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Worsening Syrian Humanitarian Situation Calls for Action

By
Muhammad Saad
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0
humanitarian situation

Introduction

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has made a request to the European Union (EU) and donors from the broader international community to increase their efforts to address the worsening humanitarian situation amid the ongoing Syrian conflict. The number of people in Syria who are in need of humanitarian assistance has skyrocketed as the country’s civil war enters its eleventh year.

To achieve their most fundamental requirements for life, around 14.6 million individuals in this nation need assistance at this time, which accounts for 70% of the total population. In the meanwhile, prices continue to climb, with the cost of essential consumables such as bread, rice, and oil almost tripling over the course of the previous year.

In spite of the fact that an extra 1.2 million people will be in need of humanitarian help in Syria in 2022, the levels of funding and the political attention that are necessary to handle the issue are decreasing.

With just 46% of the necessary money promised by the end of 2021, the humanitarian response for Syria remained less than half financed. This level of funding commitment was the lowest as compared to previous six years. It is very necessary as more people need assistance.

UNSC Needs to Take Action

However, since the year 2020, deliberations within the United Nations Security Council concerning an essential mechanism to bring aid into this conflict zone of the Middle East through neighboring countries have resulted in the number of authorized border crossing points being reduced from four to just one, completely cutting off UN cross-border assistance to the Northeast. This has resulted in a humanitarian crisis in the region. 

The delivery of aid via this one border is currently the primary source of support for millions of people living in northwest of Syria. The United Nations cross-border operation will come to an end unless UNSC re-authorize it in July.

This would undoubtedly have a catastrophic effect on the lives of families who are already on the verge of collapse. The impact of this crisis will not only impact Syria. In fact, it will impact the humanitarian situation across the Middle East. 

humanitarian situation

Need for a Ukrainian Crisis Response

As the international world mobilizes to address the Ukrainian situation, we must not overlook Syria’s tremendous humanitarian needs. With violence continuing in several parts, more than 12 million people in the nation are food insecure, with over 8000,000 children malnourished.

The sixth Brussels Conference was the most significant pledge event for Syria this year, although donors fell short of addressing the country’s growing demands in 2021. This significant and quickly expanding financing imbalance is empty. Even if contributors offer the same amount as in prior years.

The EU and its member states have played a critical role in urging countries to considerably increase their financing and assistance for Syria during the last decade.

In their reaction to the Ukraine crisis, the EU, the US, and others have set a great example of how Western leaders can stand in solidarity, confront abuses of international humanitarian law, and assure refugee protection when the desire is there.

This week, they must demonstrate the same dedication to the people of Syria, not only by stepping up to fulfill humanitarian needs and assisting Syrians in rebuilding their futures but also by using their diplomatic weight to guarantee humanitarian relief reaches those in most need.

Renewal of Cross-Broader Authorization by the UNSC

During the course of the previous year, the United Nations sent across the border an average of 800 trucks worth of goods each month. As a result, they were able to provide 2.4 million people in Northwest Syria with the help that saved their lives. At the moment, there is no practical alternative to the relief provided across borders.

It is abundantly clear that the failure of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to reauthorize cross-border operations in July will have a cataclysmic effect on the response to the humanitarian crisis, putting the lives of millions of people in jeopardy and compelling even more people to take extreme measures in order to survive.

World leaders must mobilize support for the renewal of this essential cross-border authorization in July. The Brussels Conference was not only an important occasion for pledges, but it was also an opportunity.

There are now an unprecedented number of people in Syria who are in need of humanitarian assistance, thus, the potential for this essential lifeline to be severed has never been higher.

The European Union (EU) should promote a principled posture that places the interests and safety of Syrians at the center of their choices by working closely with like-minded governments who are sitting on the United Nations Security Council.

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Israel’s President meets Pakistan Delegation

By
Iqra Iqbal
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0
israeli president

According to the International News Agency, Israeli president Isaac Herzog has confirmed meeting with a Pakistani delegation. Israeli President Isaac Herzog said these two Pakistani nationals were permanently residing in the United States but were “proud Pakistanis”. Furthermore, he said the meeting with the Pakistani delegation was “very welcome” and he was surprised because Pakistani delegation has not ever visited in Israel. 

Anila Ahmed, a Pakistani-American, shared a photograph on Twitter. In the photograph she was presenting a book to the president of Israel. This book was written by her father Qutbuddin Ahmed on Tehreek-e-Pakistan and Quaid-e-Azam. Anila Ahmed is a politician, author and teacher.

Her tweet shows that she was the delegate of Pakistan that met with the president of Israel. Although it is not clear that she was part of the Pakistani delegation.

At the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2022,  Israeli President, Isaac Herzog said that he recently received Pakistani-Americans delegate and it is an “amazing experience”. Further,  Israeli President, Isaac Herzog said, the Abraham Accords is a deal brokered by the United States in 2020 through this Accords Israel normalize her relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain.

President of Israel, Isaac Herzog said that he had received two delegations which showed “the great change”. However, president of Israel, Isaac Herzog did not mention Pakistanis delegate details he met, Sharaka an Israeli non-government organisation (NGO). Sharaka has organized Pakistan-American delegation visit to “promote peace in the Middle East”.

Pakistan has not recognized Israel so therefore, Pakistan does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. Pakistan has demanded for an independent Palestinian state then it will recognize Israel. After Abraham accords, Pakistan had clearly mentioned that Pakistan can not recognize Israel until Palestine issue is present.

For lasting peace there is need to two-state solution in accordance with relevant United Nations and Organization of Islamic cooperation resolutions. 

