders in Islamabad
Trade and economic connectivity is of prime significance for Pakistan and Afghanistan, both countries should work together to eliminate the key challenges faced by traders at the border crossing points. These remarks were made by the delegation of Afghan traders invited by Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) while discussing the situation in Afghanistan, significance of economic connectivity for Afghanistan and Pakistan, the hindrances in trade, and the solutions to the problems faced by traders on both sides. This was the first trade delegation from Afghanistan which arrived through the Torkham border point, to try and address the many economic connectivity challenges faced by said traders. These experts included Members of the National Assembly Yaqoob Shaikh, Shandana Gulzar, Gul Dad Khan, and Sajid Khan, Deputy Director National Assembly Raheem Khan, and a ten-member delegation of Afghan traders including key stakeholders like Co-president Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI) Khan Jan Alokozai, Executive Director PAJCCI Naqeebullah Safi, an eminent businesspersons Ajmal Safi, Ahmad Yarzada, Sultan Safi, Babrak Akbare, Baz Muhammad Afsarzai, and Mukhlis Ahmad Yunas. The conversation revolved around the core problems hindering bilateral and transit trade between the two countries, and the potential solutions to those problems. Highlighting the issues hindering bilateral trade between the two countries, Mr. Khan Jan Alokozai, co-president PAJCCI, stated that currently, when all the international funds allocated to Afghanistan are frozen, Pakistan should help the neighbor by continuing to engage in trade with Afghanistan and especially by continuing to import goods from Afghanistan. He also briefed the Pakistani stakeholders about the infrastructural weaknesses which lead not only to congestion at the Torkham border crossing point, but also hinder the bilateral and transit trade. He also requested Pakistan for relaxations in the...
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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.