Current Projects
Collaborative Workshops and Debates- October 3-4, 2019, Bhakkar
The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) conducted the ninth two-day PACE Collaborative workshops and debates for university students, on October 3-4, 2019, in Bhakkar. The workshop was held at University of Sargodha, Bhakkar Campus. It 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 Sargodha, Bhakkar Campus. Mr. Rameez Mohsin, Lecturer Social Work 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 said that Bhakkar is a backward area with almost no facilities; therefore, this seminar will provide an exposure to the students to interact with learned scholars and speakers. He added that PACE Collaborative Workshops changed his perspective about stereotypical behaviours towards religious and ethnic minorities in its first phase of teachers training. He hoped that the seminar will impact the students the same way and will give them a broader perspective of differences. 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 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 objective of PACE is to indoctrinate the tradition of questioning and critical thinking among the youth of Pakistan. She added that the purpose of such activities is to bring together the youth at one platform and discuss about critical issues of multiculturalism, diversity, democracy and accountability. Dr. Khalid Zaheer was the first speaker to the session and spoke on ‘Religious Freedom, Fundamental Rights and Social Inclusion.’ Dr. Zaheer, while referring to the...
CRSS Congratulates its Alumna, Jalila Haider for making it to BBC 100 Women 2019
As a matter of great pride for Pakistan, Jalila Haider, a Quetta based human rights lawyer has made it to the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) list of 100 most inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2019. It is worth mentioning that Jalila Haider had been a part of Center for Research and Security Studies’ (CRSS) Baloch youth leadership development initiatives of Balochistan Youth Forum and Balochistan Democracy Awareness Initiative from 2013 to 2015. These capacity building programmes aimed at providing a platform to the disgruntled Baloch youth to ventilate their grievances through dialogue with their counterpart students in the universities across Pakistan, besides civil society, academia, intelligentsia, media and diplomatic fraternities. "CRSS was the first social and political platform where I got the chance and connect with the diverse group of youth from all around the world. There I understood the value of democracy and how can the issues be resolved if democracy is sustained in the country", she quoted her journey with CRSS after being named in the 100 women of 2019 list. CRSS is proud of and rooting for its alumna and wishes her best for the future endeavors.
Ulasi Taroon Showcase: Shared Values Among Faiths and Social Cohesion
The 79th radio program as part of the Center for Research and Security Studies’ (CRSS) counter-radicalization initiative Ulasi Taroon (Social Cohesion) was aired on August 02, 2019, on the theme of “Shared Values Among Faiths and Social Cohesion”. The idea was to discuss these core values shared by the different religions and how these shared beliefs can be leveraged to counter extremism, foster cohesion and resolve conflicts. The first guest on show, Mr. Shakeel Waheed Ullah, a columnist, and writer by profession, said that there are various common grounds among all the religions including the shared ideals like tolerance, peace and the message of love and these shared values can be leveraged to foster interfaith harmony and peaceful coexistence of the people and communities of different faiths. It must be understood in its true essence that every religion teaches the lesson of peace and discourages extremism. A culturally, religiously and ethnically diverse society demands respect for and acceptance of differences to counter hatred and intolerance. The diversity of sects within Muslims direly demands the cultivation of tolerance perspectives. In this regard, educational curricula have to be utilized critically, devoid of the content based on hatred and promote peace and respect; both interfaith and intrafaith. The religious leaders of different faiths have a huge peacebuilding responsibility and must teach and promote the virtues of humanity. The citizens must also participate in the religious festivals of other religions to be able to understand each other better. Youth, as the biggest part of overall population can make a huge impact by promoting unity and respect for diversity. The second guest on show, Ms. Salma Khattak a lawyer and social activist by profession said that all the religions share some fundamental ethos of love, acceptance, consideration, empathy and tolerance which offer an exceptional opportunity to foster social cohesion. Humans are bound...