However, the Foreign Office has rejected this news that any delegation from Pakistan visiting Israel. Further it said Pakistan’s position on the Palestinian issue is clear and our policy has not changed on the Palestinian issue. Pakistan supports Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and wanted that Palestine should be an independent State. 

Minister of Planning, Development and Special Initiative Ahsan Iqbal said that no official or semi-official Pakistani delegation had conducted meetings. Further, he said the policy of the government was “clear” and it didn’t recognize the state of Israel.

“All our sympathies are with our Palestinian brothers and sisters”. Planning Minister, Ahsan Iqbal added. 

israel president meets pakistani deligation
ra

Pakistan has refused to accept Israel as a sovereign state. Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the World Economic Forum 2022 that he met two delegations. One is from Moroccans and second from Pakistan-Americans. Further President of Israel said last week showed  great change for him. 

israel president meets pakistan delegation
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The Human Rights Campaign

By
fatima_mehboob
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0
human rights campaign

Introduction:

The Human Rights Campaign, the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of thought and speech, the right to employment and education, and many others are all protected. These rights are available to everyone, without exception.

A human rights team is present in almost all multi-dimensional UN peacekeeping missions. The teams carry out the human rights mandates assigned to missions and assist in the integration of human rights campaigns into all mission activities.

The objectives of human rights teams are:

  • Assisting European countries in maintaining control over their African and Asian colonial possessions.
  • Accentuate to the good global implications of nationalist movements all across the world.
  • Exhibit how rapid globalization is harmful to impoverished countries.
  • Avoiding tragedies such as those described by Jews in Nazi Germany.

Human rights work:

Some of the main activities carried out by the human rights section are:

  • Monitoring, investigating, and analyzing human rights violations;
  • Publication of reports on human rights issues of particular significance;
  • Preventing human rights violations, notably through early warning systems implemented across the operation.

Responding to human rights violations by providing human rights advice, assisting with institutional reform and capacity building, assisting with the establishment and strengthening of accountability mechanisms, and collaborating closely with host governments, national institutions, and civil society.

Providing advice and assistance to other mission teams on how to incorporate human rights within their mandated activities.

For Human rights, teams collaborate closely with other civilian and uniformed components of peacekeeping operations. In particular, in terms of civilian protection, addressing conflict-related sexual violence and violations against children, assisting transitional justice and accountability mechanisms, and strengthening respect for human rights and the rule of law through legal and judicial reform, security sector reform, and prison system reform.

Policymakers at all levels with international human rights standards:

Discuss human rights with your children and point out excellent and diverse role models. What was the primary reason for human rights efforts in the twentieth century? Human rights campaigns are intrinsic to all human beings, regardless of race, gender, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status, according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Safe and peaceful peace. HRC (Human Rights Campaign) in the United States. Everyone, regardless of caste, creed, nationality, gender, religious beliefs, or social standing, is entitled to these rights.

We live in a world that requires land, therefore it’s only natural that what happens to the environment has an impact on people. Through their duties, all personnel in peacekeeping operations are responsible for ensuring the protection and advancement of human rights. There are three goals of the Clinics Promoting Human Rights in the United States initiative. 

HRC has forged links with influential largely Democratic Party lawmakers and significant corporations through its associated Human Rights Campaign Foundation philanthropic arm and super PAC. To draw attention to the global benefits of nationalist movements around the world. To show that rapid globalization is harmful to impoverished countries.

For Human rights, education is much more than a classroom lesson or a one-day subject. What was the primary reason for human rights initiatives in the twentieth century? The most compelling reason for giving rights to the great bulk of people, I cautiously proposed, is inability.

To draw attention to the good global implications of nationalist movements all across the world. C. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, and queer LGBTQ individuals and communities are the focus of this political advocacy organization. To prevent crimes such as those perpetrated against Jews in Nazi Germany.

To prevent crimes such as those perpetrated against Jews in Nazi Germany Occupation, they are the ones who foster long-term development. 

Human rights declaration:

Faced with the horrific violations of human rights suffered by World War II victims, the United Nations established a Human Rights Commission on February 16, 1946, with Eleanor Roosevelt as one of its members. The United Nations’ primary pillar is human rights. To show that rapid globalization is harmful to impoverished countries. 

This occurred as a result of World War II and the Holocaust, in which Nazi Germany and its allies slaughtered over 6 million people. Denying people their human rights mean denying them their humanity. To assist European governments in keeping control of their African and Asian colonies

Below are the details for the declaration of human rights Motivation. To emphasize the beneficial worldwide consequences of nationalist movements around the world. It is a process of providing people with the skills they need to live secure and dignified lives. 

During the 1950s and 1960s, civil rights leaders worked hard to achieve equality. Third, defending human rights and democracy is crucial because it rests in part on America’s moral authority.

The most effective campaigns combine these three framing tasks while being communicative and sensitive to local conditions. Each country has laws in place to preserve and uphold these principles for the declaration of human rights.

Furthermore, let us continue to work together on this International Human Rights Day to establish and cultivate a culture of human rights in future generations in order to achieve freedom, security, and peace for all. To draw attention to the good global implications of nationalist movements all across the world. 

Declaration of Human rights are the fundamental rights of every individual from birth to death.

Women’s human rights campaign:

The Women’s Human Rights Campaign (WHRC), originally the Women’s Human Rights Campaign (WHRC), is a British advocacy group. The organization is notable for producing a declaration on “sex-based rights,” in which it claims that “transgenderism” violates the UN convention on the elimination of discrimination against women and girls.

The WHRC “engages in sensationalism and fear-mongering” in order to “undermine and pare down the advancements of human rights standards that guarantee the rights of trans and gender non-conforming persons.” The Women’s Human Rights Campaign was defined by Scottish Women’s Aid as a group “trying to stigmatize and discriminate against trans women.”

