Current Projects
Women Empowerment and Economic Growth
Women make up almost half of the world’s population, but their contribution to the measured economic activity, growth, and well-being is far below its actual potential, with grave macroeconomic repercussions. Despite the substantial progression in recent decades, labor markets throughout the world remain divided along gender lines, and progress toward gender equality appears to be very slow, if not hindered. Evidence shows that female labor force participation has remained lower than male participation. Women account for most unpaid work; when women are employed in paid work, they are over-represented in the informal sector. They also face noteworthy wage differentials in comparison to their male counterparts. In many countries, distortions and discrimination in the labor market limit women’s options for paid work, and female representation in senior positions and entrepreneurship consequently remains low. It is now a known fact that the challenges of growth, creating employment opportunities, and inclusiveness are closely intertwined. Nonetheless, growth and stability are essential to give women the opportunities they need; in contrast, women’s participation in the labor market is also a part of the growth and stability equation. To be specific, in rapidly aging economies, higher female labor force participation can enhance growth by addressing the impact of a shrinking workforce. Better opportunities for women can also contribute to broader economic development in developing economies, for instance through higher levels of school enrollment for girls. If we investigate the social fabric of developing and least developed countries, we will find women among the vulnerable segments of society, calling for their political and economic empowerment. However, women’s political empowerment is not a goal, but it is an instrument in stimulating the society for political and social empowerment on the aggregate level, which would further stimulate the overall development of...
CRSS Welcomes The Appointment Of Umer Daudzai As Afghanistan’s Special Representative To Pakistan
Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) is pleased to welcome the appointment of Mohammed Umer Daudzai as the Special Representative to Pakistan from Afghanistan. In February 2020, on the invitation of the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), senior Afghan politician and former Special Envoy for Regional Consensus Building on Peace for President Ghani, Daudzai, also came to Islamabad to attend CRSS’ Pakistan-Afghanistan-China trilateral on the future of the Afghan peace process. n an exclusive interview with CRSS on the occasion, Daudzai also shed light on the challenges Afghanistan could face after the signing of the peace deal between the US and Taliban which was due later that month. The video of the interview can be viewed below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoS17k9Zg3A&feature=emb_logo
Pakistan-India Border Conflict: Civilian Casualty Report (2016 – 2020)
Mohammad Nafees – Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS). The subject of the Muslim-majority Himalayan state of Kashmir – divided between India and Pakistan through a 720-km long Line of Control (LoC) – has remained part of regional and global headlines particularly since August 5 2019, when New Delhi revoked the state’s special states and annexed it as the union territory along with Ladakh. Even before that, both countries have been trading mutual allegations of cross-border shelling and firing resulting in harm to civilian populations in areas under their respective administration. [docxpresso file="https://crss.pk/wp-content/uploads/Pakistan-India-Border-14-2.odt" comments="true" SVG="true"]
Turning Crises into Opportunities | CRSS Ulasi Taroon Workshops
The latest rounds of Ulasi Taroon Online Workshops featured Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy, Nuclear Physicist and Renowned Academic, and Dr. Jamil Ahmad Chitrali, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Peshawar, for discussion with around 40 youth leaders from different public and private sector universities across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The events were held as part of the Center for Research and Security Studies’ (CRSS) efforts to continue to cultivate the young through online conduits for communication, in the absence of physical platforms of youth engagement and development. In the fifth round, Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy discussed the Innovation in Education and Social Cohesion and noted that the quality of education in the country must be of a most critical concern to those at helm of the educational policy and it should be measured up to the international standards. It doesn’t merely require increased financial allocation for the sector but careful consideration of the issues that concern the educational needs of the country. The teachers as gatekeepers of the society should be cognizant of their onus and be acquainted with the broader purpose of education as it means much more than the achieving quantitative milestones. However, such quantitative benchmarks of success in education are contrary to the global standards, where education means open-mindedness, and critical thinking and inquiry skills as prerequisites to create to new knowledge, and not just limited to securing good marks. Therefore, both quantitative and qualitative indicators better indicate as to how efficient and inclusive the system. The most crucial period is early years education as students are highly receptive to new ideas in their formative period. Gone are the days of one-to-many lectures as they are not conducive to active learning in the class. We must encourage asking questions in the class to develop future leaders. We have such an overwhelming focus on English that all other languages...
