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Friday, March 30, 2012

Taimoor Gondal Diplomat

Join Date: Jul 2010Location: Mandi BahauddinPosts: 1,757Thanks: 1,623Thanked 2,062 Times in 1,053 Posts

Current Affairs Notes

ESTABLISHMENT

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok,Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the Founding Fathers ofASEAN, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.Brunei Darussalam then joined on 7 January 1984, Viet Nam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999, making up what is today the ten Member States of ASEAN.ASEAN covers an area of 4.46 million km, 3% of the total land area of Earth, with a population ofapproximately 600 million people, 8.8% of the world population. In 2010, its combined nominal GDP hadgrown to US$1.8 trillion. If ASEAN was a single entity, it would rank as the ninth largest economy in theworld.

AIMS AND PURPOSES

As set out in the ASEAN Declaration, the aims and purposes of ASEAN are:1. To accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region throughjoint endeavours in the spirit of equality and partnership in order to strengthen the foundation for aprosperous and peaceful community of Southeast Asian Nations;2. To promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law in therelationship among countries of the region and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter;

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3. To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest in the economic,social, cultural, technical, scientific and administrative fields;4. To provide assistance to each other in the form of training and research facilities in the educational,professional, technical and administrative spheres;5. To collaborate more effectively for the greater utilisation of their agriculture and industries, theexpansion of their trade, including the study of the problems of international commodity trade, theimprovement of their transportation and communications facilities and the raising of the living standardsof their peoples;6. To promote Southeast Asian studies; and7. To maintain close and beneficial cooperation with existing international and regional organisations withsimilar aims and purposes, and explore all avenues for even closer cooperation among themselves.

FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES

In their relations with one another, the ASEAN Member States have adopted the following fundamentalprinciples, as contained in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) of 1976:1. Mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national identity ofall nations;2. The right of every State to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion orcoercion;3. Non-interference in the internal affairs of one another;4. Settlement of differences or disputes by peaceful manner;5. Renunciation of the threat or use of force; and6. Effective cooperation among themselves.

ASEAN COMMUNITY

The ASEAN Vision 2020, adopted by the ASEAN Leaders on the 30th Anniversary of ASEAN, agreed on ashared vision of ASEAN as a concert of Southeast Asian nations, outward looking, living in peace, stabilityand prosperity, bonded together in partnership in dynamic development and in a community of caringsocieties.At the 9th ASEAN Summit in 2003, the ASEAN Leaders resolved that an ASEAN Community shall beestablished.At the 12th ASEAN Summit in January 2007, the Leaders affirmed their strong commitment to acceleratethe establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015 and signed the Cebu Declaration on the Accelerationof the Establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015.The ASEAN Community is comprised of three pillars, namely the ASEAN Political-Security Community,ASEAN Economic Community and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. Each pillar has its own Blueprint,and, together with the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Strategic Framework and IAI Work PlanPhase II (2009-2015), they form the Roadmap for and ASEAN Community 2009-2015.

ASEAN CHARTER

The ASEAN Charter serves as a firm foundation in achieving the ASEAN Community by providing legalstatus and institutional framework for ASEAN. It also codifies ASEAN norms, rules and values; sets cleartargets for ASEAN; and presents accountability and compliance.The ASEAN Charter entered into force on 15 December 2008. A gathering of the ASEAN Foreign Ministerswas held at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta to mark this very historic occasion for ASEAN.With the entry into force of the ASEAN Charter, ASEAN will henceforth operate under a new legalframework and establish a number of new organs to boost its community-building process.In effect, the ASEAN Charter has become a legally binding agreement among the 10 ASEAN MemberStates.

Enlargement of ASEAN:-

During the 1990s, the bloc experienced an increase in both membership and drive for further integration.In 1990, Malaysia proposed the creation of an East Asia Economic Caucus comprising the then members ofASEAN as well as the People's Republic of China, Japan, and South Korea, with the intention ofcounterbalancing the growing influence of the United States in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC) and in the Asian region as a whole. This proposal failed, however, because of heavy opposition


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from the United States and Japan. Despite this failure, member states continued to work for furtherintegration and ASEAN Plus Three was created in 1997.In 1992, the Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) scheme was signed as a schedule for phasingtariffs and as a goal to increase the regions competitive advantage as a production base geared for theworld market. This law would act as the framework for the ASEAN Free Trade Area. After the East AsianFinancial Crisis of 1997, a revival of the Malaysian proposal was established in Chiang Mai, known as theChiang Mai Initiative, which calls for better integration between the economies of ASEAN as well as theASEAN Plus Three countries (China, Japan, and South Korea).Aside from improving each member state's economies, the bloc also focused on peace and stability in theregion. On 15 December 1995, the Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty was signed withthe intention of turning Southeast Asia into a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone. The treaty took effect on 28March 1997 after all but one of the member states have ratified it. It became fully effective on 21 June2001, after the Philippines ratified it, effectively banning all nuclear weapons in the region.Early 2011, East Timor plans to submit a letter of application to the ASEAN Secretariat in Indonesia to bethe eleventh member of ASEAN at the summit in Jakarta. Indonesia has shown a warm welcome to EastTimor.[/SIZE]

__________________Success is never achieved by the size of our brain but it is always achieved by the quality of our thoughts.

The Following 17 Users Say Thank You to Taimoor Gondal For This Useful Post:

abdul basit lone (Thursday, July 19, 2012), anam047 (Friday, April 27, 2012), arbab01 (Sunday, October06, 2013), BALOCHISTAN (Friday, October 12, 2012), hafizahmedraza (Friday, November 01, 2013),inash (Wednesday, December 12, 2012), isha saeed (Monday, July 15, 2013), Jolie Dame (Thursday,August 22, 2013), khyamakbar (Tuesday, January 08, 2013), king khan jadoon (Saturday, April 21,2012), Malmeena Khan (Thursday, June 21, 2012), Mehwish Dolly (Friday, October 12, 2012), MehwishPervez (Friday, December 28, 2012), Raptor (Wednesday, August 15, 2012), Rescuer 1122 (Friday,December 28, 2012), Rushna Qureshi (Saturday, October 06, 2012), syeda naqvi (Saturday, May 26,2012)




Baluchistan conflict

The Government of Pakistan over Baluchistan, the country's largest province. Recently,separatists have also clashed with Islamic Republic of Iran over its respective Balochregion, which borders Pakistan. Shortly after Pakistan's creation in 1947, the Army of theIslamic Republic had to subdue insurgents based in Kalat who rejected the King of Kalatdecision to accede to Pakistan, reminiscent of the Indian Army's operation in thePrincipality state of Hyderabad. The movement gained momentum during the 1960s, andamid consistent political disorder, the government ordered a military operation into theregion in 1973, assisted by Iran, and inflicted heavy casualties on the separatists. Themovement was largely quelled after the imposition of martial law in 1977, after whichBaluchistan witnessed significant development. After insurgency groups againmushroomed in the 1990s and 2000s, the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan and the war inNorth-West Pakistan exacerbated the conflict, most recently manifested in the killings of


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non-Baloch settlers in the province by separatists since 2006.

Background:-

1. First conflict 1948 (led by Prince Abdul Karim Khan)

In April 1948, Baloch nationalists claim that the central government sent the Pakistanarmy, which allegedly forced Mir Ahmed Yar Khan to give up his state, Kalat. Kalat was alandlocked British protectorate that comprised roughly 22%23% of Baluchistan. MirAhmed Yar Khan signed an accession agreement ending Kalat's de facto independence.His brother, Prince Abdul Karim Khan, was a powerful governor of a section of Kalat, aposition that he was removed from after accession. He decided to initiate an insurgencyagainst Pakistan. On the night of May 16, 1948 Prince Abdul Karim Khan initiated aseparatist movement against the Pakistani government. He conducted guerrilla warfarebased in Afghanistan against the Pakistan army.

2. Second conflict 195859 (led by Nawab Nowroz Khan)

Nawab Nowroz Khan took up arms in resistance to the One Unit policy, which decreasedgovernment represenation for tribal leaders. He and his followers started a guerrilla waragainst Pakistan. Nowroz Khan and his followers were charged with treason and arrestedand confined in Hyderabad jail. Five of his family members (sons and nephews) weresubsequently hanged under charges of aiding murder of Pakistani troops and treason.Nawab Nowroz Khan later died in captivity.