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Nazem Kadri Targeted by Threats After Game 3

By
fatima_mehboob
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0

Introduction:

Nazem Samir Kadri (born October 6, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey center for the Colorado Avalanche as well as the current owner of the National Hockey League’s St. Louis Blues (NHL). The Toronto Maple Leafs selected him seventh overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

He began his junior career with the Kitchener Rangers and subsequently, the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He was a member of the Kitchener Rangers team that won the J. Ross Robertson Cup and lost in the 2008 Memorial Cup final to the Spokane Chiefs. Nazem Kadri also competed for Canada at the 2010 World Junior Championships, where the team finished second after losing in the final to United States.

Kadri led the NHL in penalty draws from the start of the 2012–13 season through March 21, 2016, with 164, 46 more than the second-placed player, Dustin Brown of the Los Angeles Kings. The NHL announced on Monday that St. Louis police are looking into threats made against Colorado Avalanche forward.

Nazem Kadri, has been the target of racist social media messages since he was involved in a collision that forced Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington to miss the rest of the series. By email, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said the league was in contact with St. Louis Police, who were using increased security procedures at both the arena and the Avalanche hotel.

Colorado Avalanche:

On July 1, 2019, Kadri was dealt to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Tyson Barrie, Alexander Kerfoot, and a sixth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft (together with Calle Rosén). He had a successful first 51 games with his new team, scoring 19 goals and 17 assists before missing the balance of the regular season due to a lower-body ailment.

The regular season was cut short owing to the COVID-19 epidemic, and the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs will be held in a bubble in Canada later in the summer. For the playoffs, Kadri returned to the club and was instrumental in the team’s victory in the qualifying round and first round. In the second round, Colorado was defeated by the Dallas Stars.

 The NHL changed its schedule for a truncated 2020–21 season, with teams only playing inside their divisions, due to the ongoing epidemic. Nazem Kadri scored 11 goals and added 21 assists in 56 games for the Avalanche, who won the President’s Trophy as the league’s best team by a razor-thin margin over divisional rivals the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Avalanche swept the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs, despite being one of the favorites. After an illegal blow to the head of Justin Faulk in game two of the first-round playoff series, Nazem Kadri was suspended for eight games and threats to Nazem Kadri have been started revolving.

The penalty was upheld by the league after Kadri filed an appeal. The final game of Kadri’s sentence coincided with Colorado’s loss in the second round to the Golden Knights, therefore he would miss the 2021 playoffs. He later expressed his thoughts on the incident, adding “I truly dislike disappointing people. And when I raised my eyes from the ice to see Justin lying there. I was expecting this. I knew. My thoughts were racing while I was sitting in the penalty box. I was fed up with myself.” Because threats to Nazem Kadri were many in number

The NHL’s competition format was restored for the 2021–22 season. Nazem Kadri had his finest season to date, scoring 28 goals and recording 59 assists, setting new career highs in both assists and overall points. He averaged over a point per game for the first time in his career. Before suffering an upper-body ailment in March, Kadri was on pace to reach 100 points for the first time in his career. He missed eight games before returning for the regular-season finale.

 When Nazem Kadri collided with Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington while charging the net in Game 3 of the Avalanche’s 2022 postseason second-round series against the Blues, he sparked another controversy. Binnington was forced to leave the game due to a lower bodyguard injury giving threats to Nazem Kadri and missed out on the rest of the series as a result. The Avalanche came from behind to win the game. When asked about the incident, Blues coach Craig Berube replied only that “Consider Kadri’s track record. That’s all I have to say on the subject.”

Nazem Kadri receiving threats:

The Colorado Avalanche confirmed in a statement Sunday that they are “informed of threats made targeting Nazem Kadri” following Saturday night’s game in St. Louis. They are investigating with the help of local law enforcement. During the Avalanche’s 5-2 win against the Blues on Saturday, Kadri collided with Blues defenseman Calle Rosen as a puck sat in front of Jordan Binnington’s crease.

Kadri and Rosen collided with Binnington, and the trio collapsed into the net. On the play, Binnington sustained an injury that will keep him out for the rest of the series. On-ice officials did not call a penalty, and the league did not issue any additional punishment on Sunday as the threats to Nazem Kadri has been given.

Former NHL player and chair of the Hockey Diversity Alliance, Akim Aliu, tweeted that he had spoken with Kadri. Aliu stated on Twitter, “So many racist comments and threats to Nazem Kadri since last night that police had to be called in.” “This type of racist attack has no place in hockey and should be investigated and reported.” Following a ban in the postseason last season, Kadri received racist insults, which his wife, Ashley, revealed on an Instagram page dedicated to their cat.

She noted at the time, “This happens on a regular basis for him.”

The Avalanche leads the Blues 2-1 in the series, and Game 4 is set for Monday. Kadri has six points in the postseason for the Avalanche, and he was the team’s third-leading scorer in the regular season with 87 points. And the threats that Kadri received are investigated by police.

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China Virus Outbreak 2022

By
fatima_mehboob
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0
china virus outbreak 2022

Introduction:

Was the nightmare back? Many people were asking this topic in the first ten days of this year, after a new strain of pneumonia was discovered in Wuhan, a megacity in central China. The China virus outbreak 2022 brought back memories of SARS, a disease that first appeared in China in 2002 and infected 8098 people in 37 countries before being eradicated in the summer of 2003.

The Wuhan pneumonia cases, like SARS, were linked to a market selling a variety of live animal species, and they appear to be caused by a novel coronavirus closely similar to the SARS virus. China new virus outbreak looked to be withholding information once again. Experts in global health are breathing a sigh of relief today.

