Current Projects
Pakistan Afghanistan Joint Committee Unanimously Supports And Welcomes Recent High Level Bilateral Visits And APAAPS Framework.
The third meeting of Pakistan Afghanistan Joint Committee (PAJC), Beyond Boundaries - Phase III was held at Kabul on 24 June, 2018. First and second meetings were held at Kabul on 15 December, 2017, and Islamabad on 26 February, 2018 respectively. The bilateral PAJC dialogue included interactive discussions on peace and security, positive bilateral developments including recent high level visits, revival of formal contacts under the Afghanistan Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAAPS), a review of the status of Afghan refugees, bilateral and transit trade and the role of media on both sides in promoting better bilateral relations and preventing misperceptions and negative narratives. The PAJC groups held meetings and were briefed during the dialogue by Mr. Haroon Rashid Sherzad, Senior Advisor to National Security Advisor (NSA), on the framework of APAAPS; Mr. Khyber Farahi, Senior Advisor to President on Migration and Social Development, on the latest situation of refugees. The PAJC groups unanimously supported, and welcomed the recent high level bilateral visits and the recently concluded APAAPS framework. The GROUPS also welcomed commitment by both governments to refrain from public blame games as they pursue the new dialogue framework. The PAJC groups agreed and urged the two governments to: Grant access to respective prisoners and sign an agreement on Mutual Consular Access, at the earliest. Sign an agreement for repatriation of each other’s citizen’s and prisoners. Dignified and honorable treatment to each other’s citizen’s at entry points. Restrain official Spokespersons of the two governments from making knee jerk statements in situations involving the two countries. It was suggested that given the sensitivities, both sides should avoid instant reaction to any untoward incident. Work on a dignified and reasonable plan for Afghan refugees repatriation. Hold APTTCA meeting at the earliest to improve the framework governing the transit trade...
[VIDEO] Takeaways From CRSS’ Track II/1.5 Visit To Kabul [June 22-26, 2018]
This is the first time both Pakistan and Afghanistan have a signed framework in which they can repose some trust and on the basis of which they can move forward. Member of CRSS’ Track II/1.5 Diplomacy initiative Ambassador Seema Ilahi Balochi shares the takeaways at the conclusion of Beyond Boundaries’ core members’ third visit of Phase III to Kabul on Monday. Since the last two years that the track II/1.5 meetings have been held in both countries, Ambassador Seema Baloch says there has been a perceptible change in Kabul as well as Islamabad which can be attributed both to Afghanistan Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) and the recent ceasefire during Eid between the Taliban and the Government. https://youtu.be/tZ6o85zg11w There is certainly optimism both in the government and in the interlocutors, she stated. This is the first time both Pakistan and Afghanistan have a signed framework in which they can repose some trust and on the basis of which they can move forward. Both sides know this will only be helpful once the action within the five working groups under APAPPS is implemented. If it is not, it will be a great opportunity lost from both sides. Because right now it is the only bilateral document. It is the best way to keep out actors who want to come in for their vested interests and the best way for both countries to move forward together. Both Afghanistan and Pakistan know that there is no alternative to peace, she said. The narrative that Afghanistan’s stability depends on Pakistan works both ways as Pakistan’s stability also depends on Afghanistan. Unless the two countries work together, there will be no peace in this region she said. What are the risks to the peace process, who could be the spoilers? Speaking on the potential risks or spoilers involved in the new engagement between the two countries, she said that spoilers can be both state actors and non-state actors, they can be the countries surrounding Afghanistan, but also...
