Pakistan's Madrasas: Report
23 June 2011
Why have the madrasas become a subject of such controversy? What roles do madrasas play in Pakistani society? What are the main challenges and opportunities for madrasa reform? Since 11 September 2001, Pakistan’s madrasas have received much attention from the media, policy analysts and politicians. The bulk of the literature has asserted strong links between madrasas and militancy. Madrasas have thus become the focus of a much larger debate...
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22 June 2011
Pakistanis largely disapprove of the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden, with a majority believing the al-Qaida chief’s death is a bad thing and relations between Washington and Islamabad will suffer as a result, new polling data show. The findings of two Pew Research Center surveys reflect widespread anti-Americanism in a country where many view the U.S. as the main reason for rising Islamist violence that has killed thousands, even as...
Pakistan among Top Five Most Dangerous Countries for Women
15 June 2011
Targeted violence against female public officials, dismal healthcare and desperate poverty make Afghanistan the world's most dangerous country in which to be born a woman, according to a global survey released on Wednesday. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Pakistan, India and Somalia feature in descending order after Afghanistan in the list of the five worst states, the poll among gender experts shows. Pakistan is ranked third on the basis...
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Human Rights Situation in Pakistan "Deteriorated": Amnesty Report
13 May 2011
Some positive steps have been taken to empower civilian rule and curb armed militancy but the overall situation of human rights deteriorated further in Pakistan — especially in northwest and Balochistan, said Amnesty International as it launched its global human rights report 2011 here on Thursday on the eve of its 50th anniversary. Salil Shetty, Amnesty International secretary general, told The News that Amnesty stood against all forms...
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Shiism and Sectarian Conflict in Pakistan: Report
11 May 2011
As the first decade of the 21st century nears its end, issues surrounding militancy among the Shi‛a community in the Shi‛a heartland and beyond continue to occupy scholars and policymakers. During the past year, Iran has continued its efforts to extend its influence abroad by strengthening strategic ties with key players in international affairs, including Brazil and Turkey. Iran also continues to defy the international community through its tenacious...
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Pakistan: Violence vs. Stability - Net Assessment: Report
09 May 2011
As the events surrounding the death of Osama Bin Laden make all too clear, Pakistan is passing through one of the most dangerous periods of instability in its history. This instability goes far beyond Al Qa’ida, the Taliban, and the war in Afghanistan. A net assessment of the patterns of violence and stability indicate that Pakistan is approaching a perfect storm of threats, including rising extremism, a failing economy, chronic underdevelopment,...
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Regional and Global Reactions to bin Laden's Death
02 May 2011
The initial surprise and disbelief have already started to transform into worry for many Pakistanis. "Pakistan has the most to fear in terms of the reaction, from wherever al-Qaeda has strength in the Islamic World, including Asia and Middle East," said [Khurshid] Kasuri [Pakistan's former foreign minister]. "In the short term, there will be many more incidents by terrorists, these will be acts to avenge Osama bin Laden’s death......and...
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Internal Displacement: Global Overview of Trends and Developments, 2010 - Pakistan
21 April 2011
Human rights abuses by Taliban insurgents, counter-insurgency operations and local sectarian and tribal conflicts have displaced a total of four million people in Pashtu-dominated Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) since 2008. By December 2010, according to international agencies, the number of IDPs in KPK had fallen to between 840,000 and 980,000 IDPs. Roughly half of them had been displaced during the year....
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State of Human Rights in 2010: HRCP Report
14 April 2011
"As many as 12,580 people were killed across Pakistan in 2010, stated the annual Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) report released on Thursday. The annual report, State of Human Rights in 2010, also revealed that there were 581 kidnappings for ransom and 16,977 cases of abductions across the country. Faith based violence claimed the lives of 99 Ahmadis, while 64 people were charged with blasphemy. Violence against various Muslim sects claimed...
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Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations: A Pakistani Narrative
07 April 2011
"The Pakistan-Afghanistan Parliamentarians Dialogue is taking place at a time when the governments of the two countries are preparing to implement a landmark agreement to facilitate the transit trade largely meant to meet the needs of landlocked Afghanistan via Pakistan. Though the new Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) did not come into effect on February 12, 2011 as planned, this would happen sooner rather than later. [...] The...
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