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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...
Ulasi Taroon Showcase: Importance of Cross-Cultural Dialogue for Social Cohesion
June 11, 2018: The fourteenth radio program as part of Center for Research and Security Studies’ (CRSS) counter-radicalization initiative Ulasi Taroon (Social Cohesion) was aired on April 13, 2018, on the topic of “Importance of Cross-Cultural Dialogue for Social Cohesion”. The initiative of Ulasi Taroon is itself a platform for cross cultural interactions as it provides an opportunity to the students from different universities across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) for dialogue in the centrality of discourse embedded in the universally acknowledged democratic values. The first guest on show, Prof. Dr. Khurshid from International Relations Department, University of Peshawar noted that the core ingredient of cross cultural dialogue is the interaction among diverse cultures to build understanding and address misunderstandings. In a country like Pakistan with rich cultural diversity, frequent interactions between people from different cultures especially youth can lead to more understanding, acceptance, respect and tolerance in the society. The cross cultural interactions as part of summer camps and exchange programs at the national and international levels can help sharing perspectives and ideas on common challenges, devising joint solutions and undertaking concerted efforts for social cohesion. Both state and civil society ought to collaborate to promote cross-cultural dialogue to cultivate the ideals of tolerance and cohesion and promote mutual respect and understanding. The second guest on show, Mr. Shams Momand from CRSS said that one of the biggest challenges in cross-cultural dialogue is actually individual’s closed mindset and reluctance to accept change and differences. People with a closed mindset are only open to the information that supports their views, and as a result, they easily distort the information. Thus there is a dire need to expose such individuals to diverse ideas through cross cultural dialogues. He suggested that academia should promote cross...
NISP 2018: Missing The Point
The new national security policy (NISP 2018) released recently by former Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, is a welcome step insofar as the occasional review and recalibration of policy documents is concerned. It introduces a new regime focused on the 6 ‘Rs’, Reorient, Reimagine, Reconcile, Redistribute, Recognise, and the adoption of a Regional Approach as a recipe for peaceful socio-economic development. The rest is largely a regurgitation of the NISP 2014, masked in somewhat new diction, except the names of nearly all the officials who contributed to it. Like a typical western report, NISP too points out the Islamic State as the biggest threat to the country and warns against the potential spill over of this brand of terrorism from Afghanistan into Pakistan. Unfortunately, the NISP 2018 treats various forms of terrorism, including trans-border terrorism, as our most pressing challenge, little alluding to the fact that most manifestations of terrorism — or violent extremism — which has seen marked reduction as a result of hard power and kinetic operations in the last two years — are directly connected with our relations with India and Afghanistan. This terrorism can only be eradicated completely once relations with these nations improve. NISP overlooks the fact that internal security is about fixing internal faults, some of which represent a continuous threat to social peace, economic development and cohesion. The state has failed to stop media houses from using the peoples’ religious sentiments for their own commercial purposes The biggest fault-line is not extremism, but what must be a source of concern for everybody, and a factor that continues to muddy Pakistan’s name abroad, is increased religiosity and the deployment of faith as a shield to protect people or groups who take the law into their own hands. This includes actions like the recent attack on an Ahmadi place of worship in Sialkot, construction of Mosques and Madaris on state lands without permission...
CRSS Signs Agreement with the Federal Ombudsperson for Protection against Harassment
The Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) and Federal Ombudsperson Secretariat for Protection against Harassment (FOSPAH) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work on harassment against women, at an Iftar Dinner hosted by CRSS at Islamabad Club on May 30, 2018. CRSS is committed to the cause of independent research and nonpartisan analysis in Pakistan and the establishment of FOSPAH is to investigate, inquire, recommend, and implement on matters relating to sexual harassment, hostile work environment and gender-based discrimination at workplaces under the Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act 2010. There exist common grounds in which cooperation between the FOSPAH and CRSS would be beneficial in public interest. Emphasizing the need for independent research and analysis on issues such as gender equality, discrimination, equal opportunities and access to justice, the parties look forward to jointly carry out activities on the subject matter. Under the agreement, both organisations would seek collaboration to promote enforcement mechanism of the Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act 2010 and independent research, awareness campaigns, and development in Pakistan.
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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.