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Only by Inclusive Policy Making, Can Women be Economically Empowered: Andleeb Abbas
There is a dire need to inculcate self-confidence and self-belief in the female youth leaders to improve participation of women in the future of Pakistan’s economic stability. Women in Pakistan have infinite potential, they just need opportunities for channelizing their potential and talent into a successful future. The economic empowerment of women require legislation for ease of doing business and to provide them a conducive economic environment. While it is encouraging to see the female chambers endeavoring to voice the female entrepreneurs’ concerns, it is important to have more women representation in the male chambers as a matter of equality. The leadership development of the business community members; motivating them to think outside the box is a fundamentally essential pre-requisite for business development and future growth. These were the remarks made the parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs, Ms. Andleeb Abbas during the Public-Private Dialogue on Gender Focused Economic Reforms, organized by Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) – with the strategic support of Ms. Sajida Zulfiqar, MNA - at PIPS Hall, Parliament Lodges, Islamabad. The event witnessed an overwhelming participation of the members of parliament; especially female parliamentarians and private sector representatives along with the representatives of the State Bank and SMEDA. Referring to the economic alienation of women, she underlined, “If 48% of the country’s overall population is not economically productive, how can we expect a country to develop”. For aspiring entrepreneurs, it is important to understand that more difficult than starting a business, it is to scale-up, sustain and grow a business. Ms. Sajida Zulfiqar, MNA, moderating the discussion, said, “Given the increasing desire of the people to start their own businesses, we need to set-up more chambers to give them a platform to voice their concerns and create critical linkages between the chambers and the...
Ulasi Taroon Showcase: Role of Literature for Social Cohesion
The 39th radio program as part of the Center for Research and Security Studies’ (CRSS) counter-radicalization initiative Ulasi Taroon (Social Cohesion) was aired on October 19, 2018, on the theme of “Role of Literature for Social Cohesion”. The show aimed at exploring the different dimensions and aspects of literature and its current and potential contribution for a progressive society. “Writers are considered to be the eyes and ears of a society. Every writer is the child of his own age and reflects his own society”, these were the opening remarks made by the first guest on show, Mrs. Kalsoom Zeb, a writer and poetess. She noted that the poets and literary artists are quite sensitive people and anything that happens in the society is readily and deeply felt by them. Great writers also create a positive impact on their own age. She said that literature is the backbone of a society and without it a society cannot grow. She added that writers and poets can use their talent to promote love, peace and social cohesion in the society. However, the current situation does not offer substantial help and support to them. The second guest in studio, Mrs. Laiba Zaib, a writer and social activist was of the view that the situations and circumstances in the society affect our tolerance level. Social media is an extremely powerful tool and it should be deployed to promote more of the literary content and messages relevant to tolerance, peace and harmony. The literature of a particular era is the reflection of that society. Besides government, the civil society should also support the literary artists. Mrs. Laiba suggested that authors and educated people should make use of social media and promote such literary trends about our culture. Mr. Naseer Khan a government official said in the radio report that when a society has limited role of writers, it faces stagnation. The vibrant literature in the country has a huge potential to lead to a cohesive society. “When this section of a...
