Pakistan News Digest May (16-31) 2016
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Internal Situation in Pakistan
REPORT PREPARED WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE PROJECT EXPANSION OF THE LIBRARY OF COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION UNIT, CO-FUNDED BY THE EUROPEAN REFUGEE FUND INTERNAL SITUATION IN PAKISTAN SYLWIA GIL June 2012 COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION UNIT OFFICE FOR FOREIGNERS, POLAND May 2013 REPORT PREPARED WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE PROJECT EXPANSION OF THE LIBRARY OF COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION UNIT, CO-FUNDED BY THE EUROPEAN REFUGEE FUND INTERNAL SITUATION IN PAKISTAN SYLWIA GIL June 2012 COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION UNIT OFFICE FOR FOREIGNERS, POLAND May 2013 DISCLAIMER The present report is a public document, and it has been developed as part of the “Extension of the Library of the Division for Country of Origin Information Unit”, project no. 1/7/2009/ EFU, co-financed by the European Refugee Fund. Under the above-mentioned project, the Country of Origin Information Unit in the Office for Foreigners commissions external experts to prepare studies presenting detailed analyses of selected problems and issues arising during the refugee/asylum procedure. The information presented in such thematic reports is based mostly on commonly available resources, such as: studies developed by international organisations, both governmental and non-governmental, press articles and/or online resources. At times they also include own observations, experience and field studies conducted by the authors. All the information included in this report has been collected and elaborated with the highest diligence. However, it cannot be excluded that some data, or even the overall picture of the situation presented in the report, are out-of-date, incomplete or inaccurate. Therefore, this report must not be treated as the exclusive and indisputable reference in relation to decisions on awarding or refusing the refugee status or other forms of international protection. -
Afghanistan: Sikhs and Hindus
Country Policy and Information Note Afghanistan: Sikhs and Hindus Version 5.0 May 2019 Preface Purpose This note provides country of origin information (COI) and analysis of COI for use by Home Office decision makers handling particular types of protection and human rights claims (as set out in the basis of claim section). It is not intended to be an exhaustive survey of a particular subject or theme. It is split into two main sections: (1) analysis and assessment of COI and other evidence; and (2) COI. These are explained in more detail below. Assessment This section analyses the evidence relevant to this note – i.e. the COI section; refugee/human rights laws and policies; and applicable caselaw – by describing this and its inter-relationships, and provides an assessment on whether, in general: x A person is reasonably likely to face a real risk of persecution or serious harm x A person is able to obtain protection from the state (or quasi state bodies) x A person is reasonably able to relocate within a country or territory x Claims are likely to justify granting asylum, humanitarian protection or other form of leave, and x If a claim is refused, it is likely or unlikely to be certifiable as ‘clearly unfounded’ under section 94 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002. Decision makers must, however, still consider all claims on an individual basis, taking into account each case’s specific facts. Country of origin information The country information in this note has been carefully selected in accordance with the general principles of COI research as set out in the Common EU [European Union] Guidelines for Processing Country of Origin Information (COI), dated April 2008, and the Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation’s (ACCORD), Researching Country Origin Information – Training Manual, 2013. -
Carlotta Gall: Isi Sheltered Bin Laden in Pakistan
CARLOTTA GALL: ISI SHELTERED BIN LADEN IN PAKISTAN The New York Times has just released an excerpt from Carlotta Gall’s upcoming book “The Wrong Enemy: America in Afghanistan, 2001-2014″. Recall that Gall lived in Afghanistan and covered Afghanistan and Pakistan for the Times from 2001-2013 (Declan Walsh also covered Pakistan from inside Pakistan until he was expelled just before the election in 2013). The biggest revelation in the excerpt is that Pakistan knew about, and Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI, actively sheltered, Osama bin Laden when he was in hiding in Pakistan. Gall claims that then-ISI head Ahmed Shuja Pasha had direct knowledge of bin Laden’s presence: Soon after the Navy SEAL raid on Bin Laden’s house, a Pakistani official told me that the United States had direct evidence that the ISI chief, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha, knew of Bin Laden’s presence in Abbottabad. The information came from a senior United States official, and I guessed that the Americans had intercepted a phone call of Pasha’s or one about him in the days after the raid. “He knew of Osama’s whereabouts, yes,” the Pakistani official told me. The official was surprised to learn this and said the Americans were even more so. Pasha had been an energetic opponent of the Taliban and an open and cooperative counterpart for the Americans at the ISI. “Pasha was always their blue-eyed boy,” the official said. But in the weeks and months after the raid, Pasha and the ISI press office strenuously denied that they had any knowledge of Bin Laden’s presence in Abbottabad. -
