Sectarianism, which is eating into the vitals of Pakistani state and society, needs to be eradicated. That is imperative not only to achieve social harmony but also to achieve security and stability, which will help in attracting foreign investment in the country. While differences among people may continue to persist, the way forward is linked … Read more
Pak Institute for Peace Studies implemented a range of activities in the year 2018, mainly in the following six major thematic areas: Counter-Violent Extremism (CVE) Education Social harmony and religious tolerance Conflict, peace and security Regional security and strategic studies Dialogue These implemented activities, which are elaborated in the following pages, oriented around research and … Read more
Historically, Pakistan-Afghanistan relations have seen many ups and downs. The Afghan-Soviet war (1979-1989), the Taliban regime (1994-2001) and post-9/11 developments – are some of the events in Afghanistan that have dramatically altered its relations with Pakistan. In the last one-and-a-half decade, however, a sense of mistrust prevails on both sides of the border. Attempts by … Read more
Taj Haider (The author is a former Senator, who headed Senate’s special committee on CPEC from 2015 to 2018. The analysis is based on the author’s experience as head of that committee.) Amid all the debate on the future of CPEC, one should not forget the pressing issue of due share in the project, demanded … Read more
Although Pakistan has a comprehensive constitutional framework and accompanying legal procedures, the rule of law, in practice, is still confined to conventional concepts of internal security and law enforcement. The common perception amongst policymakers and practitioners defines rule of law as being about the control and elimination of crimes, and conventional and non conventional security … Read more
Anam Fatima These days, the financing of Diamer-Bhasha Dam is in the news. Prime Minister Imran Khan has called upon the expatriate Pakistanis to generously support funds for the dam. The Supreme Court has already established a dedicated pool to generate money through donations. The move is quite noble. But clearly, it is being said, … Read more
On August 11, 2018, a suicide bomber attacked a bus carrying Chinese engineers in Balochistan. It later emerged that the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) was behind the attack. The attack has raised questions about security to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) especially in Balochistan. Below are comments by some experts on the incident: BLA suicide attack … Read more
Although attacks on political leaders and workers have become a regular feature of terrorist violence in Pakistan, frequency of such attacks usually increases before and during election times. Similarly, supporters and workers of different parties are also seen engaged in incidents of political violence in terms of armed clashes as well as attacks during election … Read more
Abstract Different militant streams operating in Pakistan are characterized respectively by conventional jihadist groups – established to safeguard the state’s strategic interests in the region; independent militant groups – formed by the militants who grew in the folds of or parallel to conventional groups but gradually formed their separate groups such as tribal Taliban militant … Read more
There has been relative improvement in the country’s overall security situation in 2016 that boded well for the security of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as well. However some major attacks by Islamist and sectarian militants groups, mainly in Balochistan – the province that holds a pivotal place in the CPEC due to hosting Gwadar Port … Read more