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...

By Engineer Arshad H Abbasi In 2006, Pakistan quietly entered one of the most serious crises in its economic history. It wasn't caused by war, invasion, or natural disaster. No tanks were rolling across borders or cities brought to ruin by bombs. Instead, it was an invisible storm—unfolding across spreadsheets, utility bills, and financial ledgers. They called it Circular Debt. This debt, a growing web of unpaid energy bills, mounting subsidies, and inefficiencies across the power and gas sectors, began draining the lifeblood from the country’s energy system. It moved silently through the institutions—NEPRA, CPPA, NTDC, WAPDA—crippling operations, stalling investments, and ultimately threatening national sovereignty. By 2021, it had surged past Rs 2.28 trillion. This was the battle I—Engineer Arshad H. Abbasi—was reluctantly pulled into once again. Despite my worsening financial condition and limited resources, my old friends, Imtiaz Gul (CEO of CRSS) and Engineer Jabbar, kept urging me to step forward. They knew my history in public service and my lifelong commitment to Pakistan’s energy sector. They also knew that I believed in solving problems through evidence, logic, and hard work—not slogans or politics. At their insistence, I wrote a letter to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) on October 3, 2021, urging direct intervention. We believed that no civil institution had the authority or will to fix the circular debt crisis. And to our surprise, the letter didn’t vanish into a void. A few days later, I was invited to present my solutions to a technical team working under the guidance of GHQ. Engineer Jabbar later joined me, bearing the cost of his own travel, not once but several times. We held numerous sessions in Rawalpindi—usually near the Pearl Continental Hotel—and we presented a comprehensive, data-driven plan to address the circular debt problem. The seriousness of the military team gave us some hope, and for a while, the financial burden we were shouldering...

President Donald Trump’s announcement on investment in Pakistan’s shale gas reserves has revived a subject that the Center for Resarch and Security Studies- a private think tank – had addressed several years ago through a HELP report, authored by Engineer Arshad H. Abbasi. This report was the first premier national inventory on Oil & Gas. Alongside his groundbreaking Shale Gas Report, it became one of the most sought-after documents globally CRSS takes pride in having touched on an issue that has now finally caught the attention of the US President and the American oil/gas industry. Matrix is reproducing this report HELP for the benefit of those interested in the subject. https://crss.pk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Hydrocarbon-Exploration-and-Licensing-Policy-.pdf

Tashkent/Islamabad: Afghanistan’s stability is a regional imperative that demands a coordinated, principled, and inclusive response. At a multistakeholder dialogue hosted by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), Islamabad in collaboration with the Institute for Advanced International Studies (IAIS), Tashkent, on July 23–24, 2025, participants emphasized that peace and economic recovery in Afghanistan must not be treated as charity or a political burden, but as a shared moral and strategic responsibility. They underscored that regional stability hinges on inclusive education, collective security, and cross-border cooperation rooted in mutual interest, not exceptionalism. The two-day dialogue held in Tashkent, “Building Bridges: Regional Dialogue for Peace and Development”, brought together scholars and policy experts from Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Egypt. Discussions focused on inclusive education, addressing the misinterpretation of religion, and developing practical frameworks for sustained regional cooperation rooted in mutual benefit and long-term peacebuilding. Participants emphasized the need for greater regional synergy to promote trade, inclusive economic development, and coordinated responses to shared challenges such as refugee displacement, drug trafficking, and terrorism. They unanimously reaffirmed that education is both a sacred Islamic right and a regional necessity, especially in the light of the ban on girls’ education in Afghanistan. “Women’s education is an absolutely essential element for socio-economic development. Universities must serve not just as centres of knowledge, but as bridges between communities and countries, and scholars hold the sacred responsibility of opening minds and gatekeeping societies against negative influence”, said Dr. Qibla Ayaz, former Chairperson of Pakistan’s Council of Islamic Ideology. Speakers also warned that the instrumentalization of religion by non-state actors continues to erode...

By Imtiaz Gul Iran’s response to Israeli aggression has redrawn the contours of modern conflict in the region, where missiles are only part of the story. For Pakistan, the real threat may lie in the invisible war already underway. The recent ceasefire between Iran and Israel marked the end of a brief but consequential confrontation, one that unfolded not just on the battlefield but across cyber domains, diplomatic arenas, and intelligence networks. While the immediate hostilities may have ceased, the shockwaves they triggered are only beginning to reach countries like Pakistan, which must now confront a rapidly evolving security landscape. This was not merely another Middle Eastern skirmish. It was a direct challenge to the established regional order, exposing not only the vulnerabilities of traditional military alliances but also the silent war unfolding beneath the surface, involving drones, data, and deeply embedded espionage networks. A Heavy Toll and Unshaken Resolve Iran is currently engaged in a comprehensive post-conflict assessment. The country suffered grave losses, both in human terms and in critical infrastructure, particularly its drone and defense production capabilities. Over 600 people were killed, including senior military commanders, nuclear scientists, intelligence operatives, and civilians. Despite these staggering losses and the overwhelming pressure from the United States and Israel, Iran did not buckle. Instead, it responded forcefully. The Israeli perception of security was punctured by a massive Iranian missile barrage, which reportedly bypassed Israel’s defense systems and led to an American-mediated ceasefire after 12 days of intense confrontation. The Illusion of Invincibility Shattered Though figures like Donald Trump have claimed that Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility was decimated, credible observers argue there is no concrete evidence of such irreversible damage. More importantly, the myth of Israeli military invincibility, carefully...

Israeli military targeted Iran’s nuclear scientist and military sites and Iran vows painful and bitter revenge. As expected, Israel launched widespread strikes across Iran Friday morning, reportedly targeting nuclear facilities and military sites, including in Tehran, Natanz, Tabriz, and Isfahan. Israel stated the operation aimed to "roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival." This attack reportedly involved over 200 fighter jets. Iranian state media confirmed the deaths of several senior Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists. This includes: Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri: Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces. Gen. Hossein Salami: Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Gen. Gholam Ali Rashid: Senior IRGC commander and head of the central headquarters of the Iranian military. Fereydoon Abbasi: Nuclear scientist and former head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization. Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi: Nuclear scientist. Abdolhamid Minoucher: Nuclear scientist. Other unnamed senior figures of the Iranian General Staff and leaders of the nuclear program were also reportedly eliminated. Prior to these recent strikes, there have been other assassinations attributed to Israel: Mohsen Fakhrizadeh (November 2020): Iran's top nuclear scientist. Col. Sayad Khodayee (May 2022): An officer in Iran's Revolutionary Guard. Ayoub Entezari (May 2022): Aeronautical engineer. Kamran Aghamolaei (May 2022): Geologist. Razi Mousavi (December 2023): Senior Iranian general in Syria. Brigadier General Sadegh Omidzadeh (January 2024): Intelligence officer with the IRGC Quds Force. Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi (April 2024): Killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian Embassy complex in Damascus, along with other IRGC officers. Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, and Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, were also killed in Israeli attacks. Ismail Haniyeh: Was assassinated on July 31, 2024, in Tehran, Iran, by what was described as...