Only one of the 42 people known to be sick had died when Science went to press: a 61-year-old man who was already suffering from abdominal tumors and severe liver disease. (SARS had a fatality rate of 9.6%.) There’s no evidence that the virus spreads quickly between humans, which could turn a local issue into a global one. The sequences of six genomes of the as-yet-unnamed virus have now been shared with the rest of the world by Chinese experts.

World Health Organization:

The data has been utilized by scientists in various countries. Based on the sequences supplied by China, the World Health Organization (WHO) plans to publish a diagnostic test for the new virus created by Christian Drosten, a virologist at Charité University Hospital in Berlin, and other researchers.

It recognizes three separate genes from the new coronavirus that are also seen in the SARS virus. “We wanted to utilize SARS as a base since every public health laboratory possesses SARS RNA as a positive reference, so they can get started right away,” Drosten explains, noting that SARS hasn’t been discovered in humans in 15 years.

Many questions remain unanswered. The virus-carrying animal species at the market has yet to be identified by researchers. When it first appeared, and the true number of people afflicted, are both unknown. Meanwhile, a case reported on 13 January in Thailand—in a tourist flying from Wuhan to Bangkok prompted WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to contact specialists on epidemic responses.

WHO announced on 14 January that the patient had not visited the Wuhan market at the focus of the outbreak, but had instead visited neighboring animal markets.

On December 8, 2019, the first known patient began to experience symptoms of China virus outbreak 2022, which included trouble breathing and a temperature. On New Year’s Day, officials shut down the fish market, and no new patients have been found in Wuhan since January 3.

The virus was not discovered in 763 affected people’s close contacts or in health-care personnel, who frequently become ill during virus epidemics that can spread between humans. “It’s a little outbreak,” says Xu Jianguo, who heads an evaluation group that advises the Chinese government and manages an infectious disease laboratory at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. “It might be over if no new patients show up in the following week.”

china virus outbreak 2022

Others, on the other hand, were critical of how early information was released. The Wall Street Journal reported on the discovery of a novel coronavirus on January 8, and Xu verified the discovery a few hours later on a state-run television channel. “When The Wall Street Journal reported a SARS-like coronavirus before the Chinese government declared it, that’s not a healthy situation,” Baric says.

On January 10, Jeremy Farrar, the director of the Welcome Trust in London, tweeted his concern over claims that the Chinese government withheld “important public health information” because Chinese researchers wanted to publish their findings first in high-profile publications.

On behalf of a group led by Zhang Yong-Zhen of Fudan University in Shanghai, evolutionary biologist Edward Holmes of the University of Sydney published an “initial” sequence of the novel coronavirus on virological.org less than 12 hours later. The next day, three groups working under China’s National Health Commission released another five China viral outbreak sequences on GISAID, a website primarily used for sharing data on influenza viruses, gathered from different patients.

The six sequences are nearly identical, indicating that they came from the same batch of infected animals at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, which also offers birds, snakes, and rabbit meat, according to evolutionary biologist Andrew Rumbaut of the University of Edinburgh. (There have never been any coronaviruses discovered in fish.)

Long-term side effects of Covid-19 vaccine: Myth or Reality

“It makes me worried that whatever the exposure was to, it carried on for quite a long time,” Farrar says, noting that cases appeared over the course of a month, implying that the source was more than one group of animals at one place. The Wuhan outbreak, according to virologist Guan Yi of Hong Kong University, was triggered by several transfers from animal to human hosts “independently and separately “It’s possible that whatever species disseminated the China new virus outbreak at the market got it from a natural reservoir.

Many coronaviruses are found in bats naturally, and the novel virus is related to four bat viruses with surface proteins capable of infecting human cells. Nonetheless, Rumbaut warns that another natural host may exist. “In certain areas of its genome, it’s quite comparable to a bat virus,” he explains, “but not so much in others.” 

Limited as the China viral outbreak appears to date, Farrar and others still worry that travel of hundreds of millions of people for the Lunar New Year celebration on 25 January could spread the virus from Wuhan, a major transportation hub, to other cities. “With people, food and animals move,” says Farrar, who suspects that this outbreak “is not going away anytime soon.”

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Pakistan’s Relations with the US under Biden

By
Iqra
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0
Pakistan’s Relations with the US under Biden

Since its inception, Pakistan and US relations were not friendly. Pakistan has adopted one-sided-pro United States (US) policies. Pakistan’s relations with the US under Biden’s presidency were mostly based on Afghanistan and the fight against terrorists. The United States shift its foreign policy under Biden’s presidency from the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific region. Pakistan is the gateway to South and Central Asia. Pakistan is the main stakeholder In South Asia’s power politics.

The US was the first country with which Pakistan maintained diplomatic relations in 1947. in 1954 and 1955, Pakistan signed South Asia Treaty Organisation and the Central Treaty Organization. Also, Pakistan adopted one-sided policies during the Cold War era and it was in the US block because the Soviet Union signed a Strategic Peace Treaty with India in 1971.

Pakistan played an important role in maintaining US-China diplomatic relations in 1970. The US grants economic aid to Pakistan and it is a major supplier of military equipment. The US is the largest exporter of Pakistan and their relations are mostly based on military and economic support. After 9/11 Pakistan and the US had cooperative relations.

Since 2001, Pakistan has been fighting against terrorism. Pakistan has suffered almost 80,000 civilian and security personnel deaths in the last 20 years. Pakistan lost US$150 billion (S$203.04 billion) in the economy. After Afghanistan, Pakistan has suffered more from this war. Despite these sacrifices and support the US has no good relations with Pakistan.

