Current Projects
CRSS hosts the Second Annual Declamation Challenge with University Students from Across Pakistan
University students representing every corner of Pakistan displayed incredible courage in taking the stage, some for the first time, in the second Annual Declamation Challenge, organized by The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) in Islamabad. The students hailed from public sector universities in erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and the rest of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and the Islamabad Capital Territory. The three day event was organized and hosted by CRSS to foster the spirit of competition in Pakistan’s youth. The event is the culmination of a six year effort by the Center to promote critical thinking and challenge preconceived notions and narratives. For this purpose, CRSS partnered with nearly 100 public sector universities across Pakistan, offering free training programs to thousands of teachers, students, and university administration. The declamation competition was held between 48 participants from every corner of Pakistan. After one round of speeches on carefully curated topics that would spark healthy debate and discourse, 12 of the initial 48 were selected for a final round. On the last day of the competition, these 12 gave new speeches, and a new batch of judges gauged their performance. In the end, the third place was jointly secured by Tayeba Nawaz, University of Hazara, Mansehra and Nayab Batool, Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University, Quetta. The second place was achieved by Adila Batool, Balochistan University of IT, Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta. Finally, the winner of the final round was Taimoor Riaz, hailing from the University of Haripur. The finalists were awarded prizes and trophies, and all participants were given certificates for being a part of the competition. Mr. Imtiaz Gul, Executive Director CRSS said 5that he hoped the activity helped catalyze curiosity and critical thinking in the youth, and that they apply the lessons learned in their daily...
Ulasi Taroon Showcase: Promoting Dialogue for Social Cohesion
The 153rd radio program as part of the Center for Research and Security Studies’ (CRSS) counter-radicalization initiative Ulasi Taroon (Social Cohesion) aired on the subject theme. The program highlighted the need to resort to dialogue, discussion and developing mutual understanding on the conflicting issues as the most effective tool for peaceful coexistence and conflict resolution. The first guest on show, Mr. Shakeel Wahid Ullah, a columnist and writer by profession, noted that dialogue is one of the most effective tools to address conflict, misunderstandings and promote cohesion in the society, and is equally effective for the conflicts at both local and national levels. While the parties to a conflict should behave responsibly and be cognizant of the drivers that can escalate the event, there is a great onus the mediators as well, who must have the capacity to steer the situation to a solution in an unbiased manner. The mediators should also have good knowledge of the background of the conflict as exclusive understanding may lead to further escalation. The success witnessed in the dispute resolution model in KP clearly indicates how the alternative dispute resolution system can lower unnecessary burden on the criminal justice system. It is worth mentioning that dialogue and mediation have been at the core of this model, in fact, dialogue is always the backbone of successful peacebuilding processes. Dialogue can only be successful with effective communication skills and wisdom. Our local conflict resolution system can be improved manifold by the inclusion of relevant people; who have effective communication and critical thinking skills as an essential capacity for conflict resolution. Responsible citizenship demands that every citizen should understand their duties that they need to perform as part of their social contract, and these duties also include striving to resolve conflicts in the community, no matter how small the role. The second guest on show, Mr....
CRSS Field Report: On-ground Situation on Torkham Border Post Taliban Takeover
Just two days ago, the Afghan Taliban regained control of Afghanistan after 20 years. The Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has fled the country with some of his acquaintances. The Taliban took over the presidential palace without any bloodshed or unrest and have gained strong control of the whole country. Pakistan is Afghanistan’s closest neighbor and business partner, not only facilitating transit trade activities via Afghanistan, but also valuing bilateral trade with Afghanistan. Keeping in mind the significance of this border movement and trade, CRSS team visited the most famous, busy, and important border crossing area between Afghanistan and Pakistan i.e., Torkham, on August 18,2021 and engaged in a meaningful conversation with the representatives of the Khyber Chamber of Commerce, Transport Association, Customs Clearing Agents, association drivers, market union officials and senior journalists. Below is the summary of these conversations and questions and answers. Customs Clearing Agents and Transport Association officials agreed that although a formal Taliban government has not yet been established in Afghanistan, despite them having taken control of the border areas, including the presidential palace. But the Taliban's desire to keep the trade going and keeping the country afloat can be gauged from the fact that within few hours of the former Afghan government's border staff fleeing, and Taliban representatives taking over the border crossing points, the movement and transport of trade goods across the border was restored. Taliban’s efforts to boost the trade process and to remove the stringent bureaucratic border hindrances can be observed from the fact that, before Taliban’s control, the border staff allowed less than a hundred food and vegetable trucks towards Pakistan and less than two hundred in Afghanistan. However, as soon as the Taliban took control of the border security, they allowed 270 stranded Afghan trade vehicles into Pakistan. Moreover,...