Ulasi Taroon Showcase: Role of Civil Society in Peacebuilding
The 78th radio program as part of the Center for Research and Security Studies’ (CRSS) counter-radicalization initiative Ulasi Taroon (Social Cohesion) was aired on July 26, 2019, on the theme of “Role of Civil Society in Peacebuilding”, to not only underscore the criticality of inclusive peacebuilding processes but also how the peacebuilders can act as proactive agents for and catalysts of change where they can play a remarkable role in bringing peace and prosperity in the society through their progressive activities. The first guest on show, Mr. Bilal Sethi, Chairman Pakistan Development Foundation, a local peacebuilding organization, was of the view that peace is manifested in empowered citizens who enjoy certain freedoms allowed by the law and have a conducive environment for socio-political and economic inclusion and mobility. Peacebuilders are such selfless catalysts of change who struggle and strive to support these ideals vital to social peace and harmony. The government’s support; through allocation of resources for social development is the fundamental necessity for the overarching goal. Public-awareness regarding the importance and values of peace and their roles and responsibilities for a peaceful society is one of the most important components in this process where civil society as well as individuals especially the learned can play a key role. He said that every individual needs to be sensitized on the importance of peace for society. He opined that peacebuilders can make use of the Appreciative Inquiry approach; highlighting the positive aspects of the society even in the environments loaded with negativities to promote social cohesion. A peacebuilder must believe in, exhibit and promote the virtues of tolerance, respect and equality, and ready to contribute to the social development. The second guest on show, Mr. Misbah Ullah, a social activist, said that social peace is not just the responsibility of national institutions but an equal onus is on...
Ministry of Finance in Kabul debunks fake reports about Torkham Crossing
The Afghan authorities have denied fake reports that circulated yesterday claiming their inability to keep the Torkham border crossing open for 24 hours and instead from 9 am till 7 pm only. Debunking the false news, an announcement released by the Ministry of Finance, Kabul, on their Facebook page yesterday stated that , “The Afghan Government reiterates its commitment to keep the Torkham gate operations on 24 hours bases to facilitate the inflow and outflow of trade. All facilities are in place to process the incoming and outcoming commodities according to relevant laws and procedures. We encourage all traders to declare their consignments for Customs processes at any govern time. The Customs Administration of Afghanistan is well prepared to process the consignments on time and with no unnecessary delays.” A story in The Express Tribune yesterday had mistakenly reported the fake news and attributed Afghan authorities’ failure to keep the crossing open round the clock to their lack of staff and required resources. However, now denied by Kabul’s Ministry of Finance, such false and unverified reports appear only to contribute towards destabilizing bilateral relations. Last month, Prime Minister Imran Khan had formally inaugurated the round-the-clock opening of the border crossing and the Afghan Government in response had eagerly welcomed the move. The recent statement by the Ministry reinforces the government’s commitment to keep the flow of trade smooth by keeping the crossing open 24/7. It appears that, despite the recent improvement in the two neighbors’ state-to-state relations, the continuing challenge the two will have to be wary of is how fake news is also used as an instrument to misguide the public opinion and taint public perception. The responsibility thus lies on the media houses of both countries to always verify and cross-check before releasing any report. This is because the challenge is then exacerbated by how fast dissemination of news, once...
CRSS Quarterly Security Report Q3, 2019
Casualties from Violence in Pakistan In the words of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the world is facing "an unprecedented threat from intolerance, violent extremism and terrorism” that affects every country. In Pakistan, intolerance is difficult to measure empirically, but violence and terrorism seem to be on the decline. Data from the third quarter data on violence-related fatalities shows a drop (14%) from 229 in Q2 to 197 in Q3. Injuries sustained from violence also dropped from 275 to 243. Download
Q3 Security Report – 2019
Casualties from Violence in Pakistan: In the words of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the world is facing "an unprecedented threat from intolerance, violent extremism and terrorism” that affects every country[1]. In Pakistan, intolerance is difficult to measure empirically, but violence and terrorism seem to be on the decline. Data from the third quarter data on violence-related fatalities shows a drop (14%) from 229 in Q2 to 197 in Q3. Injuries sustained from violence also dropped from 275 to 243 (table 01). [docxpresso file="https://crss.pk/wp-content/uploads/CRSS-Security-Report-Q3-2019-1.odt" comments="true" SVG="true"] [1] Associated Press. (2019, September 26). World faces 'unprecedented threat' from terrorism, warns UN chief. Dawn. Retrieved October 2, 2019, from https://www.dawn.com/news/1507486/world-faces-unprecedented-threat-from-terrorism-warns-un-chief.
