Current Projects
Ulasi Taroon Showcase: Post Globalized Era, Social Cohesion and Role of Youth
The 88th radio program as part of the Center for Research and Security Studies’ (CRSS) counter-radicalization initiative Ulasi Taroon (Social Cohesion) was aired on October 04, 2019, on the topic of “Post Globalized Era, Social Cohesion and Role of Youth”. The show focused on the speech made by Dr. Qibla Ayaz, Chairman, Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) during the Second Annual Alumni Gathering held as part of the CRSS’s counter-radicalization initiative Ulasi Taroon. The first guest on show, Mr. Abdul Haq, a faculty member of City University, Peshawar endorsed Dr. Qibla Ayaz’s analysis that the world has moved beyond the nation-state to the globalization and transnational era; what we call post-globalized era. The world has become a global village with the increasing interconnectivity and interdependence. Such an overwhelming percentage of young population may seem like a challenge but it’s a unique opportunity for growth and prosperity, by harnessing their potential for national development. Youth can become an important instrument to bring positive change. However, our education system needs to be reformed to meet the needs of this transnational post globalized era i.e. ideals of cohesion, cooperation, responsible citizenship and peaceful coexistence. The role of civil society is also crucial to cultivate the society; especially youth, in the values of social cohesion, adherence to rule of law, tolerance and understanding. “During the Annual Alumni Gathering of the initiative, it was heartening to hear such views from youth leaders which are critical to social cohesion”, said Mr. Abdul Haq while appreciating CRSS’s youth development initiative Ulasi Taroon. He added that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - after going through many formidable challenges of peace and security for more than a decade, which certainly has taught many lessons, has now started to experience progress. The second guest on show, Ms. Sheba shared that youth is a very valuable capital states can ever...
Collaborative Workshops and Debates-December 17-18, 2020, Faisalabad
The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) conducted the eleventh two-day PACE Collaborative workshops and debates for university students, on December 17-18, 2020, in Faisalabad. The workshop was held at Government College University, Faisalabad, and 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. Participants included students from Government College University, Faisalabad. Dr. Asma Aftab Assistant Professor Department of English welcomed the participants to the event. She shared that it is an immense pleasure for the university and students to have CRSS team over for the seminar. She mentioned about her experience as one of the participants of phase I of PACE Collaborative Workshops. She said that his experience with PACE has always been good in terms of knowledge sharing and capacity building. She added that PACE helped her understand and respect the perspectives and avoid to indulge in any discriminatory behaviour. This opportunity will surely impact our students in a positive way and I hope to see a change in understanding of differences. Head of the Department opened the session with thanking PACE team for organizing the seminar at their department and he is pleased to see the program of the seminar including the names of learned scholars. He said that rule of law is a prerequisite for a democracy and without its implementation, we can look forward to have equality in a society. I hope the speakers will talk in detail and I hope the students will benefit from this opportunity to a maximum. Farhana Kanwal, Project Manager PACE, said that it is a very different experience coming to Faisalabad and getting to know the students and interacting with them. She shared that PACE is a counter radicalization initiative by CRSS which was started in September, 2015 and completed its first phase in September, 2018. The core...
Symptomatic Treatment Towards Gender & Minority Issues Not An Effective Fix
One cannot change the culture and traditions in a single day; change requires time. Approaches towards attaining gender equality, mainstreaming minorities and bringing in the factor of humanitarianism have mostly been curative in nature, though there is a growing need for preventive measures. Education comes out as a pre-requisite and the most effective tool in this regard. There is a need for a broad-spectrum education and awareness programs to address these issues, otherwise symptomatic treatment would not have a long-term impact. It would just be like brushing the dust under the carpet, stated Mome Saleem, a development professional having diverse experience in different capacities. Ms. Mome Saleem was speaking to youth participants belonging to Pakistan and Afghanistan at a dialogue, organized by Afghan Studies Center, on the theme “Mainstreaming Gender, Minorities and Humanitarianism”. The dialogue had a participation of 35 young Afghans and Pakistanis (18 Afghans and 17 Pakistanis) belonging to Peshawar, Mansehra, Chitral, Mardan, Swabi, Attock, Mandi Bahauddin in Pakistan and Kabul, Baghlan, Mazar-i-Sharif, Ghazni, Laghman, and Nangarhar in Afghanistan. While differentiating the concepts, she apprised the participants that “sex” is the biological difference between women and men, which is universal. However, “gender” is assigned to the people through social structures. The social differences or roles allotted to women and men are learned as we are growing up; they change over time, and depend on the culture, ethnic origin, religion, education, class and the geographical, economic and political environment that we live in. While defining minorities, she said that it is not just about numbers, but more about not having power or a say in the decision-making process or influence within the social fabric. Ms. Saleem further stated that the impetus for such issue lies in the social structures, institutions, values, traditions and beliefs which create and...