Cooperative State-Society Relations Must for Rule of Law
Rule of law is strengthened only when the law of the land is applied across the board and everyone is indiscriminately held accountable. It is the responsibility of the citizens to cooperate with the state and its institutions to implement and uphold rule of law. These remarks were made by Mr. Ahmad Zunair, Superintendent of Police (SP), Peshawar Cantt., during the 34th round of Ulasi Taroon Youth Capacity Building Workshops, organized by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) at and in collaboration with the Abasyn University Peshawar. He added that the closer the citizens and the state, the stronger the rule of law. Equality, justice and respect for fundamental human rights are essentialities for rule of law and societies cannot progress without the provision of these ideals. Positive/ critical thinking, attitude and practices of youth can lead to a positive change in the country, given such a large percentage of young population. Youth as future leaders should not only respect and adhere to the principles of supremacy of the law, but also work in collaboration with and support the law enforcement institutions to uphold rule of law. Advocate Ali Gohar said that inclusive democracy, indiscriminate accountability and good governance promote social cohesion. The best we can do to enhance social cohesion is to educate the young in the educational institutions about the values key to cohesion, peace and harmony in the society. It’s the responsible, law-abiding citizenship that builds a bridge towards a prosperous future and there is a huge onus on the young people in the society to cultivate these ideals. Freedom of expression comes with responsibilities where it cannot be used to hurt others’ sentiments or interfere with rights. The post globalized era demands us to highlight and raise our voice against the human rights violations not only in our own country but anywhere around the world. The need to respect the law is not only just the constitutional...
Accessible Justice Must for Rule of Law: SDPO Peshawar
A friendly public-police relationship is a must for rule of law and to cultivate responsible citizenship, said the Sub Divisional Police Officer, Peshawar, Mr. Luqman Khan during the 33rd round of Ulasi Taroon Youth Capacity Building Workshops, organized by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) at and in collaboration with the Department of Political Science, University of Peshawar. He said that rule of law is upheld not just through indiscriminate application of law but also the justice timely and equally accessible. Cooperation between state institutions where they also observe their respective constitutional limits strengthens and results in high standards in rule of law. Social media has a tremendous potential to strengthen rule of law manifest in how it allows citizens to voice their concerns and highlight human rights violations in the society. However, only the news and information from credible sources should be shared on the medium. As the major group of social media users in Pakistan, there is a huge onus on youth to use the medium to reinforce the need for respecting core constitutional values, law of the land, upholding rule of law and promote social cohesion. Youth needs to understand the importance their role as harbingers of change. Constitutional education of citizens is extremely important for rule of law, responsible citizenship, to harness their power for just and cohesive society, and strengthen their relationship with the state. The lesser the exceptions in law, the stronger the rule of law, he concluded. The second guest speaker, Dr Jamil Chitrali, from Institute of Peace and conflict Studies, University of Peshawar noted that the need for peace and peaceful coexistence came up as one of the most significant realizations in the evolution of human society. He also referred to the concept of political economy as a phenomenon which sets the principles for equal distribution of resources in a state, inclusion of the citizens and...