Misperceptions of Pakistan Sponsoring Terrorism:-

Bilateral relations between Pakistan and the US were bad because of many misconceptions such as Pakistan sponsors terrorism. Since 2010 Pakistan has been playing a mediator role between the Taliban and the US and with the support of Pakistan they signed a peace deal. Pakistan has friendly relations with China. They have started CPEC and BRI projects.

That’s the reason the US has bad relations with Pakistan but on the other side, the US has good relations with India. US withdraw its troops from Afghanistan under the Biden administration so it is a defeat of the US but he blamed Pakistan Pakistan as a supporter of the Taliban. Biden has spoken to heads of state and governments but so far he has not called the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

There is a trust deficit between US and Pakistan, that increased after the Taliban take over Afghanistan. History tells us that Pakistan-US relations under the Biden’s presidency got worse. Biden did not invite Pakistan to the climate change conference. Bangladesh and India’s leaders were there but Pakistan was the only country among the world’s 10 most populous not to receive an invitation.

John Kerry Biden’s special envoy for climate change visited India and Bangladesh, but not Pakistan. Separately, Pakistan played an important role in the Afghan Peace Process. Pakistan wants good relations with the US. Foreign Minister of Pakistan said; “America has to understand that our relationship with China is not a zero-sum game for them. They should come, compete and invest”.

The Biden presidency sees Pakistan through the Afghanistan dimension. Over the last few years, Pakistan-US relations have improved during the Trump administration. The peace and reconciliation process started in Afghanistan. For decades, the US has had interest base relations with Pakistan because of America’s goals in Afghanistan. Pakistan helped the US in the war on terror. Now the US withdraw its troops from Afghanistan and the relationship is on shaky footing.

America has been blaming Pakistan supports the Taliban therefore we lost in Afghanistan. Pakistan said due to this war we lost our soldiers and we are facing Taliban insurgency in Pakistan such as (TTP). Pakistan wants geo-economics-based relations with the US. The author of No-Win War: the Paradox of US-Pakistan Relations in Afghanistan’s Shadow, said “there is a lack of hope that the relations will get better, as the things are not moving towards rapprochement between both countries.

China’s main rival in India in the region, on the other side, Pakistan has economic and strategic ties with China. As a result, under Trump’s presidency, the US moved closer to India. Biden will support India against China in the region, but unlike Trump Biden wants to maintain balanced relations between Islamabad and New Delhi. Pakistan wanted to be neutral in the competition between the US and China on the issue of the Indo-Pacific region.

The US is the largest trading partner of Pakistan. Pakistan will need to work with Biden during his presidency to increase economic relations between the two nations and have greater access to American markets. The relationship with Biden during his presidency provide Pakistan with many economic opportunities, especially if the new President restores the US-Iran nuclear deal.

This will help Pakistan to get access to Iranian gas and oil. Pakistan can not expect the new US administration to do all the work.

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National Security of Pakistan

By
Iqra Iqbal
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0
National Security of Pakistan

National Security

The national security is the ability of a country’s government to protect its citizens, economy, and other institutions. Pakistan, the ‘land of the pure’ was created as a separate Muslim homeland. Since its inception as an independent state, Pakistan is facing both internal and external threats. Likewise, Pakistan has been facing challenges that are old as well as new. Before there was a concept of military security. But today, other non-military levels of it are included such as economic security, political security, energy security, homeland security, cybersecurity, human security, and environmental security.

Pakistan has released an official national security policy document for the first time. The National Security of Pakistan Policy 2022-2026 is Pakistan’s first national security policy document. The NSP is clear about the current and future threats that Pakistan faces from its neighborhood. It is the first time that five domains of war, in which Pakistan is ready to fight, are mentioned in the NSP: such as land, air, sea, cyber, and space. The NSP aims to protect Pakistan’s Exclusive Economic Zone, ensure freedom of navigation and strengthen Pakistani maritime communications and surveillance to thwart security, including cyber intrusion. 

Furthermore, economic security has been identified as “a key element of it”. Terrorism tops the list of issues of concern for internal security. The rise of violent religious extremism certainly poses a serious threat to it. Hybrid warfare also finds reference in the NSP, as an area where a whole-of-nation approach is needed to reduce threats. This has been well demonstrated by India in its shameful attempts to undermine the security and stability of Pakistan, which has now been exposed by the DisinfoLab project as illegitimate and fraudulent.

National Security of Pakistan Adviser Dr. Moeed Yusuf, said the National Security Policy focused on national security as both traditional and non-traditional issues impacted the country’s security. While the Policy is centered on economic security, geo-strategic and geo-political imperatives also feature prominently to strengthen Pakistan’s security and stability in the world.

It is the first time that any NSP in Pakistan has taken a broader approach to security. This is also the first time in Pakistan’s history that gender security has found its place in the NSP document aiming to protect Pakistani citizens from structural violence, including inequality in workplaces and gender-based violence.

Pakistan’s new national security priorities reflect new strategic considerations both domestically and internationally. The year 2020 will be a pivotal year for Afghanistan-Pakistan relations as the United States seeks to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Indo-Pak tensions have remained high since the cross-border skirmishes of March 2019.

Structure of Pakistan Army: –

The structure of the Pakistani Army is based on two principles: one is operational and the other is administrative. Operationally the Pakistan Army is divided into 11 Corps with responsibility areas (AOR) from mountainous regions of northern Pakistan to the desert and the coastal regions of the South. Administratively it is divided into different regiments.

Operational Structure of Pakistan Army:-

Hierarchy:-

Corps: A corps in the Pakistani Army Forces typically comprises two or more divisions and is commanded by a Lieutenant General. The Pakistani Army currently has 11 corps.