Ameliorating Social Intolerance Must to Uphold Rule of Law: SSP Operations, Peshwar
Citizens’ knowledge about rules, regulations and law of the land is vital to uphold rule of law in the country. Responsible citizenship means and demands strict adherence to and promotion of rule of law for democratic development of the country. One of the most formidable challenges facing rule of law is the issue of social intolerance. It can easily be ameliorated by cultivating tolerant attitudes in the society; characterized by respect for and acceptance of different and diverse opinions besides celebration of diversity. Addressing the social evils – that jeopardize our social order and fabric - is not the responsibility of police alone and an equal, if not more, onus is on the society. These views were expressed by Mr. Zahoor Babar Afridi, SSP Operations, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, Peshawar, during the 25th round of Ulasi Taroon Youth Capacity Building Workshops, organized by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) at and in collaboration with IQRA National University, Peshawar. Dr. Farzand, Vice Chancellor, IQRA National University, Peshawar, noted that with over 60 percent of the overall population, youth of Pakistan represents a great opportunity for development and prosperity. They have a huge development potential which only needs to be channelized. Educating youth – on the ideals of respect and equality – can alone foster social cohesion and create a critical mass of society critical to peaceful coexistence. There is an important responsibility on the academic fraternity to produce well informed and responsible citizens capable to not only fulfill what the market needs but also meet the peace and cohesion needs of the society. Dr. Aamir Raza, from the Department of Political Science, University of Peshawar explained that democracy means inclusion of all members of the society where they feel they belong to the society, they are an equal part of it and their feedback in the decision making process matters. In democracy, even citizen is equally...
Beijing’s Befitting Rebuttal To The US Legislative Move On Uyghur
China’s State Council Information Office recorded a befitting rebuttal to Washington’s move of passing a law about China’s treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, labeling it as a blatant human rights violation. Shohrat Zakir, Chairman of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Government, along with other Chinese official gave a detailed account of extremist and terrorist activities in the region and how the Chinese government approached the matter with a comprehensive strategy in a news conference on December 9, 2019. They also proved their rationale with facts and figures. For instance, there has not been a single terrorist attack in Xinjiang during past three years. Also, economic activity is thriving in recent years. The Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019 passed by United States’ House of Representative has been termed as a breach of international law and an intrusion into the domestic affairs of China by the Chairman of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regional government who called out the US on its two-faced approach on terrorist attacks and religious extremism. He stated that measures against terrorist attacks and extremists taken in Xinjiang are no different from those in many other countries, including the US. Some people in the US should discard their bias, and not practice double standards. Their biasness and double standards will make them stand opposite to the 1.4 billion Chinese people, the world, and to the morality and conscience of human beings, he said. Thousands of terrorist attacks had occurred in Xinjiang from 1990 to the end of 2016, resulting in the deaths of many innocent civilians, as well as hundreds of police officers – including two Uygurs, prior to the implementation of the government’s de-extremism measures. The acts of terror in Xinjiang culminated in the massacre in Urumqi on July 5, 2009, while an October 2013 attack in Beijing and another in March 2014 in Kunming, Yunnan province, spread fear outside the autonomous region. People across China...
Collaborative Workshops and Debates-November 27-28, 2019, Haripur
The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) conducted the tenth two-day PACE Collaborative workshops and debates for university students, on November 27-28, 2019, in Haripur. The workshop was held at University of Haripur, and 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. Participants included students from University of University of Haripur. Mr. Saqib Awan, Lecturer Management Sciences Department welcomed the participants to the event. He shared that it is an immense pleasure for the university and students to have CRSS team over for the seminar. He mentioned about his experience as one of the participants of phase I of PACE Collaborative Workshops. He said that his experience with PACE has always been good in terms of knowledge sharing and capacity building. He also mentioned that during the workshop he got a chance to interact with Baha’i community in an interactive discussion and was pleased to know about their beliefs and practices. He added that PACE helped him understand and respect the perspectives and avoid to indulge in any discriminatory behaviour. This opportunity will surely impact our students in a positive way and I hope to see a change in understanding of differences. Vice Chancellor, University of Haripur, opened the session with great focus on rule of law. He said that I have gone through the schedule and he is pleased to see the topics included like rule of law and democracy. He said that rule of law is a prerequisite for a democracy and without its implementation, we can look forward to have equality in a society. I hope the speakers will talk in detail and I hope the students will benefit from this opportunity to a maximum. Farhana Kanwal, Project Manager PACE, said that it is a very different experience coming to Bhakkar and getting to know the students and interacting with them. She shared...