Third Workshop of CRSS Pak-Afghan ‘Beyond Boundaries’ Held in Kabul
The third workshop of the Pak-Afghan track 1.5/II dialogue titled Beyond Boundaries, an initiative by the CRSS, gets underway in Kabul, Afghanistan. The workshop is chaired by South Asia and Afghanistan Expert Professor Barnett R. Rubin. Mr. Imtiaz Gul, Executive Director CRSS, tweeted the following updates on the workshop: APAPPS provides the best foundation for a candid /structured debate on Pak-Afghan relations, say delegates at #BeyondBoundaries @ @CRSSpak in Kabul — Imtiaz Gul (@vogul1960) June 24, 2018 Pak-Afghan track11/1.5 dialogue BeyondBoundaries @CRSSpak gets underway @kabul, chaired by @BRRubin@UKinAfghanistan@GermanyinAFG APAPPS provides the best foundation for a candid /structured debate on Pak-Afghan relations, say delegates at #BeyondBoundaries @ @CRSSpak in Kabul — Imtiaz Gul (@vogul1960) June 24, 2018 APAPPS provides the best foundation for a candid /structured debate on Pak-Afghan relations, say delegates at #BeyondBoundaries @ @CRSSpak in Kabul — Imtiaz Gul (@vogul1960) June 24, 2018 APAPPS provide a good framework for discussing timeline for a safe/dignified return of refugees in Pakistan @pakistaninews@NasimZehrapic.twitter.com/HlOcTH1ie4 — Imtiaz Gul (@vogul1960) June 24, 2018 Participants from the Pakistani contingent include, Shoaib Suddle (Head of Delegation) – Former IGP and Federal Tax Ombudsman Qazi Hamayun – Former Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq – Former Ambassador Gen. (Retd.) Asif Yasin Malik – Former Defence Secretary Seema Illahi Baloch – Former Ambassador Tahir Khan – Senior Journalist and Editor NNI Rehman Azhar – Senior Journalist, Express TV Naveed Akbar – Journalist, Dunya Newspaper Mr Imtiaz Gul – Executive Director, CRSS Mr Aized Ali – Project Director, CRSS On the other hand, participants from the Afghan contingent include, Mozammil Shinwari – Advisor to the Chief Executive on Trade Rangina Kargar – Member of Afghan Parliament Abdul Hakim Mujahid – Head of Executive Committee of Afghan High Peace...
Speakers call for compliance with democratic values as key to peace, Ulasi Taroon Workshops
The seventh round of Ulasi Taroon Youth Capacity Building Workshops was held in Sheringal, Upper Dir at Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University (SBBU), to exchange knowledge and information on social cohesion and cultivate the future leaders in the constitutional values critical to social peace and harmony. The event was organized by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) from June 22-23, 2018. Prof. Hammad Azeem Khan from the Department of Law, SBBU, spoke on rule of law and social cohesion. He noted that many believed that today’s age was the scientific age but he believed it was the legal age. In our societies, most of our actions and behaviors are bound and informed by some principles called legal rules and regulations. Law, morals and ethics are all means of controlling human conduct. Just like laws important for sciences, there are values and principles that inform human behaviors and they are very important for peaceful coexistence. Deviation from these ideals and constitutional values leads to conflict, violence and extremism in the society. The principle of rule of law is at the core of the smooth operations of all the institutions in the society. It is unimaginable to have a society without rule of law that informs across the board accountability. Rule of law is an evolutionary process and concept and it discourages arbitrary use of power. The primary purpose of the constitution is to uphold rule of law and its indiscriminate application. The rule of law does not just mean equality in literal terms but it promotes the principles of equity and fairness i.e. respect for the rights one deserves, understanding different individuals’ circumstances and fulfilling everyone’s different needs. Human rights education is critical to uphold rule of law and sanctity of constitution. Mr. Badshah Hussain, Registrar, SBBU said that we are all bound to abide by our social contract and comply with the core constitutional values as a measure of ensuring social...