3. Third conflict 196369 (led by Nawab Khair Baksh Marri)

After the second conflict, the Federal government sent the Army to build new militarybases in the key conflict areas of Baluchistan in order to resist further chaos. Nawab KhairBaksh marri appointed an unknow shero marri to lead like-minded militants in guerrillawarfare by creating their own insurgent bases spread out over 45,000 miles (72,000 km)of land, from the Mengal tribal area in the south to the Marri and Bugti tribal areas in thenorth. Their goal was to force Pakistan to share revenue generated from the Sui gas fieldswith the tribal leaders. The insurgents bombed railway tracks and ambushed convoys.The Army retaliated by destroying vast areas of the Marri tribe's land. This insurgencyended in 1969 and the Baloch separatists agreed to a ceasefire. Yahya Khan abolished the"One Unit" policy. This eventually led to the recognition of Baluchistan as the fourthprovince of West Pakistan (present-day Pakistan) in 1970, containing all the Baluchistaniprincely states, the High Commissioners Province and Gwadar, an 800 km2 coastal areapurchased by the Pakistani Government from Oman.

4. Fourth conflict 197377 (led by Nawab Khair Baksh Marri)

Citing treason, President Bhutto dismissed the provincial governments of Baluchistan andNWFP and imposed martial law in those provinces. Dismissal of the provincialgovernments led to armed insurgency. Khair Bakhsh Marri formed the BaluchistanPeoples Liberation Front (BPLF), which led large numbers of Marri and Mengal tribesmeninto guerrilla warfare against the central government. According to some authors, thePakistani military lost 300 to 400 soldiers during the conflict with the Balochi separatists,while between 7,300 and 9,000 Balochi militants and civilians were killed.


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5. Fifth conflict 2004 to date (led by Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti and Mir BalachMarri)

In 2005, the Baluch political leaders Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti and Mir Balach Marripresented a 15-point agenda to the Pakistan government. Their stated demands includedgreater control of the province's resources and a Moratorium on the construction ofmilitary bases. On 15 December 2005, Inspector-General of Frontier Corps Maj GenShujaat Zamir Dar and his deputy Brig Salim Nawaz (the current IGFC) were woundedafter shots were fired at their helicopter in Baluchistan province. The provincial interiorsecretary later said that "both of them were wounded in the leg but both are in stablecondition." The two men had been visiting Kohlu, about 220 km (135 miles) south-east ofQuetta, when their aircraft came under fire. The helicopter landed safely.In August 2006, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, 79 years old, was killed in fighting with thePakistan Army in which at least 60 Pakistani soldiers and 7 officers were killed. He wascharged by Pakistan's government of a series of bomb blasts, killings of the people heprofessed to protect and the rocket attack on the President Pervez Musharraf.In April 2009, Baloch National Movement president Ghulam Mohammed Baloch and twoother nationalist leaders (Lala Munir and Sher Muhammad), were seized from a small legaloffice and were allegedly "handcuffed, blindfolded and hustled into a waiting pickup truckwhich is in still use of intelligence forces in front of their lawyer and neighboringshopkeepers."The gunmen were allegedly speaking in Persian (a national language ofneighboring Afghanistan and Iran) Five days later on April 8 their bodies, "riddled withbullets" were found in a commercial area.The BLA claims Pakistani forces were behind thekillings, though international experts have deemed it odd that the Pakistani forces wouldbe careless enough to allow the bodies to be found so easily and 'light Baluchistan on fire'(Herald) if they were truly responsible. The discovery of the bodies sparked rioting andweeks of strikes, demonstrations and civil resistance" in cities and towns aroundBaluchistan.On August 12, 2009, Khan of Kalat Mir Suleiman Dawood declared himself ruler ofBaluchistan and formally made announcement of a Council for Independent Baluchistan.The Council's claimed domain includes "Baloch of Iran", as well as Pakistani Baluchistan,but does not include Afghani Baloch regions,and the Council contains "all separatistleaders including Nawabzada Bramdagh Bugti." He claims that "the UK had a moralresponsibility to raise the issue of Baluchistans illegal occupation at international level."

Alleged Foreign Support for Baluch rebels

Pakistan has repeatedly accused India, and occasionally the U.S., of supporting theBaluch rebels in order to destabilize the country. India has however categorically deniedthe allegations on its part, stating that no concrete evidence has been provided. The factsare controversial, but Pakistan still continues to insist. Iran has repeatedly accusedAmerica of supporting Jundullah. After his capture, Jundullah leader Abdulmalek Rigiconfirmed these allegations. The US has however denied this. However, neutral observershave repeatedly noted that the Baloch nationalist groups are poorly-trained in militarytactics and strategy, and are currently outgunned by the Pakistani state. The groups aremainly armed with small non-automatic weapons and AK-47s, which are widely availablein Pakistan, and they currently are not skilled at using Improvised Explosive Devices(IEDs), which is seen as strong circumstantial evidence that they are not supported byoutside powers, contrary to the repeated statements of the Pakistani state.Baluchi rebels in Pakistan are said to receive major support from the Taliban inAfghanistan. In the 1980s the CIA, the Iraqi Intelligence Service, Pakistani Sunni extremistgroup Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan and the Mujahedin e-Kalq all supported a Baluchi tribal


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uprising against Iran. Pakistan has also accused India of giving citizenship to seniorBalouch SeparatistSelig S. Harrison of the George Soros funded Center for InternationalPolicy has been calling for dividing Pakistan and supporting an independent Baluchprovince as a means to thwart growing relations between Islamabad and Beijing, asPakistan has given China a base at Gwadar. These views have been separately promotedby Ralph Peters, an zionist strategic affairs analyst and former U.S. Army officer, and anexpert on the Middle East and the Islamic world.

Saindak Copper Gold Project:

Saindak Copper-Gold Mine is located in Saindak town, district Chaghi Baluchistan,Pakistan. The discovery of copper deposits at Saindak was made in the 1970s incollaboration with a Chinese engineering firm. The Saindak Copper-Gold Project was setup by Saindak Metals Ltd, a company wholly owned by the government of Pakistan, bythe end of 1995 at a cost of Rs.13.5 billion.Pakistan and China signed a formal contract worth $350 million for development ofSaindak Copper-Gold Project. The project was leased for 10 year to a Chinese companycalled Metallurgical Construction Corp (MCC), which is due to expire in September 2012.Under the lease agreement, MCC was to run the project on an annual rent of $500,000plus a 50 per cent share of copper sales to the Pakistani government.The project was based on estimated ore reserves of 412 million tonnes containing onaverage 0.5 gram of gold per ton and 1.5 grams of silver per ton. According to officialestimates, the project has the capacity to produce 15,800 ton of blister copper annually,containing 1.5 ton of gold and 2.8 ton of silver.

Reko Diq Copper Gold Project:-

Reko Diq is a small town in Chagai District, Baluchistan, Pakistan, in a desert area, 70kilometres north-west of Naukundi, close to Pakistan's border with Iran and Afghanistan.The area is located in Tethyan belt that stretches all the way from Turkey and Armeniainto Pakistan.Reko Diq has proven gold and copper reserves worth US $125 billion. It is estimated thatarea has 12.3 million tons of world class copper and 20.9 million ounces of gold.However, later it has been claimed by several Pakistani scholars that the gold and copperreserves worth is far more than estimated earlier, that is 1000 billion dollars.The Reko Diq Mining Project is a US$ 3.3 billion capital investment project that promisesto build and operate a world class copper-gold open-pit mine at Reko Diq. TCC (TethyanCopper Company), which is actually Canadian-Chilian based company, is responsible forminning at Reko Diq.

Gawadar:-

Gawadar Port is a developing warm-water, deep-sea port situated at Gwadar inBaluchistan province of Pakistan at the apex of the Arabian Sea and at the entrance of thePersian Gulf, about 460 km west of Karachi and approximately 75 km (47 mi) east ofPakistan's border with Iran. The port is located on the eastern bay of a naturalhammerhead-shaped peninsula jutting out into the Arabian Sea from the coastline.


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Background:-

On 8 September 1958, Pakistan purchased the Gwadar enclave from Oman for $3 million.Gwadar officially became part of Pakistan on 8 December 1958. At the time, Gwadar wasa small and underdeveloped fishing village with a population of a few thousand.The Pakistani government integrated Gwadar into Baluchistan province on 1 July 1977 asthe district headquarters of the newly formed Gwadar District.In the 1993, the Government of Pakistan formally conceived the plan to develop Gwadarinto a major port city with a deep-sea port and connect it with Pakistan's highway and railnetworks. On 22 March 2002, the Government of Pakistan began construction of GwadarPort, a modern deep-sea port, the first phase of which was completed in December 2005.Gwadar Port became operational in December 2009.The city underwent major construction from 2002-07. In 2002, Pakistan's NationalHighway Authority (NHA) began construction of the 653 km-long Makran Coastal Highwaylinking Gwadar with Karachi via Pasni and Ormara and onwards with the rest of theNational Highways of Pakistan, which was completed in 2004. In 2003, the GwadarDevelopment Authority was established to oversee the planning and development ofGwadar. In 2004, Pakistan's NHA began construction of the 820-km long M8 motorwaylinking Gwadar with Ratodero in Sindh province via Turbat, Hoshab, Awaran and Khuzdarand onwards with the rest of the Motorways of Pakistan. In 2006, the GwadarDevelopment Authority conceived, developed and adopted a 50-year Master Plan forGwadar. In 2007, the Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan acquired 4,300 acres toconstruct a new greenfield airport, the New Gwadar International Airport, on 6,000 acres,at an estimated cost of Rs. 7.5 billion. China has funded 80% of the initial $248 millionconstruction of the city.However China has not announced being requested to operate theport by Pakistan.