Virtual Pak-Afghan Women Leaders Conference
In continuation of its ongoing women-led exchanges as part of its Pakistan-Afghanistan Track 1.5/II diplomacy – Beyond Boundaries, the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), in collaboration with its Afghan counterpart, Organization for Economic Studies and Peace (OESP), organized a virtual Pak-Afghan Women Leaders Conference on June 15, 2020 on the theme, “Socio-Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Women in Pakistan and Afghanistan”. A nine-member Afghan women leaders’ delegation, led by Member of Parliament, Ms. Shinkai Karokhail, included Shukria Barakzai, Former Ambassador to Norway; Fawzia Ehsani, Former Deputy Minister for Transport and Civil Aviation; Momina Yari, Former Commissioner, Afghan Independent Election Commission; Parwarish Oriakhail, Vice President, Afghanistan Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AWCCI); Parasto Yari, Senior Advisor to Minister for Peace; Ghazalan Koofi, Director General, Statistics Affairs; Freshta Zuhal Rahman, Commercial Attorney and Zahra Formuly, Media Representative (RTA). Pakistan’s women-led delegation, headed by Member of National Assembly, Ms. Mehnaz Akber Aziz, included Ambassador Tasnim Aslam, Former Special Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Samina Fazil, Founder and President of Islamabad Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IWCCI); Dr. Shabana Fayyaz, Head, Department of Defense and Strategic Studies (DSS), Quaid-i-Azam University; Sameena Durrani, Senior Development Professional; Ammara Durrani, Public Policy and Human Security Expert; Amina Khan, Director, Centre for Middle East & Africa (CMEA) and Afghanistan, Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI); Mome Saleem, Development Professional and Consultant, PM Youth Programme, and Samima Durrani, Development Professional and Independent Consultant. At the end, the delegates came up with joint policy recommendations. At the outset, CRSS Executive Director Imtiaz Gul welcomed both delegations to the forum and stated that adding the...
Connecting Pak-Afghan Youth Leaders in Times of COVID-19
The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) Islamabad, as part of its efforts to improve people to people contact and promote positive and constructive narratives between Pakistan and Afghanistan, organized a Pak-Afghan Youth Leaders’ Webinar, in collaboration with Organization for Economic Studies and Peace (OESP), Kabul, under its Pak-Afghan Track 1.5/II project “Beyond Boundaries” via Zoom, on Tuesday, June 23, 2020, with over 20 youth leaders in the fields of politics, social development sector, private sector, media, entrepreneurs, writers, graphic designers and youth activists, from Afghanistan and Pakistan. The theme of the webinar was: “Connecting Pak-Afghan Youth Leaders in Times of COVID-19”. The session was further divided into three parts. First, where the keynote speakers, one each from Pakistan and Afghanistan delivered keynote addresses on the theme “Opportunities for Cooperation between the Youth of Pakistan and Afghanistan during COVID-19 Pandemic”. Afterwards, there was an interactive session, followed by joint policy recommendations session. Amina Khan from Pakistan and Shoaib A. Rahim from Afghanistan were invited as key-note speakers and also as moderators for joint policy recommendations and interactive sessions respectively. Amina Khan is the Director, Center for Middle East and Africa (CMEA) as well as Afghanistan at Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), while Shoaib A. Rahim is a development practitioner and also an Assistant Professor at Kardan University, Afghanistan. Pakistani participants included: Aleena Shah, President, Youth General Assembly (Islamabad Chapter); Saba Hurrium, Lecturer, Quaid-i-Azam University; Ayesha Zahir, Former Youth Cultural Ambassador to US; Ambreen Gul, Doctor of Pharmacy; Muhammad Akbar Khan, Legal Counsel at Pakistan State Oil; Sundas Khan, Youth Activist, RJ and Media Worker; Kashmala Mazhar, Artist and Graphic Designer; Wajih Ullah, Researcher at Institute of Peace and Diplomatic...