Collaborative Workshops and Debates- October 01-02, 2019, Sargodha
The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) conducted the eighth two-day PACE Collaborative workshops and debates for university students, on October 1-2, 2019, in Sargodha. The workshop was held at University of Sargodha, Sargodha. It 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 Sargodha. Dr. Ashfaq Ahmed started off the workshop with a welcome note to all the participants including students and faculty members. Dr. Ahmed extended his gratitude to CRSS for organizing PACE collaborative workshop at their university to engage with the students in impactful sessions and activities. In his opening remarks, Dr. Ashfaq stressed on the need of conducting seminars on equality, diversity and tolerance, to make the younger generations understand the values of inclusive societies. During her introductory remarks, Ms. Shagufta Khalique, Program Consultant CRSS, said 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 objective of PACE is to indoctrinate the tradition of questioning and critical thinking among the youth of Pakistan. She added that the purpose of such activities is to bring together the youth at one platform and discuss about critical issues of multiculturalism, diversity, democracy and accountability. Ms. Farhana Kanwal. Program Manager PACE, elaborated on the success and achievements of PACE in its first phase and also the objectives of PACE evolution. The first formal session of the day was kicked off by Ms. Shagufta Khalique on ‘Fundamental Human Rights’. During her session, Ms. Khalique, thoroughly discussed about Universal Declaration of Human Right (UDHR) connecting it with fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution of Pakistan of 1973. She said that...
Trade-only relations are fragile; trade along with investment converges mutual interests; Former Minister Haroon Sharif
The world is moving into a new geographical market and it is championed by China; Asia is the new economic center of gravity and Pakistan is at the cross-roads of regional economic connectivity. Former Minister of State and Chairman of Pakistan’s Board of Investment (BoI), Haroon Sharif, believes Pakistan has a geographical edge over other regional countries, but where do we fail? Our problem is that we outsource our thinking either to China or the International Financial Institutions (IFIs); our diplomats are great, but they need to be sitting in Beijing, Kuala Lumpur and Tashkent, rather than sitting in Geneva and New York. Haroon Sharif was speaking at an international conference on Afghanistan, Regional Geo-Politics and Trade connectivity with experts from US, China, Afghanistan and Pakistan, organized by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) in Islamabad today. He further added that there is a major misconception about trade; relationships grounded on trade are the most fragile. “We should not overemphasize trade and connectivity. Rather, it should be trade and investment. When you have investment, only then you have mutual stakes, that's when you work together”, he stated. Intizar Khadim, DG Center for Development and Peace Studies (CDPS), Kabul, Afghanistan, political analyst and author, while shedding light on Afghanistan’s role, stated that the war-torn country has always been at the center of geo-politics as it lies at the cross-roads of regional connectivity. In this age of connectivity, a new term has emerged recently i.e., ‘glocalized’ – not to be mixed with ‘globalized,’ he clarified. Today’s human is global and local at the same time. So, there has to be a mixed approach; just imposing an alien approach to an indigenous problem won’t solve it; it has not worked so, particularly in Afghanistan, he said. The problems of Kabul are not exclusive in nature; all regional countries share the risk. As no one can live in isolation, the...
Post Globalized and Transnational Era Direly Needs Social Cohesion: Chairman CII
Social cohesion is an immensely important theme of youth engagement and leadership development given the role of youth in the peacebuilding process. The things have gone much beyond the nation-state and we are going towards transnational and global citizenry era. This post globalized and transnational environment demands social cohesion for success, forward movement and peaceful coexistence. The transnational post globalized era - rather than tolerating diversity - demands acceptance of diversity. The educational system in place for harnessing the future leaders is not at par with the international standards. Modernity demands broad mindedness that comes not only through education but the overall social environment. The biggest grey area in this system is that it has limited the potential of young only to the classroom where this system is classroom centric in nature. Limiting the potential of young generation kills its potential just like caging a bird kills its potential to fly. The remarks were made by Dr. Qibla Ayaz, Chairman, Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) during the Ulasi Taroon Youth Capacity Building Workshops’ Annual Alumni Gathering held by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), in collaboration with Department of Social Work, University of Peshawar at PUTA Hall, situated in the same varsity. The CII Chairman said that the entire system of education and environment is linked with the market. Resultantly, the subjects and themes critical to social development have been direly ignored. This also limited the potential of young minds to explore other potential career options. Exclusion of or deprioritizing social sciences from the educational agenda takes a terrible toll on the overall society and state craft as well as allows incapable people - devoid of a vision for social cohesion and development – to make their way to the state institutions and call the shots through narrow, tunnel-visioned approach. Linking education with the market...
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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.