Ulasi Taroon Showcase: Media, Freedoms and Social Cohesion
The 152nd radio program as part of the Center for Research and Security Studies’ (CRSS) counter-radicalization initiative Ulasi Taroon (Social Cohesion) aired on the subject theme. The program emphasized the need to responsibly exercise the constitutional rights and freedoms as it can impact the overall state of peace and harmony in the society. The first guest on show, Assistant Prof. Bakht Zaman Yousufzai from Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Peshawar, noted that the Article 19 of the Constitution of Pakistan empowers every citizen with the right to freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of the Press, albeit these rights are subject to reasonable restrictions and come with responsibilities; not to use them to violate others’ rights or to jeopardize the security or defense of the country. Unlike conventional media, the new media has widened the scope, role and responsibility of media more than ever particularly because of its massive outreach. The expansion in its followership and footprint across wider population makes sensible and conflict conscious media programming much more critical to achieve social cohesion. Especially during the last decade or so, the media has strongly emerged as the fourth pillar of the state, both in Pakistan and around the globe. This can be attributed to different factors but most importantly, due to its capability to inform and educate the society, highlighting the issues of social concern, and supporting the first three pillars of the state by providing them valuable information that they need to improve public service delivery. The social media has proved to be a game changer component of media and has heightened its scope to a whole new level. It has enabled even the individual members of the society to play the role of and act as media by posting publicly viewable content. While it empowers the citizens, it means a huge individual responsibility for sensible usage and adhering to...
Quarterly Security Report – Q2, 2021
April 1, 2021 to June 31, 2021 by Senior Research Fellow M. Nafees A total of 1,169 casualties resulted from various forms of violence during Q2, 2021 (April – June). Of these, 203 lost their lives and 966 were wounded. An unprecedented upsurge in the number of wounded persons was the result of the countrywide violent protest by the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) on a blasphemy-related issue that left 4 persons dead and 800 wounded. The highest number of fatalities from violence was in Balochistan (74), erstwhile FATA (39), Sindh (39), KP (35), Punjab (8), Islamabad (4), and 4 additional persons in locations unknown* (see table 1 below) as victims of violence carried out by TLP protestors in April. If we combine the KP and erstwhile FATA fatalities, the equal that of Balochistan at 74. While Punjab and former FATA experienced a significant drop in violence (down by 64% and 43% respectively), Balochistan and Sindh witnessed a 50%+ uptick in violence. KP (excluding FATA) had marginal surge of 9% this quarter (table 2). April was the only month when a drop in violence was witnessed (22%), while the next two months (May and June) showed a rise in the number of fatalities during Q2 when compared with Q1 (table 3). Data by Districts Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, suffered the most from violence during Q2, 2021 losing 26 lives while the North Waziristan district of former FATA witnessed a notable decline this quarter as it lost 25 lives compared to 46 in previous quarter. Karachi, Kohat, and Bolan were the three districts where fatalities from violence were in the double digits (19, 16, and 11 respectively). South Waziristan, Peshawar, and Machh regions had a sharp drop in violence this quarter (2, 1, 0 respectively). Data by Methods The use of guns for target killing remained the most common form of violence and all regions of the country were affected by it. In KP (including former FATA), the targets of this violence were a leader of the Awami...