Connecting Pak-Afghan Youth Leaders in Times of COVID-19
The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) Islamabad, as part of its efforts to improve people to people contact and promote positive and constructive narratives between Pakistan and Afghanistan, organized a Pak-Afghan Youth Leaders’ Webinar, in collaboration with Organization for Economic Studies and Peace (OESP), Kabul, under its Pak-Afghan Track 1.5/II project “Beyond Boundaries” via Zoom, on Tuesday, June 23, 2020, with over 20 youth leaders in the fields of politics, social development sector, private sector, media, entrepreneurs, writers, graphic designers and youth activists, from Afghanistan and Pakistan. The theme of the webinar was: “Connecting Pak-Afghan Youth Leaders in Times of COVID-19”. The session was further divided into three parts. First, where the keynote speakers, one each from Pakistan and Afghanistan delivered keynote addresses on the theme “Opportunities for Cooperation between the Youth of Pakistan and Afghanistan during COVID-19 Pandemic”. Afterwards, there was an interactive session, followed by joint policy recommendations session. Amina Khan from Pakistan and Shoaib A. Rahim from Afghanistan were invited as key-note speakers and also as moderators for joint policy recommendations and interactive sessions respectively. Amina Khan is the Director, Center for Middle East and Africa (CMEA) as well as Afghanistan at Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), while Shoaib A. Rahim is a development practitioner and also an Assistant Professor at Kardan University, Afghanistan. Pakistani participants included: Aleena Shah, President, Youth General Assembly (Islamabad Chapter); Saba Hurrium, Lecturer, Quaid-i-Azam University; Ayesha Zahir, Former Youth Cultural Ambassador to US; Ambreen Gul, Doctor of Pharmacy; Muhammad Akbar Khan, Legal Counsel at Pakistan State Oil; Sundas Khan, Youth Activist, RJ and Media Worker; Kashmala Mazhar, Artist and Graphic Designer; Wajih Ullah, Researcher at Institute of Peace and Diplomatic...
Pak-Afghan Regional Economic Connectivity – Stakeholder Consultation Session
As part of Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) ongoing Pak-Afghan Trade and Economic Connectivity initiative since 2017 aimed to improve business cooperation, enhance and strengthen the regional economic connectivity, CRSS along with Pakistan Afghanistan Joint Chamber and Commerce (PAJCCI) and Organization for Economic Studies and Peace (OESP) organized a virtual Pak-Afghan stakeholders consultation session on 22nd June,2020. The idea behind this session was to highlight the current challenges that are impeding the transit as well as bilateral trade amid COVID-19. Furthermore, to bring all the relevant issues of the traders into the notice of Pakistan and Afghan governments, recently appointed Pakistan’s Special Representative to Afghanistan, Mr. Sadiq Khan was invited along with the Afghanistan’s ambassador to Pakistan, Mr. Atif Mashal. In addition to Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq Khan and Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan, Atif Mashal, delegates from Pakistan and Afghanistan included PAJCCI Chairman, Zubair Motiwala; Former President, Karachi Chamber of Commerce, Junaid Makda; Co-Chairman, PAJCCI, Khan Jan Alokozay; Former Afghan Deputy Trade Minister, Mozammil Shinwari; Former Vice Chairman, Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) and Vice President, PAJCCI, Haji M. Younas Mohmand; Secretary General, PAJCCI (Pakistan), Faiza Zubair; Executive Director, PAJCCI (Afghanistan), Naqeebullah Safi; CRSS Executive Director Imtiaz Gul and CRSS Program Manager, Junaid Khan. Speaking to the participants, Mr. Sadiq Khan affirmed that the bilateral relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan should be led by trade diplomacy which will automatically resolve all other issues between the two countries. He further stated that to resolve the issues faced by traders on both sides of the border, both transit and bilateral trades should be addressed separately with distinct mechanisms put in place for their effective...