Ulasi Taroon Showcase: Social Cohesion Education
The 38th radio program as part of the Center for Research and Security Studies’ (CRSS) counter-radicalization initiative Ulasi Taroon (Social Cohesion) was aired on October 12, 2018, on the topic of “Social Cohesion Education”. The show was dedicated to World Teachers’ Day, which is celebrated annually on October 05, 2018. The guests on show including Prof. Ghulam Rehmani and Ms. Falak Naz underlined that the state should formulate a unified system of education to promote cohesion and peace perspectives across the board. The first guest in studio, Mr. Ghulam Rehmani, an educationist, noted that the education is the key to social cohesion and harmony in the society. We have different systems of educations in Pakistan which is contrary to the notion of equality. All these parallelly running systems of education - either governing the public or private educational institutes - should offer a uniform curriculum to underpin equal right to quality education. Currently, the multiple systems of education are leading to disintegration and polarization in the society. The second guest on show, Ms. Falk Naz seconded Mr. Ghulam Rehmani and suggested that curriculum should be designed according to our national needs as currently the aim of our education seems to be only grabbing a certificate or degree and the most important aspect connected with education is forgotten which is human capital development. She suggested that our education should be geared towards polishing and harnessing the hidden potential of the students and make them responsible citizens. A conducive learning environment is the one which promotes dialogue and critical thinking, said Dr. Khadim Hussain in the radio report aired as part of the same radio program. About Ulasi Taroon Ulasi Taroon is a counter radicalization initiative of Center for Research and Security Studies that aims to address the radicalization challenges, extremist ideologies and foster social cohesion through a discourse anchored in the...
Ulasi Taroon Showcase: Ulasi Taroon Annual Alumni Gathering
The 37th radio program as part of the Center for Research and Security Studies’ (CRSS) counter-radicalization initiative Ulasi Taroon (Social Cohesion) was aired on October 05, 2018. The show was dedicated to the Annual Alumni Gathering of Ulasi Taroon initiative held at the City University, Peshawar whose purpose was to reinforce the core concepts – including the ideals of peace and cohesion - of engagement with the youth leaders from the universities across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Among the guests on show were the youth alumni members including Ms. Maham Khan and Mohammad Mustafa, and Mr. Shams Mohmand representing CRSS. Mr. Shams Mohmand highlighted the objectives of the initiative and the milestones achieved during the first year of the program. Ms. Maham and Mr. Mustafa, both were highly appreciative of the initiative and noted that they feel that Ulasi Taroon had really transformed their lives, the way they interact with others and their approach and behavior towards and with the society respectively. Ms. Maham, Student of City University Peshawar said “It is a good step for peace and awareness in our society and a wonderful intervention to raise awareness among youth on their mandate for social cohesion. I think that CRSS is making tremendous efforts to raise such awareness to create a critical mass of youth as ambassadors of cohesion. I really appreciate CRSS and I will remain a part of CRSS. Ms. Maham further said that the difference of opinion is natural but it shouldn't lead to major conflicts. We must learn to accept the difference of opinion. She emphasized that protest is justified but we must promote dialogue equally and resort to this tool to sort out issues. She appreciated the interactive activities of the workshop that involved the participants in such situations where they were taught to pay respect to the opinions and beliefs of others. We believe that such practices will help avoid conflict in the future, she concluded. The second guest on...
The 18th Amendment Debate in Pakistan
Note: This essay is in response to the current national discourse on a piece of legislation known as 18th Amendment. The opinion on the utility of this Amendment is divided. With this contribution by our valued contributing writer Yasmeen Aftab Ali, CRSS wants to initiate, and contribute to, the current debate and would welcome input/responses from readers. When it comes to Pakistan’s constitutional history, the “core” of all our constitutions can be found in the Act of India 1935. This was a document “by aliens to rule aliens on the fault lines of ethnic divide”. However, the basic fault lines were never corrected in the later constitutions. Then, the “18th Amendment” ushered in major constitutional changes; including taking away of the right of the President of Pakistan to dissolve the parliament. Even though well-intended, but when translated into law, the Amendment might go down in history as one of the most devastating pieces of legislation enacted in the country. 18th Amendment – A Background Passed on April 8, 2010, the 18th Amendment aimed at taking away the powers of the President to dissolve the Parliament. A brief introduction to the Constitutional history is needed to comprehend the change. The Act of India 1935 served as the first constituent document of Pakistan, dividing Pakistan on ethnic grounds thereby creating the fault lines that have somewhat existed to date. The Constitutions of both 1956 and 1962 were abrogated. In October 1958, President Iskandar Mirza abrogated the Constitution. Then, the Constitution of Pakistan 1962 had a very short life and was abrogated in 1969 and the power passed on to General Yahya Khan. Yahya abolished the one-unit system opting for holding general elections on one-man one-vote basis. It was under General Zia-ul-Haq that the right of the President to dissolve the President by enacting the 8th Amendment was inserted in the Constitution. Removed by Nawaz Sharif during his second stint as the Prime Minister,...