Importance of Gawadar Port for China:-

Gwadar Port is being constructed in two phases with heavy investment from China.Technical and financial feasibility studies were commenced by the Government of Pakistanin 1993 but construction did not commence until 2002. The Gwadar Port was built on aturnkey basis by China. It was inaugurated in the spring of 2007 by then PakistaniPresident General Pervez Musharraf. Upon completion of the first phase, the Port ofSingapore Authority was hired for the management of the Port. Gwadar Port is now beingexpanded into a deep sea port and naval base with Chinese technical and financialassistance. Gwadar Port became operational in 2008 with the first ship to dock bringing52.000 tonnes of wheat from Canada. Pakistan's Minister of Ports and Shipping SardarNabil Ahmed Khan Gabol officially inaugurated the Port on 21 December 2008.China has acknowledged that Gwadars strategic value is no less than that of theKarakoram Highway, which helped cement the China-Pakistan relationship. Beijing is alsointerested in turning it into an energy-transport hub by building an oil pipeline fromGwadar into China's Xinjiang region. The planned pipeline will carry crude oil sourced fromArab and African states. Such transport by pipeline will cut freight costs and also helpinsulate the Chinese imports from interdiction by hostile naval forces in case of any majorwar.Commercially, it is hoped that the Gwadar Port would generate billions of dollars inrevenues and create at least two million jobs. In 2007, the government of Pakistanhanded over port operations to PSA Singapore for 25 years, and gave it the status of aTax Free Port for the following 40 years.

Missing Persons In Baluchistan:-


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The most pressing and hurtful issue right now, though, is that of the missing people.Human rights groups and Baloch political parties claim as many as 13,000 people aremissing in the province, while the provincial government acknowledges fewer than 1,000people have been picked up. Even if the true number lies somewhere in between, thesestatistics need to be reconciled. After that, a promise needs to be given that no citizen ofBaluchistan need ever fear for his life just for exercising his right to political dissent.

Target Killing in Baluchistan:-

According to Baluchistan police records, there were 256 incidents of targeting inBaluchistan in 2009 that killed 200 people and injured 387. In 2010, 231 incidents werereported that killed 255 and injured 498. In the first three months of 2011, at least 39incidents have occurred, which killed 38 and injured 66. Baluchistan ConstabularyCommandant Ghulam Shabbir Shah, speaking in Karachi recently, said that target killingsare set to break all previous records in the province.

Various shades of targets

According to Shah, no target killings are reported in the provinces Pashtun-dominatedareas, including Musakhel, Zhob, Loralai, Ziarat, Pishin, Harnai and Sibi.The claim was confirmed by Pakhtunkhwa Awami Milli Partys senior leader Abdul RahimKhan Mandokhel but, he said, Pakhtun Baloch have been targeted in two or three cases.Some unsuccessful attempts have been made to create a wedge between the Pakhtunsand Baloch, he said.Most target killing and terrorism incidents are reported in the districts of Quetta, Mastung,Bolan, Noshki, Kalat, Khuzdar, Kech, Gwadar, Lasbela and Panjgur. Four types of targetkillings are reported in Baluchistan: Attacks on people who have settled in the province,assassinations of policemen and Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, sectarian killings andmurders of political workers.

1. Settlers

Settlers in Baluchistan are numbered at least 461,328 and mostly comprise Punjabis,Seraikis and Urdu-speaking people. According to police statistics, based on inquiry andFIRs, at least 180 settlers have been shot dead between 2009 and March 2011.Officials admit that investigations into most target killings of settlers remain unsolved.There is a joke in the province that if you want authorities to stop pursuing a murdercase, have it claimed by one of the many rebel groups operating in Baluchistan, saysNational Party Vice-President Hasil Bizenjo.One such case is that of University of Baluchistans Professor Nazima Talib whose firstdeath anniversary approaches on April 27.These cases are difficult to crack because Baloch people sympathise with rebel groupsand, despite knowing who the murderers are, choose to remain quiet, says Shah.

2. Security personnel

At least 120 policemen and 66 FC personnel have been killed between 2009 and March2011.Shah says that despite clear evidence that police have suffered more, there is a severelack of resources. It is very easy to blame civilian institutions for failing to curb crime.But the truth is we dont have the resources to even fight petty dacoits who have more


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sophisticated arms and equipment, he said. On the other hand, FC and army units evenget food rations for troops.

3. Sectarian

Sectarian killings have been mostly targeted against Hazara Shias, who came toBaluchistan decades ago from Afghanistan and Iran. Police and counter-terrorism officialssay that anti-Shia militant groups such as Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) are active in Baluchistan.But Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazls (JUI-F) Secretary-General Maulana Abdul GhafoorHaideri, who hails from Kalat, says he doesnt know if the SSP or LeJ are involved.Experience shows that the state and intelligence agencies are the ones behind groupsthat instigate sectarian violence and ethnic strife, he said.

4. Political

Political party workers allege that they are being targeted not only by the state but byrebels as well.Bizenjo, whose party has lost three senior leaders, says the heavily-armed rebels areagainst nationalists because they say that you talk about federation when we are here upin the mountains waging a battle against the state.Baluchistan National Party-Mengals (BNP-M) Dr Jehanzaib Jamaldini says the party lostone of their best leaders Habib Jalib last year in a target killing. All evidence points tostate elements being behind the murder, he said.Hundreds of Baloch men, including political workers, have gone missing in the province.Bizenjo believes Baluchistans security situation is interconnected with Fata andAfghanistan and violence is bound to continue unless things improve there. Until it isdecided that nowhere in the country will anyone be allowed to hold a gun, the state willnot be able to establish its writ and target killings will continue, he said.Haideri says the government should either accept failure and step down or admit that it isinvolved in target killings in the province.Analysis:-It has long been an open secret that paramilitary forces and intelligence agencies havebeen holding sway in Baluchistan. This was finally acknowledged by the provincesadvocate general, Salahuddin Mengal, in front of the Supreme Court, when he revealedthat the Frontier Constabulary (FC) was picking up and even killing people. Although not asurprise, this revelation is important because the Supreme Court is the only institution inthe country that has shown the courage to take on the army. The court must now haul upsenior officers of the FC to explain the role it is playing in Baluchistan.However, the Supreme Court alone cannot solve Baluchistans problems. The utter lack ofconfidence the Baloch have in the army and the federal government requires muchgreater action. Separatist sentiment is now running deep in the province and theprovincial government lacks legitimacy because most political figures have boycottedmainstream politics. Bringing them back into the fold should be an immediate priority.This would require the army to recede and take a low profile, and an accounting of allthose who went missing in the province. Following that, a far greater share in the spoils ofBaluchistans economic development needs to be given to locals. From the developmentof a deep-sea port in Gwadar to royalties in mining projects, the Baloch feel they havebeen deliberately cheated out of profits from their resources. Only after this is rectified,will the separatist parties begin to tone down their rhetoric.__________________Success is never achieved by the size of our brain but it is always achieved by the quality of our thoughts.


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anam047 (Friday, April 27, 2012), BALOCHISTAN (Friday, October 12, 2012), Malik Iqbal (Wednesday,July 17, 2013), paras Sulehri (Monday, July 22, 2013), pisceankhan (1 Day Ago), Rescuer 1122 (Friday,December 28, 2012), Rushna Qureshi (Saturday, October 06, 2012)




Clash of Civilizations

World Politics is entering in a new phase which will be end of history,the return oftraditional rivalries between nation states and the decline of nation state from conflictingpulls of tribalism and globalism. Fundamental conflicts would not be ideological oreconomic but cultural conflicts. Nation states would remain the most dominant andpowerful actors.Clash of civilization will dominate the global politics. With the peace ofWestphalia conflict of western world were among princes, emperors, absolute orconstitutional monarchs to expand their armies, bureaucracies, mercantilist economicstrength. In this process they created nation states beginning with French revolution. Theprinciple lines of conflict were between the nations rather princes.

