A session on water crisis in Pakistan

The availability and development of water resources in Pakistan is gradually turning into a crisis and has reached at the level of inter-provincial conflict which needs to be resolved immediately. Besides water conveyance system losses the opposition to mega water storage projects is another critical factor adding to depletion of water resources. There is immense need of … Read more

Political instability as a factor of extremism in Pakistan & suggestions to counter it

Pakistan needs an internal discourse without which it can neither compete extremism nor terrorism at state and societal level.  Alternative discourse is the need of hour, argued Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa Agha,  an independent security analyst and strategic affairs expert and the author of several books including Military Inc.: Inside Pakistan’s Military Economy,  while addressing a seminar “Political Instability … Read more

Af-Pak policy: Prospects for regional stability

“The Af-Pak policy of Obama administration envisions many new things for the region, particularly Afghanistan, and there are a lot of ideas floating around Washington. But the problem with these new ideas is three-fold. First these ideas are mostly mutually incompatible and can’t be combined or are difficult to combine. Secondly, no body has a … Read more

Cooperation between law enforcement agencies can make counter-terrorism strategies effective

“Efforts and strategies to counter insurgency and terrorism can be successful only when the local police and other law enforcement agencies will cooperate,” said Hassan Abbas, author of Pakistan’s Drift into Extremism, addressing a seminar on “Counter-Terrorism Strategy: Need for Police Reforms” on July 23, 2009 organized by the Pak Institute for peace Studies (PIPS), Islamabad at … Read more

America has limited role to play in FATA: Joshua T. White

“The US leads the global war against terrorism, however, it has very limited role to play in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The US should not or cannot deploy its forces in FATA, and such deployment is itself a bad idea. It is principal task of Pakistan to counter the militants in that region. … Read more

Importance of Kashmir issue in Af-Pak policy: Fundamental or marginal

Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) organized a Focus Group Discussion, Importance of Kashmir Issue in Af-Pak Policy: Fundamental or Marginal, at a local hotel in Islamabad on 7 July 2009. General (Retd.) Talat Masood, convener PUGWASH, chaired the session. Speakers included General Asad Durrani, a strategic and defence analyst, Mr. Muhammad Amir Rana, director PIPS, Ms. … Read more

PIPS media workshop recommends balanced reporting on extremism

Pak Institute for Peace Studies organized a daylong workshop for print and TV journalists from Punjab, NWFP and Azad Kashmir. Forty journalists working in cities and far-flung rural areas took part in the workshop held to spread awareness about the need to counter extremism in Pakistan. Minister of State for Defence production, Sardar Saleem Haider … Read more

Regional and International circumstances/ pressures as factors of extremism in Pakistan and solutions to counter it

To muddle through all the problems like terrorism, radicalization, poverty and energy crisis that Pakistan is currently facing requires a policy shift,” noted Dr. Shaheen, a research fellow at  the Institute for Regional Studies Islamabad (IRS), while addressing a session organized by Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) Islamabad on September 29, 2009 at its premises. While … Read more

“Countering extremism: Strategies and sharing best practices”

“Militants wanted power, not Nizam-e-Adl,” said federal minister for religious affairs while addressing a two days international seminar titled “Countering Extremism: Strategies and Sharing Best Practices” which opened on 4 May in Islamabad. The seminar is organized by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) in collaboration with the Department of Defence and Strategic Studies, … Read more