Research Digest J U N E , 2 0 1 4 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 6

I N SI DE THI S

I SSU E:

CONCEPT

Charter of

Democracy

Revisited

Page 11

OPINION

From peace talks

to Operation

Zarb-i-Azb

Page 17

ON A LIGHTER

NOTE...

Pakistani women

worked day and

night to manufac-

ture over 42 mil-

lion Brazuca foot-

balls for the world

cup.

Page 27

ANALYSIS

Pakistan’s quest

for Universal

Primary Education-

An appraisal

Page 1

Editorial

The Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services endeavors to provide anticipated information as well as analysis on the current and future challenges to honorable parliamentarians to assist them in developing insights into complex issues and make informed decisions. It is a priority of every legislator that their opinion is a manifes-tation of the aspirations of their constituent, so that a pluralistic national consensus is reached on all matters of national significance that prompts a synergy for the whole nation to work in unison for their cherished goals. This issue of the PIPS Research Digest comprises four articles including an analysis piece regarding Pakistan’s quest for universal primary education and an opinion piece on dimensions of on-going North Waziristan Operation. The Digest also traces back history by giving the text of the Charter of Democracy, which remains a live and valid document even today and a watershed where populist democratic forces drew a road map to ensure parliamentary democracy and rule of law as envi-sioned by the Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah for the state of Pakistan. Last but not the least and on a lighter note, a one pager on Brazuca by Pakistan, presents the fairy tale of resilient Pakistani women who manufactured over 42 million offi-cial footballs of the 2014 FIFA world cup. We are confident that the articles will touch upon these key themes in a befitting manner for honorable MPs and help them seek solutions to these challenges faced by the country. We wish the readers keen reading and look forward for your candid feedback. Feel free to send your suggestions to help us enhance our services at research@pips.org.pk. Wishing proud Readers a happy Ramadan bestowed with blessings for all Pakistanis, ameen. Muhammad Rashid Mafzool Zaka Director (Research and I.T)

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ANALYSIS

Pakistan’s Quest for Universal Primary Education- an Appraisal

By

Ms. Tehseen Khalid

Senior Research Officer

Education: Constitutional Right of Every Child in Pakistan

Article 37b & C of the Constitution states that

“ The state shall remove illiteracy and provide free and compulsory secondary education within the minimum possible period; make technical and professional education generally available and higher education equally accessible by all on the basis of merit"

After 18th Amendment Article 25 A of Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan Government guarantees education as a fundamental right of all children. It states that

“ State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of age of five to sixteen years in such manner as may be determined by law”.

Millennium Development Goals and Education:

The MDG 2 aims at increasing access to primary education and to achieve universal primary education (UPE) in the country by 2015.

It is based on three indicators

a) Net Primary Enrolment ratio (%) b) Completion/ Survival rate at Grade 1 to 5 (%) c) Literacy rate (%)

Status of Education in Pakistan

Pakistan is off-track on all three indicators of MDG2. Despite numerous efforts being taken at federal and provincial level in education sector, relevant indicators are not satisfactory. Rates of primary enrolment and completion increased upto mid 2000s but then slowed and fluctuated to 57 percent and 50 percent in 2011/2012 (Table 1, Figure 1). The literacy rate is 58 percent overall against a set target of 88 percent, and is mainly tilted towards males (70 percent) as compared to females (47 Percent) (Table 1)1. There are 52 percent out of school girls in rural areas of the country2. The country has been able to achieve 66-73% net enrolment rate against 100 % target set in MDGs3. Overall, Pakistan ranks 113th on Education Development Index (EDI).

1 Pakistan Millennium Development Goals Report 2013. Planning Commission, Government of Pakistan.

2 PSLM, 2010-11, Government of Pakistan, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

3 PSLM-NEMIS.

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Table 1: Status of Indicators- MDG 2

Figure 1: Targets and Achievements- Net Primary Enrolment Ratio

According to a survey conducted by Alif Ailaan Net Primary enrolment ratio was 57% in 2014. No change in the enrolment ratio was recorded during the period of 2008-2013. Similarly survival rate to class 5 is 54%. According to the data provided by National Institute for Population studies there are 27 million students enrolled in Pakistan under the age of 5-16. Highest enrolment ratio is found in Punjab followed by Sindh, KPK and Balochistan. Dropout rate from class one to class two is highest in the country as compared to other classes. It is estimated that out of every 10 students enrolled in the school only 04 students remain maintaining the dropout rate of 06 whereas National value of Literacy rate is 60%4.