ANALYSIS

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many scholars predicted that the future of worldand where nations would advance. Huntingtons idea in the clash of civilization is arepresentative case among the various views on the new world and it caused lots ofdebates about the pros and cons of his thought. In the clash of civilization, Huntingtonargues that conflicts of contemporary world (after the end of Cold War) are not ideologicalnor economical but cultural and phenomenon such as confrontations and antagonismsamong nations which are caused by clashes of different civilizations would riseremarkably. However, Said criticized that the clash of civilization is a creature of theimperative conception that the West should hold the hegemony of new world order. Thisessay, therefore, explores the theory of the clash of civilization and criticizes severalpoints which are mentioned in it.A civilization is the highest cultural grouping of people and the broadest level of culturalidentity people have short that which distinguishes human from other species. It isdefined both by common objective elements, such as language, history,and religion. Inshort, while Huntington isright to see religion as a factor in the coming era of world politics, the role of religion willgo well beyond serving as a touchstone for culture. Religion is more than culture. Ittranscends civilizations. In the end, to listen to the believers among us, it will transcendhistory itself.Harvard Professor Samuel P. Huntington caused intellectual explosion by publishing hisarticle clash of civilizations in the American journal Foreign Affairs in 1993. He assertsCivilizations are the largest aggregates that command human loyalties and account for


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much of the bloodshed in the recorded human history. Cold war marked a brief departurefrom it but now old enemies could go to the past time, waging wars against each other.The biggest threat to the west at present comes from China and Islam. He argues thatnow the cold war had ended, future conflicts in the world politics would be less betweenstates and more between civilizations or coalitions of culture.He asserts his point of view,In this emerging era of cultural conflict the United States must forge alliances with similarcultures and spread its values wherever possible. With alien civilizations the West must beaccommodating if possible, but confrontational if necessary. In the final analysis,however, all civilizations will have to learn to tolerate each other.There is now a danger of hot war of religion to succeed the cold war of ideologies, thenew trend between America and allies, on the one hand, and Muslim countries such asIraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Libya, Sudan, and Somalia, on the other hand. Both Americancapitalism and Russian Commission were born out of European culture.

Present Scenario of mistrust and bloodshed:

The 9/11 attack was termed as beginning of clash of civilizations, when Tony Blairexclaimed as,

They have attacked on our civilization.

President Bush declared war against Afghanistan as Crusades. The question ariseswhether the significance of September 11, 2001, the attacks on the US, the devastation ofAfghanistan, the Israeli onslaught on the Palestinians homeland and Lebanon, the plans todivide Iraq and invade Iran Somalia, and Sudan, all add up to an unfolding conflictbetween the United States and its closet allies (Israel and UK) on the one hand, and moreand more Muslim countries, on the other hand.

The tumult caused by the publication of the caricature of the Holy Prophet in theNorwegian Newspaper. The growing phenomenon of linking fundamentalism to extremismand extremism to Islam and Islam to terrorism sent a shocking wave to EnlightenedMuslims.Clear discrimination against members of the Muslim community in Switzerland.NoFrench citizenship for burka-clad womens husband.

US hegmony:

American Gulliver of the globe. Economic globalization under American influence. Information globalization under American influence. Comprehensive globalization under American influence. One super power and security system for the globe. First among unequal: US is so far ahead of its nearest military rival, Russia; its nearesteconomic rival, Japan/china its technological rival Germany.

Why Civilizations will Clash?

The conflict of future will occur along the cultural fault lines separating civilization.


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(1).Differences among civilization are basic.(2)World is becoming a small place.(3)Process of Economic modernization and social change.(4)Growth of civilization is enhanced by the dual role of the west.(5)Cultural differences are less easily compromised and resolved than political andeconomic ones.(6)Economic nationalism is increasing Clash of civilization has two levels(a)Micro Level(b)Macro Level

Hidden Objectives under this Theory:

A clash of culture did occur when President Bush used to Taliban, the Language ofultimatum over surrendering us Usama, just hand over Usama Bin Laden and his thugs.There is nothing to talk about. It shows he was trying to get the Taliban to say NO, sothat Bush could embark on his long awaited military action to capture Afghanistan.The threat of weapons of mass destruction from North Korea is more real than that ofIraq, but till now 6,00,000 Iraqis have been butchered with their President hanged.

For Greater Israel Hezbollah, Iran and Syria are on the hit list as their culture of Violencein the words of Bush. Put future threats to the security of America.

Pluralistic Dimensions of Islamic Civilization:

Islam was not spread by sword, as misinterpreted by Pope, the living evidence is ArabLand itself where millions of Christian and the Jews are practicing their faith with completeliberty. Ruthless killing of innocent citizens committed by Napolean, Chengiz khan andobserved in the world wars are much greater than by Saddam or any other MuslimDespot.

In the Muslim world, the women are awarded more dignity than in the west, far lessprostitution than in the west, no beauty competitions. Sons in the Muslim world respecttheir mothers more than sons in the west. There was ethnic cleansing which displacedthousands of Palestinians to make room for the Jews. An ideology was formed in whichsome one from the Ukraine who claims to have had a Jewish ancestors two thousandsyears ago had more rights under Israels Law of Return than Palestinian who ran awayfrom Israeli borders in 1948.

The Role of Religion in Huntingtons paradigm

The role of religion is a problem in Huntingtons paradigm. As noted, in sorting the worldalong civilizational lines, he assigns religion a preeminemt place. More than any otherfactor, according to Huntington, religious affiliation signifies "who we are" and "who weare not." It identifies kin and marks prospective rivals. Yet implicit in Huntingtonsargument is the notion that religion in its own right is without standing. Religionilluminates politics, but should play no independent role in politics. (It is a safe bet thatwhen Huntington calls for the revival of Western civilization he is not advocatingrestoration of One Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church exercising authority oversecular affairs.) For Huntington, religionparticularly religion in the Westis ananachronism, something that was itself once alive and powerful but that now surviveslargely as artifact or memento. Yet in thus consigning religion to role of cultural ID card,Huntington misconstrues its significance, both politically and otherwise.


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#4

Intellectual and collective effort

The present ongoing clash is not a physical phenomenon and does no require use offorce, which has proved a big failure, even after using Hi-Tech weapons. Rather itdemands intellectual and collective effort by all responsible scholars, Heads of States,Soldiers and Politicians.

Inter faith dialogue

Inter faith dialogue to create harmony because Islam gives high esteem to all otherreligions of book and their prophets.

True Muslim scholars

True Muslim scholars in collaboration with other Priests, can hold joint Seminars togenerate harmony and shed clouds of ignorance and prejudice.

UN

The world body UN should fear the dreadful end of League of Nations, so it needs vitalityand firmness to implement its fair decisions, irrespective US influence which has dividedthe world.

Media power

Media power can be used for bridging the gulf among biased nations and cultures.

Education system

Education system is a basic tool in polishing individuals with qualities of compassion andHumanism.__________________Success is never achieved by the size of our brain but it is always achieved by the quality of our thoughts.


Mehwish Pervez (Friday, December 28, 2012), pisceankhan (1 Day Ago), prince93 (Wednesday, April 04,2012), Rescuer 1122 (Friday, December 28, 2012), Rushna Qureshi (Saturday, October 06, 2012)

Saturday, March 31, 2012




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Drone Attacks, FATA and Haqqani Network

Introduction

The use of Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, is a newtechnology used in modern warfare. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), also known as aUnmanned aircraft System (UAS) or a remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) or unmannedaircraft functions either by the remote control of a navigator or pilot (called a CombatSystems Officer on UCAVs) or autonomously, that is, as a self-directing entity. Theirlargest use is within military applications.In the current so-called War on Terror, the same has been frequently used by the UnitedStates in Pakistan and Afghanistan. A lot has been said against American drone attacks asa violation of sovereignty of Pakistan but the issue is getting more intense by eachpassing day. When the US drones attack Pakistans tribal areas, it is not just the ten,twenty or fifty innocent civilians they kill but it creates the anti-US sentiments in massesand a global feeling of disgust against US. Few stay mum and numb but there is largenumber of victims who vent their hatred very violently against US and its ally Pakistan. USis insensitive to the fact that civilian killings in these drone attacks provides reason to theyoungsters for joining terrorist groups waging war against US and of course Pakistan, forbeing its closest ally in war on terror.The drone strikes have pushed militants deeper into Pakistan and gave them an excuse tostrike the heart of the country, further destabilizing it. No doubt drone attacks did killsome militants but at what cost???To further probe into this aspect, this presentation will look into functioning of drones,negative and positive aspects in pertinent to our country vis--vis drawing someconclusions.

Definition

To distinguish UAVs from missiles, a UAV is defined as a "powered, aerial vehicle thatdoes not carry a human operator, uses aerodynamic forces to provide vehicle lift, can flyautonomously or be piloted remotely, can be expendable or recoverable, and can carry alethal or nonlethal payload". Therefore, cruise missiles are not considered UAVs, because,like many other guided missiles, the vehicle itself is a weapon that is not reused, eventhough it is also unmanned and in some cases remotely guided.