Reports of Two Think Tanks Confirm Decline in Militancy in 2018
Two security think tanks have confirmed that a significant decline was witnessed during 2018 in militant attacks in Sindh. In their annual statistics reports, the Islamabad-based think tanks, the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) and Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), maintained that security agencies focused on Sindh during the last year. CRSS report According to a preliminary annual statistics compiled by the CRSS, Sindh saw a 57.8 per cent decline in 2018 in the number of casualties in violent incidents. The highest number of deaths in terrorist incidents and other violent occurrences in 2018 was reported in Balochistan, which is 407. It was followed by 208 deaths in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and 192 fatalities in Sindh. A total of 2,333 people died in violent incidents in the country during 2018, which was 45 per cent less than casualties reported in similar incidents in 2017. The biggest decline was observed in Punjab where deaths in violent incidents dropped from 469 to 146 with a decrease of 69 per cent. A decrease of 57.8, 52.3 and 16.1 per cent was reported in deaths due to terrorist incidents in Sindh, Fata and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa respectively. “All forms of violence and counter-violence witnessed a significant decline in the number of fatalities this year,” reads the report. It also maintained that the decrease in fatalities from suicide attacks was marginal during 2018 and suicide attacks remained the biggest source of casualties in the country. Muhammad Nafees, a CRSS’s research fellow based in Karachi, said Karachi experienced a wave of terror acts at the end of 2018. “Sindh Rangers-led targeted operation proved successful in restoring peace in Karachi, the country’s commercial capital. But in the last two months of 2018, Karachi has witnessed six acts of terrorism in a span of five weeks,” Nafees told The News. Law enforcement officials believe that proscribed separatist groups from...
Violence-related Fatalities Drop by 45% in 2018: Report
Pakistan saw an overall decline in the number of casualties from violence-related incidents in 2018, continuing a trend from 2015, according to a report of the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS). Balochistan had the most number of fatalities at 407, followed by FATA (208) and Sindh (192). Of the 2,333 casualties in 2018, 1,131 were fatalities, down 45% from 2,047 the prior year. The biggest decline was observed in Punjab, where fatalities dropped by nearly 69% (469 to 146), followed by Sindh (57.8%), and FATA (52.3%). During all months in 2018 (except July), the number of fatalities was significantly lower than the same month from the previous year. All forms of violence and counter-violence witnessed a significant decline in the number of fatalities this year. The drop in fatalities from suicide attacks was marginal during this year and it remained the biggest source of casualties in the country. Civilians accounted for 53% of the total fatalities for this year compared to 47% last year. The government and security officials saw a small decline, but an increase in the percentage of casualties. The largest drop in both numbers and percentage was for militants, criminals and insurgents. Published in Daily Times, January 1st 2019. Original link.