Pakistan Army and Terrorism; an Unholy Alliance
Pakistan Army and Terrorism; an unholy alliance Pakistan has been known for its perennial support of the Taliban in Afghanistan and other terrorist organizations in Indian Administered Jammu and Kashmir. The dramatic events of the terrorist attacks on the twin towers in the United States (U.S) on the 11th of September 2001 also referred to as 9/11, shook the tectonic plates of world politics, pushing Pakistan into being a focal point of global politics. Pakistan became the key strategic partner of United States’ War on Terror; post the terrorist attacks, taking a complete U-turn in her traditional foreign policies towards Afghanistan and Indian Administered Jammu and Kashmir, albeit temporarily under international pressure for heavy monetary gains. The country, in which sectarian groups targeting minority communities (Shias, Sufis, Ahmadis etc.) and Kashmir- focused groups confined their operations to Indian Administered Kashmir and the rest of India, has become a victim of its own holy war as a consequence of the ‘unholy alliance’ between the Inter Intelligence Services (ISI), Pakistan’s powerful intelligence agency, military and self-styled religious scholars. This historic alliance has resulted in colossal rise of radical Islam being a factor in the country’s proclivity to Islamic fundamentalism. Jihadi Groups There are several kind of militant groups operating in and from Pakistan that can be distinguished by their sectarian background (Ahl-e-Hadith, Deobandi, Jamaat-e-Islami etc.), and their areas of operation (Afghanistan, India, Pakistan). Their objectives may vary from overthrowing the Pakistani government, seizure of Indian Administered Jammu and Kashmir or support of Afghan Taliban. -
Summary of Information on Jihadist Websites the Second Half of May 2016
ICT Jihadi Monitoring Group PERIODIC REVIEW Bimonthly Report Summary of Information on Jihadist Websites The Second Half of May 2016 International Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT) Additional resources are available on the ICT Website: www.ict.org.il This report summarizes notable events discussed on jihadist Web forums during the second half of May 2016. Following are the main points covered in the report: The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan announces the death of its leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, as a result of a US drone strike, and the appointment of the organization’s new leader, Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada. As a result of the announcement, members of the Emirate and some Al-Qaeda branches give eulogies in Akhtar Mansour’s memory. Meanwhile, members of the Taliban in Afghanistan swear allegiance to the new leader of the Emirate. Abu Muhammad al-‘Adnani, the spokesman for the Islamic State, calls on supporters of the organization to help it carry out terrorist attacks on western soil using any means and provides permission for the killing of all civilians in the west. In addition, al-‘Adnani accuses rebel factions in Syria, including Al-Nusra Front, of joining the infidel forces and collaborating with the US and coalition forces. Abu Abdullah al-Shami, a member of Al-Nusra Front’s Shura Council, accuses the US of foiling the Syrian revolution and supporting the Alawite regime. According to him, this trend only serves to encourage the organization’s fighters to keep fighting. In addition, al-Shami calls on all jihad factions in Syria to continue jihad until they achieve their goals. -
Downloaded by [New York University] at 23:42 28 November 2016 Pakistan’S Inter- Services Intelligence Directorate
Downloaded by [New York University] at 23:42 28 November 2016 Pakistan’s Inter- Services Intelligence Directorate This book is the first comprehensive study of Pakistan’s Inter- Services Intelli- gence Directorate (ISI). The rise of Pakistan- backed religious extremist groups in Afghanistan, India and Central Asia has focused international attention on Pakistan’s premier intelligence organization and covert action advocate, the Inter- Services Intelligence Directorate or ISI. While ISI is regarded as one of the most powerful government agencies in Pakistan today, surprisingly little has been written about it from an academic perspective. This book addresses critical gaps in our understanding of this agency, including its domestic security mission, covert backing of the Afghan Taliban, and its links to al- Qa’ida. Using primary source materials, including declassified intelligence and diplomatic reporting, press reports and memoirs, this book explores how ISI was transformed from a small, negligible counter intelligence outfit of the late- 1940s into the national security behemoth of today with extensive responsibilities in domestic security, political interference and covert action. This study concludes that reforming or even eliminating ISI will be funda- mental if Pakistan is to successfully transition from an army- run, national security state to a stable, democratic society that enjoys peaceful relations with its neighbors. This book will be of interest to students of intelligence studies, South Asian politics, foreign policy and international security in general. Owen L. Sirrs is Adjunct Professor at the University of Montana, USA, and the author of two previous books, including, most recently, The Egyptian Intelligence Service (Routledge 2011). -
