By Engineer Arshad H Abbasi, International Water & Energy Expert As an independent expert in water and energy issues, with long-standing professional experience on transboundary rivers, I have followed with close attention the recent inauguration of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile. At a cost of $5 billion, the GERD is Africa’s largest hydroelectric project and a symbol of Ethiopia’s ambition to electrify its economy and reduce energy poverty. For Ethiopia, it represents not only energy security but also national pride, as the project was built without foreign aid and funded largely by the sacrifices of its own citizens. But for its downstream neighbors, Sudan and especially Egypt, the dam raises profound anxieties about water security and survival. The concerns of Egypt are not difficult to understand. More than 95 percent of Egypt’s water supply comes from the Nile. Few nations in the world are as dependent on a single river as Egypt, which obtains 93 to 97 percent of its freshwater from the Nile. This level of reliance transforms the river from a resource into an existential necessity. Historical use of the Nile has sustained Egypt’s civilization for millennia, providing fertile soil, drinking water, and the irrigation on which agriculture has depended since the age of the pharaohs. Today, the Nile continues to be the backbone of Egypt’s food, water, and energy systems. In international water governance, historical use and dependence are not abstract arguments. They constitute real, legally relevant grounds for priority of use, especially when more than 100 million people live in a nation where the river is virtually the sole water source. The construction and operation of the GERD must also be viewed through the framework of international transboundary water law. The 1997 UN Convention on the Law of Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses enshrines two guiding principles: the principle of equitable and reasonable...

by Islomkhon Gafarov Afghanistan’s education system faces a critical crossroads under Taliban rule. With religious studies prioritized over secular and scientific learning, limited opportunities for girls, and chronic underfunding, the country risks long-term setbacks in innovation and development. Yet, regional partnerships, progressive Afghan institutions, and emerging online education initiatives offer avenues to preserve learning, empower communities, and bridge the gap between tradition and modernity. The Taliban’s assumption of power in August 2021 exerted a profound impact on the socio-cultural and political fabric of Afghanistan. The ensuing politico-spiritual transformations reverberated across the country’s economic sphere and the of its social life. The system of primary, higher, and postgraduate education found itself in a precarious position, shaped by the abrupt shift in political and ideological orientation following two decades of American presence. In effect, instability in the educational sector emerged as a direct consequence of the transition from a Western-oriented model to an Islamic conception of education. This transformation is poised, in the long term, to generate a complex set of socio-political and economic challenges for Afghan society. Current Situation and Challenges The contemporary education system in Afghanistan faces a range of profound structural and institutional deficiencies. The Taliban administration in Afghanistan has placed a clear priority on the religious dimensions of education over secular and scientific disciplines. Consequently, theological subjects occupy a central position in curricula – often as compulsory components – while the development of natural sciences and technical fields remains severely constrained. This imbalance impedes the formation of an innovative environment and hampers progress in strategically significant domains such as information technology. Over the long term, in an era defined by global...

By Engineer Arshad H Abbasi Uzbekistan’s transformation shows that disciplined leadership and vision can overcome even the harshest geographical limits. Its rise offers a striking lesson for nations blessed with resources but lacking direction. Uzbekistan is one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world, cut off not just from the oceans but also from the seas of its neighbors. Geography, at least in my early assumptions, condemned it to stagnation. I remember my first visit to this proud Central Asian land nearly two decades ago. As I looked out over its vast steppes, a persistent thought weighed on me: how could this country ever achieve meaningful development without a seaport? To my mind, ports were the gateways to prosperity, the arteries of trade. Without them, Uzbekistan seemed fated to struggle. But how magnificently Uzbekistan has proved me wrong. This nation has demonstrated a resilience and discipline that has stunned even seasoned observers. It has charted a path of reform and modernisation that many coastal states, blessed with access to the seas, have failed to match. In doing so, Uzbekistan has shown that geography does not dictate destiny—leadership does. This realisation carries a painful irony for me as a Pakistani. My country has every advantage Uzbekistan lacks. We have a 1,046-kilometer coastline, three major seaports—Karachi, Port Qasim, and Gwadar—and nine coastal cities. Pakistan should be a hub of prosperity, commanding global trade routes and ensuring growth for its people. Yet we are slipping deeper into poverty and economic fragility. According to the World Bank, more than 45 percent of Pakistan’s population now lives below the poverty line. Our foreign reserves stand at only 19 billion dollars in mid-2025. By contrast, Uzbekistan, with no seaports at all, has surged ahead. In 2006, its reserves stood at just 4 to 6 billion dollars. Today, they exceed 49 billion. Poverty has fallen sharply, with just 8.9 percent of the...

The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) convened a virtual dialogue to examine the challenges and opportunities for women’s participation in public life across Muslim societies, with a particular focus on Afghanistan, with regional scholars and practitioners. The discussion highlighted cultural, political, and structural barriers to women’s empowerment, as well as potential avenues for cooperation among regional states to advance women’s rights within an Islamic framework. Afghan participants shared that since 2021, Afghan women have been facing severe restrictions, including bans on secondary and higher education, exclusion from most government jobs, and constraints on mobility. An Afghan scholar noted that “restricting women is not fair in Islam, which grants us full rights to education, property, and work.” While the other added that opportunities for women activists and scholars have nearly disappeared, with many forced to leave the country. Both participants emphasized that regional support in the form of scholarships, online learning, and remote job opportunities could provide immediate relief. Dr. Asmaa El Zeiny, Researcher and Academician from Al-Azhar University, highlighted Egypt’s progress in implementing the Women, Peace, and Security agenda. She explained that Egypt has developed a national action plan, hosted regional forums such as the Aswan Forum for Peace and Security, and invested in training women peace practitioners. According to her, “we need more sharing of experiences and a stable curriculum to prepare new generations of women leaders.” She further emphasized the importance of engaging men alongside women to shift mindsets in male-dominated societies.   Ms. Aziza Mukhammedova, Research Fellow at IAIS from Uzbekistan, highlighted that women now hold 52% of seats in the legislative chamber and 25% in the senate. She added that “women are increasingly visible in high-level positions, from ministers to deputy prime ministers,”...