Virtual Meeting of Beyond Boundaries’ Pakistan Core Group Members
As part of CRSS’ efforts to improve Pakistan-Afghanistan bilateral relations under its ongoing Track 1.5/II initiative Beyond Boundaries, a 12 member Pakistan core group met virtually on June 10, 2020, to review the situation in Afghanistan following the power-sharing deal signed between President Ghani and Dr Abdullah Abdullah in mid-May, developments in the peace process, Pak-Afghan bilateral cooperation after the political settlement, and bilateral/transit trade amid the pandemic. Members included Mehnaz Akber Aziz; Member National Assembly, Dr. Shoaib Suddle; Former IG Police, and former Federal Tax Ombudsman, Lt. Gen. (retd) Asif Yasin Malik; Former Defense Secretary, Maj. Gen. (retd) Athar Abbas; Former DG Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Former Ambassador Ayaz Wazir, Former Ambassador Qazi Humayun, Former Ambassador Asif Durrani, Former Ambassador Mian Sanaullah, Rehman Azhar; Senior Journalist and Anchorperson Express TV, Ammara Durrani; Public Policy and Human Security Expert, Tahir Khan; Senior Journalist and Anchorperson GTV News and Hasan Khan; Senior Journalist and Anchorperson AVT/Khyber TV News. CRSS was represented by Executive Director Imtiaz Gul, Junaid Khan; Program Manager, Sitwat Waqar Bokhari; Program Manager, and Saad Gul; Research Fellow at CRSS. At the outset, all members welcomed the appointment of Mohammad Sadiq as the Special Representative for Afghanistan, terming it as a timely and positive decision by Pakistan as most regional countries have also employed a special envoy for Afghanistan. Expressing optimism on his ability to positively utilize the platform for constructive resolution of all issues, members affirmed that Ambassador Sadiq, who also previously served as Pakistan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan from 2008 to 2014, was both well connected with the government and private stakeholders and acquainted with Afghan politics and the regional dynamics. Members hoped that, keeping his experience and past record in Afghanistan,...
Afghan women leaders seek technical assistance in e-commerce and e-learning from Pakistan: CRSS Dialogue
Pakistan, to consolidate its positive overtures towards Afghanistan, has appointed former Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq as Pakistan’s special envoy to Kabul, a completely new office, to what the government describes will play an effective role in strengthening ties between the two nations. Sadiq is respected on both sides and has very cordial relations across the border, as well. So, we can say, things are very much moving in the right direction, stated Mehnaz Akbar Aziz, Member of the Parliament, Pakistan, while speaking to distinguished Pak-Afghan delegates, in a virtual cross-border women’s dialogue on “Socio-Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Women in Pakistan and Afghanistan”. The dialogue was organized by Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), as part of its Pakistan-Afghanistan Track 1.5/II diplomacy – Beyond Boundaries. Mehnaz also shared another encouraging news regarding Afghan President Ghani, who recently said that Afghanistan now has “the closest alignment” with Pakistan on the peace process and he also hoped that it would translate into cooperation in other areas as well. Though, she was of the opinion that additionally appointing a woman co-ambassador or deputy ambassador would be a tangible gain. This would help in resolving women related issues across the border in a swift manner. Commenting on the global pandemic, she said that for COVID-19 approaches to be responsive and to address the gendered impact, women must be at the center of COVID-19 recovery efforts. This starts with women’s equal representation and participation in decision-making. She also suggested formulation of a Pak-Afghan working group on COVID-19. Shinkai Karokhail, senior Afghan politician and rights activist, stated that COVID-19’s impact has doubled or tripled women’s responsibilities in Afghanistan and it will slow down the access of girls to education even more. It is feared that because of the economic impact of COVID-19, families will further prioritize educating boys...
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TESTIMONIALS
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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.