In Afghanistan, We Persist In Futility – Steve Chapman
The cease-fire in Afghanistan came to an unmistakable end Wednesday when 30 Afghan government soldiers were killed in a Taliban attack in a western province. You may not have noticed the end of the cease-fire because you may not have noticed the start of the cease-fire, just a few days earlier. You should not feel guilty. Seventeen years after the U.S. invaded, there is not much reason to pay attention to Afghanistan because nothing ever changes much. Yet we remain there in the obstinate hope that something will. We stay because we don’t know what else to do. The simple fact is that we are not winning the war — and if you are not winning a war against an enemy fighting on his soil among his people, you are losing. In a protracted stalemate, insurgents are more likely to hang on as long as they have to. We can always go home. They are home. Our efforts have amounted to an interminable, expensive failure. In May, the U.S. government’s special inspector general for Afghanistan issued a “lessons learned” report that was a chronicle of futility. “The U.S. government greatly overestimated its ability to build and reform government institutions in Afghanistan,” it said. “The large sums of stabilization dollars the United States devoted to Afghanistan in search of quick gains often exacerbated conflicts, enabled corruption, and bolstered support for insurgents.” In short, we made things worse rather than better. Our forces have repeatedly pushed boulders up a hill and then watched them roll back down. “Successes in stabilizing Afghan districts rarely lasted longer than the physical presence of coalition troops and civilians,” said the report. Under Donald Trump, the U.S. has been dropping a huge number of bombs – three times more in 2017 than in 2016, under Barack Obama. But the insurgents now control more of the country’s territory than ever before. Afghan civilians have been dying at a near-record pace. Production of poppies, used to make heroin, set a record last year,...
The NAP Tracker : The Third Year Audit of the National Action Plan
The NAP Tracker : The Third Year Audit of the National Action Plan The NAP Tracker is the only publication of its kind that tracks the Pakistani state’s progress on all 20 points of the National Action Plan. The third year of the National Action Plan (NAP) witnessed a small set of victories and significant stagnation and setbacks. Perhaps the most telling piece of evidence was the National Security Council (NSC) meeting conducted with civil and military heads on December 19, 2017, three days after the third anniversary of the Army Public School attack in Peshawar that birthed the NAP. The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, was attended by Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, National Security Adviser retired Lt Gen Nasser Khan Janjua, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Zubair Mehmood Hayat, Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, Naval Chief Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman and senior officials. The most significant takeaway was that everyone felt NAP needed more work. As has been the case in the last two years of the NAP’s implementation, Pakistan’s mechanisms and interventions for dealing with the root cause of extremism remain largely ineffective. It was hoped that with victories on the kinetic front, there would be a shift on the ideological side. It is hoped that in the coming year, the softer side of NAP will also receive an overhaul, and there will be a shift in focus on thought on the elements that drive radical thought. Please see the full PDF of year 3 here. The NAP Tracker -Year 2 On December 16, 2014, armed militants broke into the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar Cantonment area of the Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KP) province. In the brazen attack they murdered 133 schoolchildren, as well as 10 teachers, including the principal. This atrocious attack was a major paradigm shift in Pakistan, and will forever remain the incident that damaged and radically altered our collective national psyche. On...
The NAP Tracker: The Third Year Audit of the National Action Plan
The NAP Tracker is the only publication of its kind that tracks the Pakistani state’s progress on all 20 points of the National Action Plan. The third year of the National Action Plan (NAP) witnessed a small set of victories and significant stagnation and setbacks. Perhaps the most telling piece of evidence was the National Security Council (NSC) meeting conducted with civil and military heads on December 19, 2017, three days after the third anniversary of the Army Public School attack in Peshawar that birthed the NAP. The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, was attended by Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, National Security Adviser retired Lt Gen Nasser Khan Janjua, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Zubair Mehmood Hayat, Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, Naval Chief Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman and senior officials. The most significant takeaway was that everyone felt NAP needed more work. As has been the case in the last two years of the NAP’s implementation, Pakistan’s mechanisms and interventions for dealing with the root cause of extremism remain largely ineffective. It was hoped that with victories on the kinetic front, there would be a shift on the ideological side. It is hoped that in the coming year, the softer side of NAP will also receive an overhaul, and there will be a shift in focus on thought on the elements that drive radical thought. Please see the full PDF of year 3 here. Download
CRSS Quarterly Security Report Q2, 2018