Climate Change Isn’t the Only Culprit — Pakistan’s Floods Expose Planning & Institutional Failures In his letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Engineer Arshad H Abbasi argues that Pakistan’s devastating floods are not only the result of climate change but also of long-standing governance and planning failures. He recalls how past catastrophes, including the 2010 and 2022 floods, exposed vulnerabilities that remain unaddressed. Abbasi highlights unchecked deforestation, unsafe construction on unstable slopes, and the lack of preventive measures such as river zoning and long-term planning as factors that continue to magnify destruction. He calls for urgent reforms to introduce effective zoning, protect forests with technological monitoring, enforce building safety standards, and strengthen flood management, warning that without these steps Pakistan will remain trapped in a cycle of predictable catastrophe. Letter to the UN Secretary-General His Excellency António Guterres Secretary-General, United Nations Your Excellency, I recall with deep gratitude your powerful remarks at the Informal Briefing to the General Assembly on 27 September 2023, one year after the devastating 2022 floods in Pakistan. You reminded the world that the floods submerged one-third of the country, displaced 33 million people, and caused damages exceeding $30 billion. You said that “Pakistan is a double victim — of climate chaos and of a morally bankrupt global financial system.” Your words carried truth, compassion, and urgency. But today, I must ask: what has the government of Pakistan done since 2022 to reduce these risks? It is worth mentioning that CRSS released a comprehensive report on the catastrophic floods of 2010 and 2022 to both the public and the Government of Pakistan nearly 18 months ago, urgently calling for immediate and decisive measures. https://crss.pk/the-myth-of-climate-change-in-pakistan-sorrow-tale-of-systemic-failures/ This year, floods again devastated...

Open Letter to UN Secretary-General Pakistan’s Air Pollution Is a Climate Time Bomb In his letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Engineer Arshad H Abbasi warns that Pakistan’s toxic air pollution—driven by outdated Euro-2 fuels, stalled refinery upgrades, rampant fuel smuggling, and the adulteration of LPG—has become a public health emergency and a hidden driver of climate disasters He also highlights regulatory failures, corruption and inaction, that allow dangerous practices to persist. Abbasi urges urgent international engagement to help Pakistan end fuel adulteration, upgrade to Euro-6 standards, halt smuggling, ban CO₂ mixing in LPG, and establish independent monitoring, warning that continued neglect will further intensify floods, heatwaves, and climate instability. Letter to the UN Secretary-General His Excellency António Guterres Secretary-General, United Nations Your Excellency, I write to you with a heavy heart and the urgency of a citizen whose homeland is being suffocated by a crisis both silent and devastating: toxic air pollution and its deadly link to climate change. For Pakistan, climate change is no longer a distant threat—it is a lived nightmare. Each year, our skies darken, our summers grow hotter, and our floods become more catastrophic. Cloudbursts strike with unprecedented ferocity, unleashing floods and landslides across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Karachi, and Azad Jammu & Kashmir. These are not natural accidents but man-made disasters, fueled by pollution, smuggling, and corruption. The science is undeniable. Pakistan’s air is among the dirtiest in the world. IQAir data (2013–2024) shows Lahore—once celebrated as the “city of gardens”—reduced to the “city of smog,” with winter PM2.5 levels 25 times above WHO safety limits. Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Faisalabad suffer similarly. This is not only destroying the health of our children but also destabilizing our climate. Polluted air, laden with aerosols, alters...

By Engineer Arshad H Abbasi It is a bitter tragedy that last week, the Prime Minister of Pakistan was finally compelled to take serious notice of Gwadar — a port once promised to be the crown jewel of global maritime trade — still crippled by the absence of the most necessary necessities: water and electricity. Without these, even the humblest check post cannot endure. It is now carved into the sorrowful record of our nation’s history — the Planning Commission (PC) and the Ministry of Power have, after twelve long years, utterly failed to breathe life into the dream of Gwadar Port. Not only have they abandoned the promise of its development, but they have also failed in the most basic duty — to give its people electricity and water. On July 5th, 2013, under the blazing lights of Beijing, the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was signed with great ceremony. It was hailed as the dawn of a new age for Pakistan. Our planners stood tall, declaring themselves among the finest minds in the world, assuring the nation that they would design and execute every project with unmatched skill. So from the outset, China has vested Pakistan with full authority over planning all CPEC projects. But those bold words have rotted in the air. Twelve years have passed since that day. Twelve years of grand, colourful presentations, of fine speeches in plush conference rooms and glittering five-star hotels, mostly in Islamabad. Year after year, the same phrases have been repeated — that Gwadar’s development is a “strategic priority,” that its commercial, political, socio-economic, defence, and regional connectivity benefits are beyond measure, that it must be developed “without further delay.” The Planning Commission’s master plan, launched with pomp in Islamabad, promised motorways, expressways, national and urban railways, high-speed fibre-optic networks, and complete urban and social infrastructure linking Gwadar to Central Asia. In their dazzling visions, Gwadar would be...