US, Pakistan, Tribals & UNs Point of View on Drone Attacks

1. US Point of View

a. Self defensei. Preemptive Strategy. Bill was passed by congress in 2002 under Bush administrationto carry out attacks in preemption and self defense of its citizen and state in pursuance toSeptember 11 attacks on twin tower.ii. International Protocol on Hot Pursuitb. Symmetric decimation of Al-Qaeda leadershipc. Use of highly sophisticated technologyd. Escalation of attacks under President Obama


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e. Opposition within US

2. Pakistans Point of view

a. Officialb. Response of opposition parties, civil society and mediac. Wiki leaksd. Pakistan military official papers

3. United Nations Point of View

On 27 October 2010 UNHRC investigator Philip Alston called on the US to demonstratethat it was not randomly killing people in violation of international law through its use ofdrones on the Afghan border. Alston criticized the US's refusal to respond to date to theUN's concerns. Said Alston, "Otherwise you have the really problematic bottom line, whichis that the Central Intelligence Agency is running a program that is killing significantnumbers of people and there is absolutely no accountability in terms of the relevantinternational laws."Alston, however, acknowledged that the drone attacks may be justified under the right toself-defense. He called on the US to be more open about the program. Alston's report wassubmitted to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights the following dayThe US representative at UNHRC has argued that the UN investigator for extrajudicial,summary or arbitrary executions does not have jurisdiction over US military actions

4. Opinion of FATA Locals

The New America Foundation and Terror Free Tomorrow have conducted the firstcomprehensive public opinion survey covering sensitive political issues in the FederallyAdministered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan. The unprecedented survey, from June 30 toJuly 20, 2010, consisted of face-to-face interviews of 1,000 FATA residents age 18 orolder across 120 villages/sampling points in all seven tribal Agencies of FATA, with amargin of error of +/- 3 percent, and field work by the locally-based Community Appraisal& Motivation Programme.More than three-quarters of FATA residents oppose American drone strikes. Indeed, only16 percent think these strikes accurately target militants; 45 percent think they largely killcivilians and another 39 percent feel they kill both civilians and militants.

Statistical Data of Drone Attacks in Pakistan

The US ramped up the number of strikes in July 2008, and has continued to regularly hitat Taliban and Al Qaeda targets inside Pakistan. There have been 264 strikes total sincethe program began in 2004. From 2000-2005 there were only one drone strike eachyear,3 in 2006, 5 in 2007, 35 in 2008, 53 in 2009, 117 in 2010 and 49 ,so far, in 2011.Of the 264 strikes since 2004, 182 have hit targets in North Waziristan, and 67 have hittargets in South Waziristan, Khyber agency=5, Kurram=4, Bannu=3, Bajaur=3,Orakzai=1.Since 2006, there have been 2,080 leaders and operatives from Taliban, Al Qaeda, andallied extremist groups killed and138 civilians killed.The majority of the attacks have taken place in the tribal areas administered by fourpowerful Taliban groups: the Mehsuds, Mullah Nazir, Hafiz Gul Bahadar, and theHaqqanis. In 2010, there was a dramatic shift in strikes to tribal areas administered byHafiz Gul Bahadar.


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The Pakistani government considers Nazir, the Haqqanis, Bahadar, and Hekmatyar to be'good Taliban' as they do not carry out attacks against the Pakistani state. All of theseTaliban factions shelter al Qaeda and various other terror groups.

Critical Analysis:-

Positive Fallouts

1. Technological Advancement

As revolution in military affairs, UAVs offer the possibility of cheaper, more capablefighting aircrafts that could be used for multipurpose tasking without a life risk toaircrews.

2. Tactical advantage

The drones program is effective in terms of getting terrorist operatives in places wherethere's limited reach or no accessibility.

3. Accuracy and Precision

Due to built in sensors and laser guided munitions the predator strikes are accurate andprecise in causing devastating effects to the desired target.4. With the help of precision strikes predator strikes have successfully killed top militantcommanders and Al-Qaida operatives like Nek Muhammad, Baitullah Mahsud, IlyasKashmiri etc.5. No life loss to crew as the predator is operated without a pilot6. Surveillance capability and updation of information of intelligence value.

Negative Fallouts

1. Sovereignty and Integrity

Compromising sovereignty and integrity as no international law permits aggression anduse of force against another sovereign nation.

2. Breeding suicide bombers/terrorist

US has become insensitive to the fact that carrying of drone strikes is in turn giving areason to the youngsters of the affected areas to join militant groups and continueundertaking terror activities and suicide bombings against them and Pakistan being itsally. In KPK 49.9% people (1499) have been killed due to suicide bombing, 27.7% (834)in Punjab, 17.5%(562) in FATA, and 5%(150) in other provinces.

3. Indiscriminate killing with no differentiation between friend and foe

Although International protocol regarding Hot Pursuit Operations permits haunt of terroristwith no geographical boundaries limitations however in carrying out such practice nointernational or domestic law permits killing of innocent civilians or non combatants


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4. Anti state sentiments particularly against LEAs

These drone attacks are creating a sense of resentment against the state as the tolerancelevel of effected has crossed the threshold over inability of the state to counter or curb theviolation and killings of people in tribal regions due to drones.

5. Questions legality/ Jurisdiction of court over extra judicial killings

No court of law is taking any action over such killings

6. Deteriorating image of country and terming as a terrorist breeding nation7. Strained relations with US8. Condemn by Religious parties9. Anti US Sentiments10. Poses high alert and retaliatory situation for LEAs operating in such territories.

Legal Implications/ Conclusions

Firstly, the rumors that the government of Pakistan might have signed a secret agreementwith the US is irrelevant and misleading because under the Vienna Convention onTreaties, no such treaty is valid. Moreover under Art 102 of the UN Charter, such treatieshave no legal standing.

Secondly, the drone attacks in Pakistani territory are a serious violation of theInternational Law as they are like attacking a sovereign country.No judicial Inquiry has been over extra judicial killings caused by such attacks.Thedomestic laws of both countries i.e US and Pakistan do not allow extra judicial killing inany manner whatsoever the reason may be.The United Nations charter doesnot allow any aggression or use of force against anotherstateThe International Humanitarian Law clearly differentiate between a Combatant and a noncombatant or a civilian whereas these attacks are carried out indiscriminately withouthaving any regard for the rule of lawThere might be different interpretation of the term Intervention but at least fourconsiderations are to be taken into account for determining its validity on moral and legalgrounds.a. Proportionality.b. Distinction of target.c. The agent carrying out the strikes.d. The process or manner in which targeting decisions are made.US drone attacks fall short on all above mentioned accounts. Thats the reason why NATOdoesnt openly support them and declares them as Amercian Operations. Differenthumanitarian organizations and the UN secretary General has shown their concerns overthe issue.The term used by the US Unlawful Combatants is not mentioned anywhere in theinternational Humanitarian Law (the Law of War). No inquiry has been made as to whathad been the actual targets of such attacks. The rule of law prohibits extra judicial killingsin each and every circumstances and unlike International Humanitarian Law, theInternational Human Rights Law remain intact in all kinds of situations (war or peace).Therefore, on the above grounds, drone attacks inside Pakistan territory can not bejustified on any grounds whatsoever.


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Recommendations

1. Operation within our territory is the responsibility of state therefore drone technologybe transferred to Pakistan for carrying out operation even in the airspace by LEAsthemselves instead of US.2. Sharing of Information between ISI & CIA to minimize collateral damage and avoidincidents of targeting own check posts/Border Outposts and a previous incident ofinnocent killings during a jirga.3. Sending strong Message by Pakistani representatives at all international forumshighlighting the issues.4. Constitution of commissions to inquire extra judicial killings and document the decreefor presentation at UNHRC and all forums for its pursuance.5. US be asked to avoid delivery of toxic/chemical munitions through hellfire missiles as itbears negative externalities by causing severe skin diseases to the nearby populace.6. Elimination of all acts which gives US a reason to carryout drones

Haqqani Network:-

The Haqqani Network is an independent insurgent group originating in Afghanistan that isclosely allied with the Taliban. Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani along with his son SirajuddinHaqqani lead the Haqqani network, which is based in the AfghanistanPakistan borderareas. According to US military commanders it is "the most resilient enemy network" andone of the biggest threats to NATO and United States forces in Afghanistan. Some notableUS officials have alleged that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) service has beenenabling the network. Rehman Malik, Pakistan's Interior Minister, refuted the allegationsand said that Pakistan had no relations with the network and that the Central IntelligenceAgency (CIA) had "trained and produced" the Haqqani network and other mujahideenduring the Soviet war in Afghanistan. Malik's statements were contradicted by thenetwork's warnings against any US military incursions into North Waziristan and by thePakistan Army's public acknowledgement of contacts with the Haqqanis.The Haqqanis hailfrom the Zadran qaum (tribe), who are mostly based in Paktia and Khost provinces in theeast of Afghanistan.The group has been active mainly in the east of AfghanistaninPaktia, Paktika, Khost, Ghazni Wardak and even Kabul provinces.