Division: Each division is controlled by a Major General, and usually has three Brigades comprising infantry, artillery, engineers, and communications units in addition to logistics (supply and service) support to sustain independent action. Except for the Divisions operating in the mountains, all the Divisions have at least one armored unit, some with more depending on their functionality.

Brigade: A Brigade is under the command of the Brigadier and consists of three or more Battalions with different units depending on their functionality. An independent brigade would be one that primarily consists of an artillery unit, an infantry unit, an armor unit, and logistics to support its actions.

Regiment: A regiment is commanded by a colonel.

Battalion: Each battalion is commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel and has approximately 600 to 900 soldiers under his command. This number varies depending on the functionality of the battalion.

Company: Headed by the major/ captain, a company has approximately 120–150 soldiers.

Platoon: An intermediate between a company and section, a platoon is headed by a lieutenant or, depending on the availability of commissioned officers, a junior commissioned officer, with the rank of subedar or naib-subedar. It has a total strength of about 30-36 troops. 

Section: Smallest military outfit, with a strength of about 9-13 personnel. Instructed by a non-commissioned or commissioned officer of the rank of subedar major or major, depending upon the working conditions of the section.

Administrative Structure of Pakistan Army:-

The Pakistani Army is divided into two main branches, namely the Arms and Services.

Infantry, Armour and Engineers:-

The Army’s infantry force comprised two Special Forces Brigades with 5 Battalions, while the Pakistan Armoured Corps comprised eight Armoured Reconnaissance regiments.

National Security Advisor Pakistan:-

 National Security Advisor (NSA) is the senior official on the National Security Council of Pakistan and is the chief adviser to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on national security and international affairs. The National Security Advisor participates in the National Security Council to brief the participants on issues involving the national security of the country and regularly advises the Prime Minister on all matters relating to internal and external threats, and oversees strategic matters. In addition, the advisor frequently accompanies the Prime Minister on foreign trips. The post was created in 1969 by then-President Yahya Khan and Major-General Ghulam Omar became the first advisor.

National Security Division: –

The National Security Division is the Department’s bridge to the Intelligence Community, National Security Council, and the interagency working groups on national security threats and policy coordination; guides the Food and Agriculture Sector security and resilience efforts; provides strategic intelligence; protects against internal threats and foreign intelligence entities; and advises on the impact of foreign investments to our economic and national security.

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The Political Economy of War

By
Nisar Ahmed Khan
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0
Political Economy of War

Introduction

Have you ever wondered, despite being so destructive, why wars continue to be a defining and dominating feature of our political economy?

The End of the Cold War

The End of the Cold War

It was hoped that with decolonization and the end of the cold war, the international political community would witness unprecedented stability and harmony. But unfortunately, all those hopes for international peace and harmony were dashed by the emergence of even more destructive wars. 

The irony is unmistakable, and it seems as if the international political order inherently contains the seeds of violence and war.

The War on Terrorism

What is it that led the United States to launch one of the deadliest and longest wars, “the war on terrorism?” What explains the perpetual warlike situation in the Middle East and the political upheavals apparently driven by civil wars where foreign powers back one state against the other or one militant faction against the other militant group?

The War on Terrorism

Even though it has long been argued by scholars ensnared by the promises of liberal democracy that democracies do not fight wars, we still witness democratic states engaging in wars across various parts of the world. 

Nuclear Weapons

Also, the induction of nuclear weapons into international politics was seen as a source of greater strategic stability as these were seen as “weapons of deterrence,” which arguably rendered war between nuclear weapons states very unlikely, but that does not seem to be the case at all.

South Asian Nuclear Powers

For instance, the two South Asian nuclear powers, Pakistan and India, entered into the Kargil conflict in 1999 and continue to pursue war-fighting strategies like India’s Cold Start doctrine, which seeks to engage Pakistan in a limited war under the nuclear overhang.

Political Economy of War

War is raging, the Russian invasion of Ukraine being the most recent example at hand. The political economy of war and the concept of war economy can explain why wars recur despite their remarkable disadvantages.

Especially when they can be avoided by adopting political solutions instead of resorting to military options. But before that, we will shed light on the various causes and explanations of political economy war offered by different schools of thought.

Democratic Peace Theory

In this regard, the proponents of democratic peace theory argue that liberal democracies are unlikely to fight each other. But this theory suffers from the shortcoming that it does not take into account why liberal democracies go to war with non-liberal democracies.

In addition, this theory has been challenged by scholars who argue that more often than not, democracies have been engaged in wars that are also vehemently backed by their so-called enlightened and democratic citizens.

Electing to Fight book cover

The authors of the book Electing to Fight: Why Emerging Democracies Go to War, challenge the rationale behind aggressive US policies to promote democracy and fight non-democratic regimes across the globe.

They argue that emerging democracies with fragile political institutions are more likely to engage in wars compared to others. They argue that, in contexts where democracy is not consolidated, heads of states are more likely to resort to belligerent policies and rally the population by exaggerating external threats and fears.

Building Democratic Institutions

The authors argue that only building democratic institutions can help consolidate and promote democracy. They draw on the quantitative and qualitative analysis of US policies.

My purpose here is to highlight that scholars have identified myriad and divergent causes of war. There are those who attribute wars between states to the anarchic nature of the international political system.

According to this school of thought, in the absence of any legitimate supreme authority that keeps an eye on state behavior and ensures fair play and justice, rational states maximize self-interest and power for survival.

Anarchic International System

However, the accumulation of power and the maximization of security by one country results in the insecurity of other states in an anarchic international system. The resulting situation makes war very likely and has been referred to as the security-insecurity paradox by scholars and practitioners of international relations.