Ulasi Taroon Showcase: Diversity and Social Cohesion
The 151st radio program as part of the Center for Research and Security Studies’ (CRSS) counter-radicalization initiative Ulasi Taroon (Social Cohesion) aired on the subject theme. The program underscored the need to nurture positive and empathetic attitudes in a multicultural, diverse society as an essentiality for peace and harmony. The first guest on show, Prof. Nasir Ali Syed, a columnist noted that diversity is the existence of people from a range of different backgrounds, and of different genders and sexual orientations where these differences demand respect as a matter of peaceful coexistence in the society and an investment in the future of any country’s social capital. Only by respecting each other's opinions, can we live in peace and harmony with each other. Both the concepts of diversity and inclusion are interlinked because when we respect diversity, we pave way for different segments of society to be treated equally and included in the democratic processes. Our constitution endorses diversity by providing equal constitutional rights to every citizen regardless of their faith, or socio-economic and political backgrounds. And why not, provision of equal citizenry rights, safety, and security irrespective of race, caste, creed, etc. is the responsibility of every state. Our behavior and interaction with other people should be informed by the ideals of empathy and humanitarianism in case of the state dealing with its citizens. Youth and media, both should promote positive cultural values and make cultural interventions; promote best cultural practices and add to the collective conscience of the society. Only by compassion and care for others, can we mitigate differences and pave way for social cohesion. The second guest in the show Mr. Hanif Wazir, CRSS’s Ulasi Taroon Alumnus and a student of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Univeristy of Peshawar, said that both formal and informal educational setups need to promote these concepts key...
Ulasi Taroon Showcase: Socio-Political Inclusion of Women in the Newly Merged Districts
The 150th radio program as part of the Center for Research and Security Studies’ (CRSS) counter-radicalization initiative Ulasi Taroon (Social Cohesion) aired on the subject theme. The first guest on show, Ms. Baseerat Bibi, Member, Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, noted that socio-political inclusion of women doesn’t merely imply provision of opportunities for their participation in the socio-political affairs, most importantly, it is also about empowerment through raising awareness among them regarding their rights and responsibilities. While women in tribal areas need special attention in this regard, tribal men also lack this fundamental awareness. The real mean for mindset change in the society is education for all genders on their social roles for development and constitutional entitlements as equal citizens. No nation can progress without the socio-economic and political participation of over half of the country’s population i.e. women. We cannot afford to let the gender gap jeopardize our national development objectives, thus there is a dire need to ensure/ provide equal opportunities to female members of the society for social inclusion, mobility and development. Collaboration between the state and civil society organizations is extremely important for women empowerment and all other shared goals. Merger of tribal areas in the KP province serves as a great human capital development opportunity to bring this region at par with other parts of the country by investing in the people, fulfilling their democratic needs as a precondition to enhance their participation in the political processes. Tribal women have a great socio-political participation potential, they only need opportunities for education and development. The second guest on show, Mr. Danish, CRSS’s Ulasi Taroon Alumnus and a student of City University of Science and Information Technology, Peshawar, shared that the tribal youth, especially females are entitled to the constitutional...
Collaborative Workshops and Debates-on February July 8-9, 2021, Pishin ,District Balochistan
The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) conducted the twenty first two-day PACE Collaborative workshops and debates for university students, on July 8-9, 2021, in Pishin District of Balochistan. The workshop was held at University of Balochistan (Pishin Campus). The event was organized under the umbrella of the Pakistan Center of Excellence (PACE), a counter-radicalization and pluralistic values’ focused project, in collaboration with the Dutch Government. The participants included the students of the University of Balochistan (Pishin) with a total participation of 60 student; 10 female and 50 male students. The Head of the Institution, Dr. Shoaib Kakar opened the session with a thank you note to PACE team and the organizers of the event. Dr. Kakar said that it is indeed a great opportunity for our students to get together on a platform like this workshop and be a part of learning new things. He added that this is the first ever workshop being conducted at their university in Pishin, and hopes that the collaboration will continue to build up the capacity of their students. A total of four sessions were conducted on different thematic areas. On day 1, Dr. Aamer Raza spoke on ‘Fundamental of Democracy, Good Governance and Accountability’. He said a state has to go through a number of stages to reach good governance. No institution is stable at its initial stage, and same is the case with democracy. Democracy only delivers when it is mature and stable. He said that egalitarian societies are the ones where people have equal access to education, capital, opportunities and freedom. In such societies, strong institutions, able leadership and good governance emerge and development takes place. He concluded the session by saying that poor democracy is always better than the best dictatorship/authoritarianism. Mr. Kanan Asif conducted his session on ‘Leadership and Motivation’. He said that there are different styles of leadership including autocratic,...
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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.