The World Is Moving Towards Techno-Economy & Techno-Politics
Two billion jobs will disappear by 2030, 75% of companies are going to vanish in the next five years, out of which 50% are not born yet. 85% of the jobs that will exist in 2030 have not been invented yet. What does this data tell us? These statistics are indicating that we are not ready for the changing dynamics of the future employment. Most of the employers complain that they cannot find the right person for the job. Organizations spend almost 50% of their expenditure on trainings and they are not happy about it. University graduates are not ready to cope with the changing industry. Youth needs to get smart, innovative, creative, and work on the skill development of modern technology and IT, said Dr. Nadeem Ahmed Khan, Head of the Department of Business Studies, PIDE, Islamabad, while talking to Pak-Afghan Youth, during a workshop organized by Afghan Studies Center (ASC) on November 28, 2019. The ASC’s 14th Youth Pak Afghan Training Working was held at CRSS head office in Islamabad, and the theme of the workshop focused on “Shortage of Talent and Dynamics of Future Employment”. The workshop was attended by over 50 Pakistani and Afghan students and young professionals studying or working in different institutions and organizations across Pakistan. Many had traveled from Peshawar, North Waziristan, Khyber, Kurram, Mohmand, Charsadda, Abbottabad, Haripur, Rawalpindi, Balochistan, and Giligit Baltistan to participate in the workshop. Afghan students residing in Pakistan also belonged to various provinces of Afghanistan. “The data generated in the last two years is more than all the data ever produced in the entire human history”, said Dr Khan. In his presentation he further elaborated that we are living in the Fourth Industrial Revolution; boundaries are getting blurred between the physical, digital, and biological worlds. It is a fusion of advances in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), 3D printing, genetic engineering, quantum...
SAPM Usman Dar urges Pak-Afghan youth leaders to work for regional peace & harmony
The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) and its sister organization Afghan Studies Center, in partnership with their Afghan counterpart OESP, held Pak-Afghan Youth Leaders Summit on November 23, 2019, in Islamabad, as part of its cross-border Pakistan-Afghanistan Track 1.5/II initiative Beyond Boundaries to provide a platform to youth leaders selected from both countries to exchange ideas and engage in a constructive dialogue on a range of issues. Around 50 youth leaders belonging to different provinces in Pakistan and Afghanistan participated in the summit. The chief guest and keynote speaker, Special Adviser to Prime Minister on Youth Affairs Mr. Usman Dar, spoke to CRSS at the end of the Youth Leaders Summit. He advised the youth from both countries to work for peace and harmony in the region and encouraged for the promotion of more youth platforms as these to play their positive and constructive role. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5iLCWA2cqg
National Declamation Challenge I November 13-14, 2019, Islamabad
Pakistan Center of Excellence (PACE) organized its first National Declamation Contest, on November 13-14, 2019, in Islamabad. For the two-day declamation contest, 47 students were drawn from 14 universities across Pakistan including Air University, Federal Urdu University, University of Sargodha, University of Haripur, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, University of Sindh, University of Balochistan, Balochistan University of IT, Engineering and Management Sciences, University of Sargodha-Bhakkar Campus, FATA University, Abasyn University, and Kohat University of Science and Technology. There were 22 female and 25 male students who participated in the contest. The participants were divided in groups of 2 and 4 students and were assigned topics to compete for the final round. The topics included: Democracy is the best form of government. For or against. Religion is the main source of conflict in Pakistan. For or against. We are uplifting and helping our minorities. For or against. Diversity is a source of strength for nations. For or against. Religion as a social subject should include all the major world religions – not only the majority religion in the country concerned. For or against. Genders affect employment opportunities. For or against. Tolerance is the prerequisite for a humane society. For or against Drug use is a mental health issue, not a criminal offense. For or against. Justice be only result from rule of law. For or against. Torture is justified when used for national security. For or against. Elections in Pakistan are free and fair. For or against. Social media has a positive role in Pakistan. For or against. Is any form of terrorism justified? For or against. Cybercrime laws in Pakistan are an infringement of online privacy. For or against. Video games cause violence in teenagers. For or against. Parents should decide for their children’s career. For or against. Women are stronger than men. For or against. Modern social media makes...
Critical Thinking Must for Healthy Debate
The youth of Pakistan must think critically and weigh the information they receive before making a judgement or sharing it with others. This was the lesson imparted to young energetic debaters at a National Declamation Challenge between students from public-sector universities from all over Pakistan. Organized on Thursday under the umbrella of the Pakistan Center of Excellence (PACE), a subsidiary of the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), the two-day contest drew 47 students from 14 universities and generated intense debates on issues such as women empowerment, secular democracy, diversity, tolerance, rule of law, and religious harmony, among many others. The event centered on the principle that the processing of information requires logic and bipartisan dissection of facts to determine the truth from misinformation. The first phase of the challenge consisted of speeches made by all participants in three rounds, with students selected from each round on the basis of content, strategy, and speaking prowess. The selected 10 finalists went head-to-head in the finals, with a single victor. Prominent journalists Amber Rahim Shamsi, Safiullah Gul, and Zubair Azam were the esteemed judges for the final competition. The third position of the challenge went to Eshanul Haq, University of Balochistan, who used repetition to make an impassioned case. The second position went to Khawar Khan, University of Haripur, who delivered a strong, fervent speech. The first position went to Rida Zeneb, University of Sargodha, with a fiery speech that drew applause from the audience multiple times. The participating universities included: Air University, Federal Urdu University, University of Sargodha, University of Karachi, University of Haripur, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, University of Sindh, University of Balochistan, Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences, Bhakkar Campus - University of Sargodha,...
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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.