Education Sector Policies and Programs

Since the creation of Pakistan two major policies in education sector have been formulated.

a) The National Education Policy 1998-2010 b) The National Education Policy 2009

The National Education Policy 1998-2010

The Policy focuses on

i. Increased enrolment ratio in public sector schools; ii. Increased budget allocation to education sector;

4 Alif Ailaan Pakistan district education ranking 2014.

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iii. Removal of Urban-rural disparity; iv. Removal of gender imbalance/ discrimination; v. Improving quality of education through

a. Curriculum reform b. Strengthening education facilities c. Promoting private sector participation d. Increasing involvement of community;

The NEP 1998-2010 envisaged the implementation of literacy and functional literacy programs for adults and the expansion of non-formal education to complement the formal system. Education Sector Reforms ESR 2001-06 were introduced in the next few years with a special focus on providing good quality Universal Primary Education, enhance budgetary allocation, improving literacy rates, increase in public private partnership (PPP); and improved technical and higher education.

The National Education Policy 2009

The National Education Policy 2009 recognizes the close linkage between equity in educational opportunities and equitable income distribution and income growth. It implies that disruptions in education system can endanger the long run economic stability as well as stability of the society. The Policy identifies two major types of action plans including widening access to education and improving quality of education for achieving goal5.

MTDF 2005-2010

The MTDF includes following initiatives to achieve MDG2 goal of universal primary education:

a. Providing free education upto secondary school level, b. Introduction of technology education as a core course at elementary level, c. up gradation of curricula, d. Promoting public-private partnerships.

It suggests various strategies to reduce gender gaps. It also emphasizes on school retention rate by providing financial and nutritional incentives to girls especial from rural area. It stresses on the improvement and rehabilitation of existing physical infrastructure and facilities as well as capacity building of training and teaching institutions.

Education Sector Reforms Programs (ESR)

ESR program was launched in 2002 with special emphasis on achieving universal primary education, steps to reduce illiteracy and ways to eliminate gender disparity. These programs were launched at provincial level i.e., Sindh Education Sector Reform Program SERP, Punjab Education Sector Reform Program PESRP and KPK and main feature of ESR was to provide free text books, stipend, textbook restructurings and improvement, and provision of missing facilities such as toilets, shelter, boundary wall etc.

5 2013. National Action Plan to accelerate education-related MDGS 2013-16- Achieving universal quality primary

education in Pakistan. Ministry of Education, Trainings and standards in higher education. Government of Pakistan

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National Plan of action of education for all 2013-166

This plan aims to achieve

1. enrolment of maximum number of out-of-school children in primary classes; 2. in-school retention all enrolled children, and completion of their primary education; 3. improvement in quality of primary education;

The National Plan of Action is based on eight provincial/area plans. Each provincial/area plan reviews the education situation in its respective province/area, identifies the gap in primary enrolments, quantifies the number of out-of-school children, analyses the reasons for low enrolments and high drop-out rates and suggests enhancement of existing options as well adoption of innovative strategies to attain maximum progress within the stipulated time frame.

National Education Assessment System NEAS

National Education Assessment System (NEAS) is one of the key programs of the ESR which aims to develop national capacity for monitoring the learning achievements of elementary level students in order to improve the quality of services such as curriculum, textual material, teachers’ delivery, policy formulation in the education sector.

Education Sector Reforms Assistance ESRA

This program focused on improvement in four core areas of education including policy and planning; professional development of educators and administrators; literary and public private partnerships.

National Literacy Program

It focuses on the education and learning needs of out of school children, young people and adults.

Twana Pakistan

This program focuses on school enrolment of primary school age girls in addition to improving their nutritional status.

Provincial Plans and Policies: Following education sector policies have been developed at provincial level.

Balochistan Education Sector Plan 2013-14 to 2017-18

KPK education Sector Plan 2010-15;

Punjab School education sector Plan 2013-17;

Similarly EFA plans have been formulated in provinces. In addition, In Punjab Education Sector Reforms and Child friendly schools (CFS), Punjab Education Assessment System PEAS; In KPK Gender Based Governance system Project (GBG); In Balochistan BEF (Balochistan Education Foundation), Balochistan Education Support Project (BESP); In Sindh Early Childhood education and early learning program have also been initiated.