The death toll from militancy has been on a steady decline. However, militants continue to stage attacks, especially targeting security personnel. Compounding this threat is the worsening relationship between Pakistan and the United States of America (USA) caused by the suspicions maintained by USA on the Haqqani network’s presence in the country – an allegation vehemently denied by Pakistan. In the second quarter of 2018, violence-related casualties continue to exhibit a downward trend, which has been observed since 2016. In fact, each of the last six quarters has shown a decline in violence-related fatalities, thus showcasing an improving security landscape. Balochistan remains the most violent province, and Karachi and Quetta the most violent cities. Every region in the country exhibited a decline, except Tribal Areas, where fatalities increased by 48%. Gun violence and clashes between LEAs and militants were the primary methods of violence. Civilians was the largest group affected, with 112 casualties. In addition. 61 security and government personnel were also killed during this quarter. Militants, criminals and insurgents suffered 79 fatalities. TTP claimed the largest number of fatalities this quarter (8), followed by IS (4), and finally TTP-JA (1) and BLA (1). Sectarian violence also saw a marked decline this quarter with 17 deaths related to sectarian violence reported in Q2, 2018. Readers can approach CRSS for information related to this report. Alternately, you may send your queries to mail@crss.pk, directly to Mohammad Nafees, Senior Research Fellow, CRSS – the author of the report (mohammad.nafees@yahoo.com), or Zeeshan Salahuddin, Senior Research Fellow, the editor. Download
Ulasi Taroon Showcase: Social Cohesion as a Shared Responsibility
June 13, 2018: The sixteenth radio program as part of Center for Research and Security Studies’ (CRSS) counter-radicalization initiative Ulasi Taroon (Social Cohesion) was aired on April 27, 2018, on the topic of “Social Cohesion as a Shared Responsibility”. The purpose of discussion was to underscore the importance of compliance with the core constitutional values as a foremost social responsibility for cohesion in the society. The first guest on show, Dr. Syed Mohammad Ilyas, CEO Paraplegic Centre, Peshawar, noted that education should be the core consideration when it comes to help citizens realize social cohesion as shared social responsibility and to cultivate them in the ideals of social cohesion. Both rights and responsibilities go hand in hand as they are interdependent. A society in order to be cohesive, needs to go through a massive attitudinal and behavioral changes at all levels through improvement in the system of education especially the early education. He added that the societies where the citizens are deprived of their constitutional rights are more vulnerable to intolerant and extremist attitudes. Therefore drawing correlation between rights and duties is a must for increasing tolerance. The guest on phone, Ms. Rakhshanda Naz, a social activist, was of the view that inconsistency in policies particularly towards human rights and ongoing conflicts are the primary reasons for intolerance. The understanding of constitutional rights and responsibilities has been improving gradually with the positive contributions made by the media and civil society organizations. However, we still have a long way to go to reach the ultimate milestone where both state and individuals have a complete understanding of the constitutional obligations towards each other. This milestone can be achieved through collaboration among state and citizens to uphold social cohesion as a shared social responsibility. “As an individual we should respect each other’s rights and views....
Ulasi Taroon Showcase: Good Governance and Accountability
June 12, 2018: The fifteenth radio program as part of Center for Research and Security Studies’ (CRSS) counter-radicalization initiative Ulasi Taroon (Social Cohesion) was aired on April 20, 2018, on the topic of “Good Governance and Accountability”. The initiative of Ulasi Taroon consciously bolsters good governance, indiscriminate accountability and rule of law through dialogue anchored on core constitutional values. The guests on show, Mr. Aziz ur Rehman Safi from Kohat University and a PhD fellow; and Nangyal Afridi, student of Institute of Management Sciences, Peshawar, emphasized that the key ingredients for the success of any democratic system are good governance and across the board accountability. Mr. Aziz said that the good governance is based on equality and accessible justice and it is absolutely essential for the socio-political and economic progress, democratic development and prosperity of any nation. “Good governance means that the legislature, judiciary and executive only commit to legislation, adjudication and execution respectively”, said the guest on phone, Prof. Ejaz, Department of International Relations, University of Peshawar. Mr. Nangyal stressed that the active citizens’ participation in the political process is critical for good governance and inclusive democracy. “A society without the accountability mechanisms cannot be successful. These mechanisms not only apply on the state and government but are equally important for every department and organization, family and individuals (as self-accountability)”, said Mr. Asif Nisar, a writer and analyst during radio report. Mr. Aziz while concluding the programe, said that democracy means respect for fundamental human rights and diversity, equality, tolerance, rule of law, good governance and accountability; the values which are clearly enshrined in our constitution as fundamentals of peace and harmony. About Ulasi Taroon Ulasi Taroon is a counter radicalization initiative of Center for...
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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.