Terror Incidents Continued to Decline in 2018
Since start of operation Zarb-e-Azb in erstwhile North Waziristan Agency in 2014 and subsequent targetted operation Radd-ul-Fasaad (RuF) in settled areas of the country, militancy and terrorism are on a continuous decline with 2018 being generally more peaceful as compared to 2017. According to a report of the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), except for July 2018, the numbers of fatalities due to terrorism in each month of 2018 were significantly lower than the figure for the same months of the previous year. “All forms of violence and counter-violence witnessed a significant decline in the number of fatalities this year [2018],” the report said, adding that the drop in fatalities from suicide attacks was marginal in 2018 which remained the biggest source of casualties in the country. The report read that Balochistan witnessed the most number of fatalities (407), followed by former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), 208, Khyber Pakhtunkwa (K-P) 161 and Sindh (192). As compared to 2,333 fatalities in 2018, the total number of deaths due to militancy was recorded to be 1,131. This figure is 45% less than the figure 2017. The greatest decline in such incidents was observed in Punjab, where fatalities dropped by 69%, followed by Sindh (57.8%), K-P(16%) and Fata (52.3%). According to a report of the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta), some 65 terror incidents took place in 2001 followed by 49 in 2002, 50 in 2003, 146 in 2004, 240 in 2005, 1,456 in 2006, 1,820 in 2007, 1,575 in 2008, 1,938 in 2009 and the highest number of terror incident (2,061) took place in 2010. The report said 1,680 terror incidents took place in 2011, 1,316 in 2012, 1,571 in 2013, 1,816 in 2014, 1,139 in 2015, 785 in 2016 and some 489 terrorism incidents were reported in 2017. Terror attacks gradually dropped down after 2014, the year when Operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched and a national action plan was devised to counter militancy in the country. “Although...
Violence-related fatalities drop by 45% in Pakistan in 2018, CRSS Annual Security Report shows
Pakistan saw an overall decline in the number of casualties from violence-related incidents in 2018[1], continuing a trend from 2015, reports the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS). Balochistan had the most number of fatalities at 407, followed by FATA (208) and Sindh (192). Of the 2,333 casualties in 2018, 1,131 were fatalities, down 45% from 2047 the prior year (table and graph below). The biggest decline was observed in Punjab, where fatalities dropped by nearly 69% (469 to 146), followed by Sindh (57.8%), and FATA (52.3%). During all months in 2018 (except July), the number of fatalities was significantly lower than the same month from the previous year. All forms of violence and counter-violence witnessed a significant decline in the number of fatalities this year. The drop in fatalities from suicide attacks was marginal during this year and it remained the biggest source of casualties in the country. Civilians accounted for 53% of the total fatalities for this year compared to 47% last year. Government and security officials saw a small decline, but an increase in the percentage of casualties. The largest drop in both numbers and percentage was for militants, criminals and insurgents. [1] Please note that this data is until December 30, 2018, and may change slightly with the last day of 2018 is fully accounted for.
Intra-Afghan Dialogue Raises Hopes For War-Weary Afghans’ Longing For Peace
Afghanistan, for the first time in its almost 40 years’ long conflict, is perhaps seeing a silver lining in the cloud in terms of harnessing peace. There is a direct engagement between Kabul government and the Taliban – implying that intra-Afghan dialogue is now becoming a reality. This development raises hopes for Afghans who have been longing for peace and prosperity for too long, stated Ms. Nasim Zehra. Senior Journalist and author Nasim Zehra was speaking to youth from Pakistan and Afghanistan at Afghan Studies Center’s 19th Pak-Afghan Youth Dialogue on the theme of emerging dynamics around the Afghan peace process on Friday in Islamabad. While the idea of absolute peace in the world that we live in today may be a utopian proposition, Ms. Zehra stated, relative peace may be very possible soon, depending on how well the Afghan political leadership responds to this window of opportunity which has emerged after decades. Sharing her personal insights, she said that dialogue through backdoor channels on the Afghan peace process has been very much there for the past almost 10 years, though not acknowledged publicly. The current breakthrough appears to be the outcome of these engagements for all those years between the Afghan government, Taliban, US, Pakistan, China, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE at different times On the contrary, despite all engagements, the Taliban played a zero-sum game, insisting on the complete exit of the US and NATO troops before any constructive peace talks could be held which would involve them on the table. In this backdrop, US President Trump’s recent announcement signaling the draw-down of American troops may give an indication to the Taliban that the US is finally serious about a negotiated peace settlement in Afghanistan. It may also likely lead to a reduction in confrontational tactics used by both sides so far and perhaps a better chance for a workable exit strategy for the US. Albeit, Trump’s decision carries different...
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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.