SVI Foresight Strategic Vision Institute Islamabad
SVI Foresight Volume 3, Number 10 October 2017 Compiled & Edited by: S. Sadia Kazmi Strategic Vision Institute Islamabad SVI Foresight Volume 3, Number 10 October 2017 Compiled &Edited by: S. Sadia Kazmi Strategic Vision Institute (SVI) Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this edition are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Strategic Vision Institute. Strategic Vision Institute (SVI) Strategic Vision Institute (SVI) is an autonomous, multidisciplinary and non-partisan institution, established in January 2013. It is a non-governmental and non-commercial organization, administered by a Board of Governors (General Body) supervised under a Chairperson and administered by a Management Committee headed by a President/Executive Director. SVI aims to project strategic foresight on issues of national and international import through dispassionate, impartial and independent research, analyses and studies. The current spotlight of the SVI is on the national security, regional and international peace and stability, strategic studies, nuclear non- proliferation, arms control, and strategic stability, nuclear safety and security and energy studies. SVI Foresight SVI Foresight is a monthly electronic journal. It has a multi-disciplinary perspective highlighting on the contemporary strategic and security studies. The Journal is envisioned to be a collection of policy-oriented articles written by its Research Associates, Visiting Faculty and professional experts. The objective is to provide -
Views Were Conducted During Fieldwork in the Summers of 2008 And
The Role of Media in the Framing of the Afghan Conflict and the Search for Peace A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Scripps College of Communication of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Roshan Noorzai August 2012 © 2012 Roshan Noorzai. All Rights Reserved. This dissertation titled The Role of Media in the Framing of the Afghan Conflict and the Search for Peace by ROSHAN NOORZAI has been approved for the School of Media Arts and Studies and the Scripps College of Communication by _____________________________________________ Don M. Flournoy Professor of Media Arts and Studies _____________________________________________ Scott Titsworth Dean, Scripps College of Communication ii Abstract NOORZAI, ROSHAN, Ph.D., August 2012, Mass Communication The Role of Media in the Framing of the Afghan Conflict and the Search for Peace (306 pp.) Director of Dissertation: Don M. Flournoy This dissertation explores media framing of conflict and peace in post-September 11, 2001 Afghanistan. The media selected for this study included: the BBC Pashto Service and Azadi Radio at the international level; Tehran’s Pashto Radio at the regional level; National Radio and Television of Afghanistan [NRTA], Tolo Television and Ariana Television at the national level; and Salam Watandar Network and Hewad Television at the local level. In-depth interviews were conducted during fieldwork in the summers of 2008 and 2009. Participant observation, textual analysis and documents analysis were the other methods used in this study. Using comparative frame analysis, this study identified the following main frames: state building, occupation as failure and civilian victims. -
India Pakistan Arms Race and Militarisation Watch No
India Pakistan Arms Race and Militarisation Watch Compilation No 167 (December 30, 2006 - 15 January 2007) Year Seven URL: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IPARMW/ URL for full text PDF: http://www.sacw.net/peace/IPARMW167.pdf produced by South Asia Citizens Web and South Asians Against Nukes Table of Contents: 1 Pakistan: - The General in his Labyrinth (Tariq Ali) - Military rule stifles democracy (Husain Haqqani) - Soldiers of Fortune (Ayesha Siddiqa) - Business in Jackboots (Gulmina Bilal) 2 Deep mutual distrust within the foreign policy officialdom: - Diplomats miss golf as India, Pakistan bicker (Bharat Bhushan) 3 Killing Fields of India and Pakistan: Land Mines at work - Mine-blown lives (Fatima Chowdhury) - Stop mining the border (HRCP) 4 Disappeared In India and Pakistan: - Kashmir’s Half-Widows Struggle for Fuller Life (Haroon Mirani) - Kin and Rights Groups Search for Pakistan’s Missing (Salman Masood) - Pakistan: Growing anger at continuing enforced disappearances (Amnesty International) - Pakistan protester Where are they? (BBC) - Spotlight on Pakistan’s “disappeared” (Nirupama Subramanian) - ‘War on Terror’ an Excuse for Disappearances (Zofeen Ebrahim) - HRCP slates torturing of Pindi protesters 5 Nuclear Matters: - Living with the Bomb (Commentary, Himal South Asian) - Nuclear disarmament gets critical (Praful Bidwai) 6 Missile Testing: (i) Pakistan tests ballistic missile (ii) Agni III to be launched in 2007 7 Inequality and conflict (Shahid Javed Burki) 8 On Arms Sales From India and Pakistan: - Sri Lanka to purchase $100 -