Critical Analysis:-

The New York Times reported in September 2008 that Pakistan regards the Haqqani's asan important force for protecting its interests in Afghanistan in the event of Americanwithdrawal from there and therefore have been unwilling to move against them. Pakistanpresumably feels pressured that India, Russia, and Iran are gaining a foothold inAfghanistan. Since it lacks the financial clout of these other countries, Pakistan hopes thatby being a sanctuary for the Haqqani network, it can assert some influence over itsturbulent neighbour. In the words of a retired senior Pakistani official: "[We] have nomoney.All we have are the crazies. So the crazies it is." The New York Times and Al Jazeera laterreported in June 2010 that Pakistan's Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and chiefof the ISI General Ahmad Shuja Pasha were in talks with Afghan president Hamid Karzaito broker a power-sharing agreement between the Haqqani network and the Afghangovernment. Reacting to this report both President Barack Obama and CIA director LeonPanetta responded with skepticism that such an effort could succeed. The effort tomediate between the Haqqanis and the Afghan government was launched by Pakistanafter intense pressure by the US to take military action against the group in North


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#5

Waziristan. Hamid Karzai later denied meeting anyone from the Haqqani network.Subsequently Kayani also denied that he took part in these talks.According to a July 2011 report published by West Point's Combating Terrorism Center,the network acts as a key facilitator of negotiations between the Pakistani governmentand the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and as the "primary conduit" of many Pakistani Talibanfighters into Afghanistan.In September 2011, Sirajuddin Haqqani claimed during a telephonic interview to Reutersthat the Haqqani network no longer maintained sanctuaries in northwest Pakistan and therobust presence that it once had there and instead now felt more safer in Afghanistan:"Gone are the days when we were hiding in the mountains along the Pakistan-Afghanistanborder. Now we consider ourselves more secure in Afghanistan besides the Afghanpeople." According to Haqqani, there were "senior military and police officials" who arealigned with the group and there are even sympathetic and "sincere people in the Afghangovernment who are loyal to the Taliban" who support the group's aim of liberatingAfghanistan "from the clutches of occupying forces." In response to questions from theBBC's Pashto service, Siraj denied any links to the ISI and stated that Mullah Omar is "ourleader and we totally obey him."The group's links to Pakistan have been a sour point in Pakistan United States relations.In September 2011 the Obama administration warned Pakistan that it must do more tocut ties with the Haqqani network and help eliminate its leaders, adding that "the UnitedStates will act unilaterally if Pakistan does not comply." In testimony before a US Senatepanel, Admiral Mike Mullen stated that the network "acts as a veritable arm of Pakistan'sInter-Services Intelligence Agency." Pakistan in return rejected the notion that itmaintained ties with the Haqqani network or used it in a policy of waging a proxy war inneighboring Afghanistan; the Pakistani interior minister also warned that any incursion onPakistani territory by U.S. forces will not be tolerated. A Pakistani intelligence officialinsisted that the American allegations are part of "pressure tactics" used by the UnitedStates as a strategy "to shift the war theatre." An unnamed Pakistani official was reportedto have said after a meeting of the nation's top military officials that We have alreadyconveyed to the US that Pakistan cannot go beyond what it has already done".__________________Success is never achieved by the size of our brain but it is always achieved by the quality of our thoughts.


Abid khan Achakzai (Monday, July 15, 2013), anam047 (Friday, April 27, 2012), BALOCHISTAN (Friday,October 12, 2012), Mehwish Pervez (Friday, December 28, 2012), noomee (Sunday, April 01, 2012),pisceankhan (1 Day Ago), Rushna Qureshi (Saturday, October 06, 2012)

Tuesday, April 03, 2012



Energy Crisis In Pakistan:


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IntroductionIn 1987, the Government of Pakistan (GOP) with the assistance of the World Bank formulated its long termstrategy for development of the power sector in reliable power would spur economic growth. With energydemand growing at 12 percent and supply at 7 percent per annum. Load shedding was rampant withconsequential output losses for industry and agriculture. It was estimated that the annual gap of 2000 MW ofelectricity cost the country approximately $1 billion per year in lost GDP. Electricity was available to only 40percent of the population and per capita consumption of 404 kWh was only 4 percent of that in the UnitedStates and 24 percent of consumption in Malaysia.

IPPsPakistan had to catch up fast and the development of new capacity became the top priority, but the Governmentof Pakistan (GOP) lacked the funds for infrastructure development. Consequently, the private sector was invitedto develop new generating capacity. It was rationalised that the private sector would not only supplement publicsector generation, it would also mobilise additional equity and debt resources and improve the efficiency in theenergy sector.The new energy policy was implemented in a period of high political volatility in the early 1990s. The firstBenazir Bhutto government (elected in 1988) was dismissed by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan in 1992. She wassucceeded by Nawaz Sharif who initiated a number of free market reforms and also signed Pakistans first IPPcontract for the largest power sector project with the Hub Power Company in1992. Disagreements with the President led to the dismissal of this government also, and an interim governmentwas installed which held fresh elections in which the second Bhutto government was elected in November 1993.During its tenure, the Bhutto government signed a number of IPP contracts under the 1994 Power Policy and inJune 1996, Pakistans first private sector power plant, the Hub Power Company (Hubco) came into operation.

Current SituationCurrently the situation Installed capacity is as following .a. Total installed capacity 20681 MWb. WAPDA hydel 6,555 MW (31%)c. WAPDA thermal power, 4829 MWd. RPPs 365 MWe. PAEC 665 MWf. IPPs 7644 MWCurrently Production is 11500 MW and Demand is 15500 MWAdditional quantity is not being produced due tolack fundsand circular debt problem.IPPs and Wapda owned plants also have lost efficiency now only producing50% of full capacity and even less.Production of additional quantity will cause Govt to increase rates due toincrease in thermal factor(variable costs of electricity produced by thermal varies between Rs 12 to 19,while byHydel variable cost is less than Rs1).So the result is rampant load shedding, blow to agriculture and industry andhigh Social cost.

Impacts of IPPsImpacts of IPPs are both positive as well as negative, positive impacts include:a. Enhanced the capacity of power sectorb. Supported the economic activity from 2000 to 2007c. Provided a cushion time to built long term power projectsd. Provided vital support in short span of timeNegative impacts include:a. Bulk tariff ceiling instead of competitive bidding resulted in high tariffsb. Increase in Thermal component also contributed toward price hike ,i.e. 60%c. Lack of transparency in contracts as discussed earlierd. Since 2001 though it has supported eco activity but due to oil price hike and increase in thermal factor it hascaused following problems :


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a) Higher power tariff causing inflation especially after 2005-2006b) Costly export goodse. Low performance by old plants has aggravated power shortagef. IPPs are not environment friendly and cause lot of pollution

Reasons for Power Deficit / Load Shedding

1. Lack of Adequate Investment after induction of IPPs resultantly No Capacity Additions during2002-2008.2. No Worthwhile Foreign Investment, while there was reduced interest by Private Sector as well, despitesolicitations3. As a Policy, Public Sector not allowed to add new capacity, fully banking on Private Sector, which showedlimited interest4. Quantum Jump in Power Demand due to: Consumption led growth strategy of 2002-2008 Unplanned Rural Electrification during 2002-20075. 8.53% Load Growth, even during the current international financial melt down.6. Extra high Load Growth in Urban Areas, which is more than 20% in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, RahimYar Khan, Bahawalpur, Multan, D.G. Khan, Faisalabad, Lahore, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi/Islamabad andPeshawar.7. Air-conditioning load in Pakistan is more than 5000 MW, while the average shortage is around 3000 MW.8. No major Hydel Plant due to lack of political consensus.9. Diversion of Gas by SNGPL & SSGC, resultant shift to Oil, jacking-up cost of production, loss andavailability of generation upto 1,500 MW10. No tariff increase from FY 2003 to FY 2007, in spite of steep rise in Oil prices resultant financialstrangulation of Power Sector11. Non availability of Funds for development of Transmission & Distribution Infrastructure and rehab ofGENCOs - resulting in system constraints12. Non-Bill Payment and Kunda Culture in major parts of the country hardened over the last one decade13. Extreme lack of political and administrative support from Provincial Governments

Power Sector Issues

1. Poor Recoveries & Piling Receivables (up to Dec 2009) HESCO 56% and receivables Rs.45 billion (Receivables from Govt. of Sindh Rs.20.8 billion) PESCO 80% and receivables Rs.27 billion KESC Rs.49 billion after adjustments2. Accumulated Circular Debt Tariff artificially frozen during 2003-07 in spite of heavy dependence of oil and surge in its prices and increaseof cost of service Insufficient provision of tariff differential subsidy Non-payment by KESC, FATA and Provincial Govts.3. Measures to address the Circular Debt Issue by the present Govt. DEBTCO established to assume loans of Power Companies (Rs.216 bln) Issuance of TFCs (Rs.85 bln) to clear FATA arrears Subsidy duly budgeted. FATA dues duly budgeted NEPRA Act amended. Difference between cost of supply and tariff programmed to be bridged through: Tariff increase in shape of Monthly Fuel Price Adjustment Quarterly Tariff Determinations4. ELECTRICITY GENERATION BY FUEL (excluding KESC)a. From 2006-2007 = 18% by oil, 38% by Hydro, 41% by Gas, 3% by others.b. From 2009-2010 = 37% by oil, 38% by Hydro, 22% by Gas, 3% by others.