Also, given the ubiquity of wars throughout human history, some scholars believed that it was an issue of human nature. Thus, these scholars argued that human beings were evil by nature. One can reject or accept all or any of these explanations, but it is equally important to appreciate that all offer some great insight into the various causes of war stemming from various factors.

Indeed, these explanations are not exhaustive and non-conclusive in so far as reaching a comprehensive understanding and explaining the multiple factors and motivations behind warfare, political conflicts, or civil wars.

Never-Ending Condition of War

Arguably, one of the most persuasive explanations of war is offered by the political economy approach to war. This approach provides the best explanation for the never-ending condition of war. According to this understanding, war can be better explained by realizing that, due to economic and political motivation, war becomes an end in itself.

For instance, it becomes easy to justify violent means to achieve political and economic power during a warlike situation. This ultimately results in what is referred to as the “war economy,” defined as the production, mobilization, and allocation of economic resources to sustain a conflict.

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Water Crisis in Pakistan

By
sadia
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0
Water crisis

There are various factors that have contributed to the water crisis in Pakistan, such as an increase in the population in urban areas, agriculture, overpopulation, and mismanagement.

Water Crisis and Access to Clean Drinking Water

Since the turn of the millennium, there has been a huge outcry about the water crisis and access to clean drinking water. A lot of resources and time are being invested in scientific missions to discover water on other planets.

Water Crisis and Access to Clean Drinking Water

The desperation to find more sources of water accentuates the necessity of water in human life. Water is a very vital source of life. As science discovered that life on Earth began in water and kept evolving in the water. After 3 billion years, life returned to the earth.

Water an Essential Part of Life

Though life was able to maintain itself outside of water, it remained an essential part of it. Humans have made a lot of progress, but we are still dependent on water. Water makes up 70% of the body, and it is the most abundant molecule that exists within our body.

Life Without Water

Not just humans, but every living organism needs water to sustain life. Without water, life is impossible. A person can survive without food for forty days, but he will barely survive a week without water, such is the requirement for water for the human body.

Water Modern Civilization

Water is the hallmark of modern civilization. Besides biological requirements, water is an important need in the domestic, public, and economic spheres of society.

In the wake of capitalism, water made its way into the political sphere as well. Oceans are gateways for transporting commodities and people from one place to another. Countries with warm waters are considered to have the advantage of their strategic locations.

Great wars have been fought to gain access to warm waters. For instance, it is a widely held belief in academia and policy-making that the Soviet Union attacked Afghanistan to access warm waters (1993).

Effects

It is clear that we need to change the way we use water. There is fundamentally everything wrong with the way this precious resource is being used, and climate change, water pollution, water-borne diseases, and water scarcity are the pointers towards the intricacy of the issue.

Pakistan ranks 37 among the countries which have acute water stress, which includes corrosion of fresh water means. The quality and quantity are both worsening day by day.

According to the recent categorization of the World Water Resource Institute, Pakistan will face an extreme water crisis if it does not take the necessary measures. Pakistan has also been listed among the top 10 countries where most of the population does not have access to safe drinking water.

In the developing world, the ratio of people suffering from water-borne diseases is comparatively high. Six out of ten major diseases are caused by contaminated water and sanitation problems. Diarrhea, Hookworm Schistosomiasis, Ascaris, and Dracunculiasis, mainly caused by infectious and viral pathogens contaminating water and food, lead to morbidity and disability and can also cause death.

Another very serious water-borne disease is Trachoma—caused by a bacterium and leads to blindness. According to WHO’s 2019 report on drinking water, approximately 829,000 people, of which 297,000 are children under the age of 5, die every year due to diarrhea.

The cause of diarrhea is contaminated drinking water and unhygienic surroundings. Although diarrhea is a disease that can be easily prevented, children and adults could be saved if the risk factor is eliminated.

Waterborne diseases are primarily spread through contaminated water, usually through the excretion of animals and humans. Both humans and animals can be victims of the disease or be carriers.

Using contaminated water for cooking, washing, bathing, or even inhaling its drops can cause a severe kind of infection in the human body. A normal person having 6o kg weight must consume at least 2 liters of water daily.

This is the standard ratio to measure exposure to contaminated water and the possible harm and intensity of this exposure. Although water consumption rate varies from person to person.

Agriculture was the main source of Pakistan’s revenue generation. Now Pakistan is facing a serious agricultural crisis as we are unable to produce the required food due to the water crisis.

Only if climate change didn’t reduce the ratio of rainfall and global warming had not started melting glaciers, would we be able to grow and export food at a massive level.

As Khan and Javed argue in their study, accessibility of basic needs such as water can solve many other socio-economic problems of a developing and striving country. Good health means more energy for work, a strong labor force, and less expenditure on health.

Causes

In his study on the use of water in villages of Pakistan, Lerebours found that 50% of the village population gets drinking water from hand-pumps and that a great number of the rural and urban populations get groundwater through municipal water supply means (2017).

His subject city was Saline and he found that the main source of municipal water in Saline is irrigation canals and groundwater.

The fundamental problem lies in the fact that there is poor resource management of water use. When we take water either from groundwater sources, the sea, or rivers, we almost disturb the hydrological cycle.

Building dams, canals, and levees disturb the natural movement of water on, above, and below the earth. When we use this water for households, it gets contaminated by cleaning chemicals, plastic microbeads, and cooking products.

Very often, these impurities remain intact even after the natural filtration process. Also, industrial and agricultural wastewater can contain chemicals used in industries and pesticides and fertilizers.

This contaminated water not only destroys underground sources of water but also spoils the habits of sea life, and changes the temperature and salinity level of water. So we take fresh and pure water from nature but in return, we give it poisonous and contaminated water which is beyond natural treatment.