Mullah Omar's Death
1 Mullah Omar’s Death: A Game Changer By Dr. Farhan Zahid 2 Mullah Omar’s Death: A Game Change Dr. Farhan Zahid is a senior officer of the Police Service of Pakistan and senior CRSS research fellow. He earned his Ph.D. in Terrorism Studies from University of Brussels, Belgium. Dr. Zahid has authored more than 50 research papers and articles , published in various national and international journals and magazines. He writes on counter- terrorism, al-Qaeda, Pakistani al- Qaeda-linked groups, Islamist violent non- state actors in Pakistan, jihadi ideologies and the Afghan Taliban. He has also authored three books Roots of Islamic Violent Activism in South Asia", published by Narratives (2014), “The Al-Qaeda Network in Pakistan”, Published by Narratives (2015) and co-authored ”, From Jihad to Al-Qaeda to Islamic State” with Imtiaz Gul and Abbas Ahmad), published by Center for Research and Security Studies, Islamabad 2015) . The death of the Taliban supremo, Mullah Omar, has finally been confirmed by a spokesman for Afghanistan’s security services last month in July, 2015, putting all speculations regarding his mysterious disappearance to rest.1 However, contrary to the Afghan assertion that Mullah Omar died in a hospital in Pakistan in April 2013,2 the Taliban spokesperson, Zahibullah Mujahid, in a statement to the Voice of America, clarified that the Taliban leader indeed died of an illness, however, he “did not leave Afghanistan since the US-Backed forces overthrew the group in 2001”.3 Within days, the Taliban shura – central council – elected Mulla Akhtar Mansoor, as Omar’s successor, a move that was instantly snubbed by Abdul Manan, the younger brother of Mulla Omar, for lack of transparency. -
(35Th Session) NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SECRETARIAT
1 (35th Session) NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SECRETARIAT ———— “QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWERS AND THEIR REPLIES” to be asked at a sitting of the National Assembly to be held on Friday, the 6th August, 2021 23. *Shazia Marri: (Deferred during 32nd Session) Will the Minister for Interior be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that administration of Islamabad Capital Territory Police has failed to pay pensioners’ dues or benefits to their own retired employees for the last few years; if so, the reasons of pendency of such dues; (b) details of employees, whose pensionary dues or benefits are pending at present and the time by which, such dues of each employee will be cleared; and (c) what steps are being taken by the Government to pay such dues to its retiring employees, at an earliest? Minister for Interior (Sheikh Rashid Ahmed): (a) No case for payment of pension to retired officers/officials is pending in ICT Police. However, some cases for payment of TA and leave encashment are pending due to non-availability of funds. The case for funds availability is under process. (b) The details of such employees are at Annex-A. The pending payments of TA and leave encashment to the retired officers/officials will immediately be cleared on receipt of funds from Government. (c) Case for supplementary grant is under active process. (Annexure has been placed in the National Assembly Library) 2 24. Admissibility is being re-considered. 68. *Moulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali: (Deferred during 33rd Session) Will the Minister for Defence be pleased to state: (a) whether -
Pakistan Security Report 2017
Conflict and Peace Studies VOLUME 10 Jan - June 2018 NUMBER 1 PAKISTAN SECURITY REPORT 2017 PAK INSTITUTE FOR PEACE STUDIES (PIPS) A PIPS Research Journal Conflict and Peace Studies Copyright © PIPS 2018 All Rights Reserved No part of this journal may be reproduced in any form by photocopying or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage or retrieval systems, without prior permission in writing from the publisher of this journal. Editorial Advisory Board Khaled Ahmed Dr. Catarina Kinnvall Consulting Editor, Department of Political Science, The Friday Times, Lahore, Pakistan. Lund University, Sweden. Prof. Dr. Saeed Shafqat Dr. Adam Dolnik Director, Centre for Public Policy and Governance, Professor of Counterterrorism, George C. Forman Christian College, Lahore, Pakistan. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, Germany. Marco Mezzera Tahir Abbas Senior Adviser, Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Professor of Sociology, Fatih University, Centre / Norsk Ressurssenter for Fredsbygging, Istanbul, Turkey. Norway. Prof. Dr. Syed Farooq Hasnat Rasul Bakhsh Rais Pakistan Study Centre, University of the Punjab, Professor, Political Science, Lahore, Pakistan. Lahore University of Management Sciences Lahore, Pakistan. Anatol Lieven Dr. Tariq Rahman Professor, Department of War Studies, Dean, School of Education, Beaconhouse King's College, London, United Kingdom. National University, Lahore, Pakistan. Peter Bergen Senior Fellow, New American Foundation, Washington D.C., USA. Pak Institute for Peace Studies ISSN 2072-0408