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c. World Average = 5.8% by oil, 16% by Hydro, 20.1% by Gas, 41% by coal, 14.8% by nuclear, 3% byothers.

5. CONSUMER MIX & CONSUMPTION PATTERN (excludes KESC) JUL 09-DEC 09a. 7% commercial, 24% Industrial, 15% Agriculture, 48% Domestic, 6% others.b. World Average Industrial Consumption is 42%c. Customers PEPCO: 19.1 million and KESC: 2.0 million6. Oil Handling Infrastructure Present oil requirements is 30,000 ton per day, whereas on the average 24,000 ton oil had been supplied With new rentals and other thermal plants, this is going to increase further. Additional infrastructure and arrangements are required to be made by Ministry of Petroleum and NaturalResources. PSO to expedite acceptance of TPS Muzaffargarh Oil Farm (263,000 MTN) as mid-country strategic reserves7. Uncertainty of Oil Prices Volatility in the oil prices directly affecting the viability and affordability of the sector.8. Investment Required for Development of Indigenous Resources Heavy Capital requirement for development of Indigenous resources of Hydro, Coal and Renewable9. Legal Issues The Electricity Act nor supports the Sector legally to force recovery nor helps curb illegal abstraction ofenergy. Draft Energy Conservation Act of 2009 is devoid of any penalties for non complianceBoth Need change Drafts ready with PEPCO10. Corporate Governance Non Professional Management for over 10 years Human Resource depletion forced by non professional management Capacity Issues in every sub sector and activity Lack of political support in non-performing DISCOs Capacity building of all stakeholders, specially NEPRA required11. Security Issues Security situation negatively affecting Foreign Investment in the Sector

Key Recommendations and Way Forward

1) Demand Supply Position Demand will continue to grow by about 8% Immediate capacity additions required2) Supply Side and Demand Side Measures Government guarantee and financial support is required to install matching capacity in Public Sector otherwiseload shedding will persist in view of lack of private sector appetite for investment3) Cost of Service & Affordability effect For financial sustainability, full cost of service needs to be effected, which may increase the tariff The affordability issue needs to be addressed by targeted subsidies4) Recoveries Political and active Provincial Governmental support is required to help effect recovery of outstanding dues,especially in HESCO, PESCO & QESCO At source deduction be allowed to effect recovery of outstanding dues from Provincial Govts and KESC5) Efficiency Improvement and Theft Control Political and active Provincial Governmental support is needed to control theft in HESCO, PESCO & QESCO Electricity Act & Conservation Act need to be amended to include penalty clauses on theft and energywastage6) Allocation of additional gas Immediate allocation of additional gas of 350 mmcfd be made to Power Sector. If not done, the sustainability of Power Sector and affordability will be jeopardized Availability of gas can save the day


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#6

7) Policies Strategy to overcome the power crisis should be supported by the set of policy measures Joint Session of Parliament be summoned to discuss energy crisis and how get out of it.__________________Success is never achieved by the size of our brain but it is always achieved by the quality of our thoughts.


Mehwish Pervez (Friday, December 28, 2012), prince93 (Tuesday, April 03, 2012), RushnaQureshi (Saturday, October 06, 2012), Shanic Khan (Thursday, November 22, 2012)

Sunday, April 08, 2012



Geo Strategic Importance of Pakistan

Geo strategic means the importance of a country or region as by virtue of its geographicallocation. Geo political is defined as, stressing the influence of geographic factors on thestate power, international conduct and advantages it derives from its location.

Stephen Cohn describes this importance While history has been unkind to Pakistan, itsgeography has been its greatest benefit. It has resource rich area in the north-west,people rich in the north-east. Pakistan is a junction of South Asia, West Asia and CentralAsia, a way from resource efficient countries to resource deficient countries.The world is facing energy crisis and terrorism. Pakistan is a role for transportation, and afront line state against terrorism.

Geographical Importance:

Bridge between South Asia and South West Asia, Iran and Afghanistan are energy abundant while Indiaand China are lacking of. China finds way to Indian ocean and Arabian Sea through Korakaram. Chinawith its fastest economic growth rate of 9%, is developing its southern provinces because its own port is4500 km away from Sinkian but Gawadar is 2500 km away.

Pakistan offers to CARs the shortest route of 2600 km as compared to Iran (4500 km) or Turkey (5000km) land locked Afghanistan now at the phase of Reconstruction, finds its ways through Pakistan.Gawadar port with its deep waters attracts the trade ships of China, CARs and South East Asian Countries.ASEAN.

Economic significance:

SAARC, ECO. Iran is struggling to export its surplus gas and oil to eastern countries: Qatar Pakistan andTurkmenistan Pipeline projects highlights the position. Pakistan would get 400 million dollar annually ifIPT gets success. Mountain Ranges: Himalayas, Hindu Kush in the North are plentiful in providing waterand natural resources.

Political importance:


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#7

US interests in the regions to contain the Growing China, nuclear Iran, terrorist Afghanistan, and tobenefit from the market of India. Security and Business are two main US interests in the region whilePakistan is playing a front line role against terrorism. Today the political scenario of the region is tingedwith pre emption policy and US invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. Irans nuclear program, Indiasgeopolitical muscles (new strategic deal with US) to gain the hegemony and to counter the The Rise ofChina which has earned all the qualities to change unipolar world into Bipolar world.

In all these issues, Pakistan is directly or indirectly involved, especially after Al-Qaeda operations. TheAmerican think tanks have repeatedly accepted that war against terror could never be worn without thehelp of Pakistan. Pakistan has rigorously fought, and ongoing military operation in Wazirstan is alsotargeting the suspected Taliban in the bordering area.

Main threats to Pakistan:

Terrorist in the border areas have tarnished image of Paskistan, fight with Pak-Army and fear amongthe people. Blame of Mumbai attacks on Pakistan. Balochistan and Wazirstan conflicts are posing threats to any economic project like IPI gas pipeline. Negative role of India, US, Iran in this conflict ridden area. Kashmir is flash point. Decelerating nuclear race in the South Asia. Instable governments in Pakistan have contributed in weakening the strong position. Economic crisis is making Pakistan more dependent on US, like accepting of Kerry-Lugar Bill Pakistan army is engaged on western, eastern borders and against terroists.__________________Success is never achieved by the size of our brain but it is always achieved by the quality of our thoughts.


anam047 (Friday, April 27, 2012), Mehwish Pervez (Friday, December 28, 2012), Rescuer 1122 (Friday,December 28, 2012), Rushna Qureshi (Saturday, October 06, 2012), Shanic Khan (Thursday, November22, 2012)

Friday, April 13, 2012



Global Warming

The warnings about global warming have been extremely clear for a long time.We are facing a global climate crisis. It is deepening. We are entering a periodof consequences.(Al Gore)

Global warming is when the earth heats up (the temperature rises). It happens when greenhouse gases(carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrous oxide, and methane) trap heat and light from the sun in the earthsatmosphere, which increases the temperature. This hurts many people, animals, and plants. Many cannottake the change, so they die.