Way forward

The only solution to overcome the water crisis is to take climate change and global warming into consideration. If we could control our consumption and mindless commodity production, we could surely save some water for the next few generations.

Firstly, we will have to control global warming and its triggers, such as air pollution caused by hazardous gases. Secondly, we have to reduce the massive consumption of water at the industrial level. We also need to use water wisely at the domestic level.

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Pakistan’s policy toward the Middle East

By
M.Adil Javed
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5
Appraisal of Pakistan’s policy toward the Middle East Policy

Introduction

The Middle East region figures prominently in Pakistan’s foreign policy due to its Muslim identity, in addition to the fact that Pakistan is dependent on the Gulf states to meet energy needs.

Middle East region

Country’s Foreign Policy

A country’s foreign policy is guided by certain determinants such as ideology, geo-economic and geopolitical concerns. Since its inception in 1947, Pakistan has enjoyed cordial relations with the Middle East.

Pakistan and its relation with the Middle East

As an Islamic nation, there has always been an ideological harmony between the region and Pakistan. Pakistan always stood by its Middle Eastern partners in times of crisis, such as on the issue of Palestine.

Palestinian Cause

It always strongly supported the Palestinian cause on global and multilateral platforms. During the Arab-Israeli wars, Pakistan contributed diplomatically as well as militarily by sending its troops to fight in support of the Arab or the Muslim World.

Middle East

The Middle East is a vast region with Morocco on its western edge in North Africa, Turkey in the north, the Gulf States in the middle, and Iran on its eastern edge. Pakistan has had long-standing political, economic, and strategic ties with the region historically.

Pakistan and its relation with the Middle East

Although ideologically, the country views the region as a whole with the same lens, its strength of political, economic, and strategic ties differ with each country depending upon its location and background.

Largest Pakistani Diaspora

The Gulf States host the largest Pakistani diaspora which is a source of sending foreign remittances back to the country contributing a considerable amount to its prosperity.

Pakistani workers in Middle East

Moreover, due to its oil wealth, Pakistan imports all its energy needs from the Gulf States. Pakistan also has strong defense ties with Saudi Arabia with bilateral agreements. Saudi Arabia is the custodian of the two holiest sites of Islam thus increasing its reverence among the Muslim population.

Pakistan stations its troops for the protection of holy sites and the royal families due to the foreign policy. Saudi Arabia came to the rescue of Pakistan when it faced a debt crisis in 2018 by providing a 6 billion dollar loan. It also has struck agreements of investing 20 billion dollars in Gwadar, the main port city in the mega project of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Similarly, other Gulf States have bilateral relations with Pakistan. Turkey is another close partner with historical ties dating back to Ottoman times when Pakistan wasn’t even born but the people of this region always connected themselves to their Turkish brethren.

Economic and security cooperation has deepened during the last two decades between both countries. Both countries have come closer due to good chemistry between the leaders of both countries, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Imran Khan of Pakistan.

Iran, on the eastern border of the Middle East, is a western neighbor of Pakistan. It remained the strongest ally of Pakistan during the reign of the Shah of Iran before the Islamic revolution in 1979.

Pakistan shares a common religion and history with Iran and still maintains warm relations with it. Although there were differences after the Islamist government took over in Tehran. Due to international sanctions, trade volume is very low, but politically, both are connected.

Although having the same Islamic identity and are predominantly Arab nations, there have been fault lines and fissures among Middle Eastern states.

Due to Iranian ambitions of dominating the region once again as a regional strong man through its Shia proxies and Saudi sense of being the leader of the Islamic world, there has emerged a regional tussle between both countries to vie for domination to steer the course of the region.

Saudi-Iran Rivalry

Superpower involvement also catalyzed this process of feuding regionally. Apart from the Saudi-Iran rivalry, there have been other instances of crises in the region, such as the Saudi-Turkey conflict, the Saudi-Qatar crisis, and the Yemeni and Syrian wars.

Pakistan always sought to stay neutral between contending parties and played its role as a mediator in the conflict due to its foreign policy. Pakistan chose not to take sides in any of the conflicts, except by sending its troops to the defense of holy sites and the Saudi royal family.

As there are ups and downs in any journey, relations saw hiccups between many countries during different events. When Pakistan, Turkey, and Malaysia organized a summit sidelining Saudi Arabia, there were chances of a diplomatic crisis between KSA and Pakistan.

Saudi Arabia was also offended when the Pakistani parliament refused to send troops to fight the war in Yemen. Iran being a revolution exporting state made Pakistan a little insecure due to its ambitions.

Upon nuclear technology sharing crisis during the Musharraf era relations touched times low between both countries. There are also issues of border management and cross-border terrorist attacks.

Pakistan viewed Pan Arabism as anathema to greater Islamic unity so it remained hostile to leaders proclaiming such ideologies which included Egypt’s Jamal Abdul Nasser, Libya’s Gaddafi, and Palestine’s Yasser Arafat.

Pakistan also opposed Syria’s Baathist government due to its ideological leanings towards communism. Saddam Hussein also proved as an irritant to Pakistan’s Middle East approach.

China announced its BRI project in 2013 and plans to connect Europe and mainland China through Pakistan and the Middle East. This project will bring the region and Pakistan close economically in the coming years.

China’s Digital Silk Road is an initiative that shall connect China digitally by optic fiber submarine cables via Pakistan, the Middle East to Europe. Pakistan’s foreign policy with the Middle East are likely to improve as newly sworn-in Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif takes the office. He enjoys good relations with Saudi and Emirati leaders at a personal level which will further deepen cooperation between the countries. 

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