Explaination:-


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Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere andoceans and its related effects. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperatureincreased by about 0.8 C (1.4 F) with about two thirds of the increase occurring overjust the last three decades. Warming of theclimate system is unequivocal, and scientistsare more than 90% certain most of it is caused by increasing concentrations ofgreenhouse gases produced by human activities such as deforestation and burning fossilfuel. These findings are recognized by the national science academies of all the majorindustrialized countries.Climate model projections are summarized in the 2007 Fourth Assessment Report (AR4)by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). They indicate that during the21st century the global surface temperature is likely to rise a further 1.5 to 1.9 C (2.7 to3.4 F) for their lowest emissions scenarioand 3.4 to 6.1 C (6.1 to 11 F) for theirhighest. The ranges of these estimates arise from the use of models with differingsensitivity to greenhouse gas concentrations.An increase in global temperature will cause sea levels to rise and will change the amountand pattern of precipitation, and a probable expansion ofsubtropical deserts. Warming isexpected to be strongest in the Arctic and would be associated with continuing retreat ofglaciers, permafrost and sea ice. Other likely effects of the warming include more frequentoccurrence of extreme weather events including heatwaves, droughts and heavy rainfallevents,species extinctions due to shifting temperature regimes, and changes inagricultural yields. Warming and related changes will vary from region to region aroundthe globe, though the nature of these regional changes is uncertain. In a 4 C world, thelimits for human adaptation are likely to be exceeded in many parts of the world, while thelimits for adaptation for natural systems would largely be exceeded throughout the world.Hence, the ecosystem services upon which human livelihoods depend would not bepreserved.Proposed responses to global warming include mitigation to reduce emissions, adaptationto the effects of global warming, and geoengineering to remove greenhouse gases fromthe atmosphere or reflect incoming solar radiation back to space. The main internationalmitigation effort is the Kyoto Protocol, which seeks to stabilize greenhouse gasconcentration to prevent a "dangerous anthropogenic interference". As of May 2010, 192states had ratified the protocol. The only members of the UNFCCC that were asked to signthe treaty but have not yet ratified it are the USA and Afghanistan.

Major contributors of the greenhouse gasses(Causes):

[B][B]1. Since the beginning of industrial revolution atmospheric concentrations of CO2 have increasednearly 30%, methane concentration more than double, NOx concentrations have risen to about 15%.These gasses have enhanced the heat-trapping capability of earths atmosphere.2. The main reason of the increase in concentration of CO2 in last 150 years is the combustion of fossilfuels and other human activities.3. Increased agriculture, deforestation, landfills, industrial production and minning also contribute asignificant share of emissions.4. The level of CO2 enhanced from 210ppm to 360 ppm in last 150 years.5. N2O is 6-8% contributor of the total; green house effect.6. Increased use of aerosols and air coolants have raise the amount of chlorofluorocarbons, whichcontributes 24% of the total green house effect.7. Oxides of sulfur, which are obtained by burning fuel in the engines, are also a potential hazard.8. Due to high levels of CFCs the ozone layer which is a protective covering of the earth is depleting anda hole has been observed in it on the arctic region. This depleted ozone also increases the influx of solarlight specially UV rays.

Some global indications and implications of rise intemperature(Effects):


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1. The snow covers in the northern hemisphere and floating ice in the Arctic Ocean havebeen decreased significantly.2. Globally sea level has risen 4-8 inches over the past century.3. Worldwide precipitation over land has increased by about one percent.4. Scientists expect that the average global surface temperature could raise 1-4.50C inthe next 50 years and 2.2-100F in the next century with significant regional climaticchanges.5. Evaporation will increase as climate will warm up, which will increase average globalprecipitation.6. Soil moisture is likely to decline in many regions and intense rainstorms are likely tobecome more frequent.7. Sea levels are likely to rise in most parts of the world.8. Year 2008 was the hottest year on record.9. Due to adverse climatic conditions wild life is becoming extinct.

Impact on Pakistan:

1. Pakistan produces less than 0.4% of the green house gasses which are the majorcontributors of global warming.2. Yet, it is the 12th country most at risk from the effects of global warming.3. Karachi and twelve other mega-cities of Asia has been declared as Atmospheric BrownCloud (ABC) hotspots by the UN environment agency as soot levels in these citiescomprise ten per cent of the total mass of all man-made particles.A three-kilometer-thick brown cloud of man-made pollution, which stretches from theArabian Peninsula to China to the western Pacific Ocean, is making Asian cities darker,speeding up the melting of Himalayan glaciers and impacting human health, says the UNEnvironment Programme (UNEP) in a regional assessment report with focus on Asia. Inaddition to Karachi, the UNEPs new publication points out Bangkok, Beijing, Cairo,Dhaka, Kolkata, Lagos, Mumbai, New Delhi, Seoul, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Tehran asbeing ABC hotspots.

Impact on global economy:

If you asked me to name the three scariest threats facing the human race, Iwould give the same answer that most people would: nuclear war, globalwarming and Windows.- Dave Barry

One widely publicized report on potential economic impact is the Stern Review, written bySir Nicholas Stern. It suggests that extreme weather might reduce global gross domesticproduct by up to one percent, and that in a worst-case scenario global per capitaconsumption could fall by the equivalent of 20 percent.

Politics

Most countries are Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on ClimateChange (UNFCCC). The ultimate objective of the Convention is to prevent "dangerous"human interference of the climate system. As is stated in the Convention, this requires


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that GHG concentrations are stabilized in the atmosphere at a level where ecosystems canadapt naturally to climate change, food production is not threatened, and economicdevelopment can proceed in a sustainable fashion.The Framework Convention was agreed in 1992, but since then, global emissions haverisen. During negotiations, the G77 (a lobbying group in the United Nations representing133developing nations) pushed for a mandate requiring developed countries to "[take] thelead" in reducing their emissions. This was justified on the basis that: the developedworld's emissions had contributed most to the stock of GHGs in the atmosphere;per-capita emissions (i.e., emissions per head of population) were still relatively low indeveloping countries; and the emissions of developing countries would grow to meet theirdevelopment needs. This mandate was sustained in the Kyoto Protocol to the FrameworkConvention, which entered into legal effect in 2005.In ratifying the Kyoto Protocol, most developed countries accepted legally bindingcommitments to limit their emissions. These first-round commitments expire in 2012. USPresident George W. Bush rejected the treaty on the basis that "it exempts 80% of theworld, including major population centers such as China and India, from compliance, andwould cause serious harm to the US economy."At the 15th UNFCCC Conference of the Parties, held in 2009 at Copenhagen, severalUNFCCC Parties produced the Copenhagen Accord. Parties associated with the Accord(140 countries, as of November 2010) aim to limit the future increase in global meantemperature to below 2 C. A preliminary assessment published in November 2010 by theUnited Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) suggests a possible "emissions gap"between the voluntary pledges made in the Accord and the emissions cuts necessary tohave a "likely" (greater than 66% probability) chance of meeting the 2 C objective. TheUNEP assessment takes the 2 C objective as being measured against the pre-industrialglobal mean temperature level. To having a likely chance of meeting the 2 C objective,assessed studies generally indicated the need for global emissions to peak before 2020,with substantial declines in emissions thereafter.The 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) was held at Cancn in 2010. It produced anagreement, not a binding treaty, that the Parties should take urgent action to reducegreenhouse gas emissions to meet a goal of limiting global warming to 2 C abovepre-industrial temperatures. It also recognized the need to consider strengthening thegoal to a global average rise of 1.5 C.

Pragmatic solutions to overcome this catastrophic change:

We are about half a century away from being ecologically and economicallybankrupt because of global warming stated Andrew Simms while demandingKyoto tax on U.S.

1. Mitigation of global warming is accomplished through reductions in the rate ofanthropogenic greenhouse gas release.2. Many environmental groups encourage individual action against global warming, as wellas community and regional actions. Others have suggested a quota on worldwide fossilfuel production, citing a direct link between fossil fuel production and CO2 emissions.3. There has also been business action on climate change, including efforts to improveenergy efficiency and limited moves towards use of alternative fuels.4. In January 2005 the European Union introduced its European Union Emission TradingScheme, through which companies in conjunction with government agree to cap theiremissions or to purchase credits from those below their allowances.


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5. Australia announced its Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme in 2008.6. United States President Barack Obama has announced plans to introduce aneconomy-wide cap and trade scheme.

Conclusion:

Political and public debate continues regarding climate change, and what actions (if any)to take in response. The available options are mitigation to reduce further emissions;adaptation to reduce the damage caused by warming; and, more speculatively,geoengineering to reverse global warming. Most national governments have signed andratified the Kyoto Protocol aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

__________________Success is never achieved by the size of our brain but it is always achieved by the quality of our thoughts.


anam047 (Friday, April 27, 2012), Cute Badshah (Saturday, April 14, 2012), Mehwish Pervez (Friday,December 28, 2012), Rushna Qureshi (Saturday, October 06, 2012), Syed Imran Ali (Saturday, June 02,2012)

Sunday, April 15, 2012



National Unity

National Purpose (shared values and beliefs) envisages: (1) a prosperous and peacefulcountry where all citizens have right to worship, life, property and speech. (2) Equality ofopportunity, with merit as the final standard for all jobs/slots and not the disqualifier it istoday. (3) Liberal/Tolerant Modern State with an Islamic Ideology. (4) Welfare State withboth the State and private sector working in cooperation with each other with a stronginstitutional framework encouraging individuals and businesses to support less affluentclasses. (5) Strengthening democratic traditions by creating a real grassroots democracy.

National integration is a process of achieving national cohesion, stability, prosperity,strength, and feelings of being united as a nation. Pakistan has faced varying degrees ofreligious, ethnic, linguistic, and political problems that are often in conflict

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