6 ibid

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Several incentives have also been provided by provincial governments to enhance school enrolment and retention ratio for example free text books for all students up to matric level, tuition fee exemption for primary school students, stipend to girls achieving higher grades, special cash prizes for position holders in Punjab; free textbooks to the students of primary classes and stipend to girls students from class-vi to x in Sindh.

Dakar Framework for Action: The world education forum adopted Dakar Framework for Action, Education for All 20-28 April 2000; in Dakar, Senegal which states that “heart of EFA (Education for All) lies at country level and affirms that ‘no countries seriously committed to education for all will be thwarted in their achievement of this goal by a lack of resources’7. Participants from 164 countries including affirmed their commitment to achieve Education For All (EFA) goal by 2015. These goals include expanding Early Childhood Care and Education, providing free and compulsory primary education for all, promoting learning and life skills for young people and adults, increasing the literacy rate by 50 percent, eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005 and gender equality by 2015, besides improving the quality of education. Unfortunately, Pakistan is also likely to miss this EFA goal by 2015.

Post 2015 Scenario: 2000-2030 From minimum to Optimum

Post 2015 scenario of education is complex and more challenging. World aspires to achieve quality and equitable education by 2030. There is a dire need to go at par with the world to adopt the goals based on inclusiveness and sustainable development.

As the 2015 target year for the Dakar Framework for Action and the MDGs draws near, several inter-linked processes have been launched aimed at shaping the post-2015 development agenda. Indeed, there is a general consensus that the future education agenda should be articulated with the broader post-2015 development agenda.

Global Education for All meeting (GEM 2014) A meeting of Global Education for All was held in Muscat, Oman in May 2014. This was the last meeting of all EFA partners before the world education forum which would be held at Korea in 2015. The draft Muscat Agreement has been finalized in a follow up meeting of steering committee and adopted by 250 delegates. This outlines an overarching goal and set of seven global targets for education post-2015. Overarching Goal and Global Targets (May 27, 2014)

Goal: “Ensure equitable and inclusive quality education and lifelong learning for all by 2030”8

• Target 1: By 2030, at least x% of girls and boys are ready for primary school through participation in quality early childhood care and education, including at least one year of free and compulsory pre-primary education, with particular attention to gender equality and the most marginalized.

7 The Dakar Framework for Action Adopted by the World Education forum Dakar, Senegal, 26-28 April 2000.

8 2014 GEM draft final statement. The Muscat Agreement

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• Target 2: By 2030, all girls and boys complete free and compulsory quality basic education of at least 9 years and achieve relevant learning outcomes, with particular attention to gender equality and the most marginalized.

• Target 3: By 2030, all youth and at least x% of adults reach a proficiency level in literacy and numeracy sufficient to better participate in society, with particular attention to girls and women and the most marginalized.

• Target 4: By 2030, at least x% of youth and y% of adults have the knowledge and skills for decent work and life through technical and vocational, upper secondary and tertiary education and training, with particular attention to gender equality and the most marginalized.

• Target 5: By 2030, all learners acquire knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to establish sustainable and peaceful societies, including through global citizenship education and education for sustainable development.

• Target 6: By 2030, all governments ensure that all learners are taught by qualified, professionally-trained, motivated and well-supported teachers.

• Target 7: By 2030, all countries allocate at least 4-6% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or at least 15-20% of their public expenditure to education, prioritizing groups most in need; and strengthen financial cooperation for education, prioritizing countries most in need.

Open Working Group (OWG)

Recently an Open Working Group OWG has been established with a target of developing set of Sustainable Development Goals. This OWG has issued a “Focus Area Document” which is the basis of developing number of goals and targets. OWG will present its report to the Secretary-General in July 2014 (Zero Draft).

A meeting of Open Working Group (OWG) was held on 2 June, 2014 which proposed a list of 17 Proposed Sustainable Development Goals to be attained by 2030. The list includes9;

1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere

2. End hunger, achieve food security and adequate nutrition for all, and promote sustainable agriculture

3. Attain healthy life for all at all ages

4. Provide equitable and inclusive quality education and life-long learning opportunities for all

5. Attain gender equality, empower women and girls everywhere

9 Introduction and proposed goals and targets on sustainable development for the post2015 development agenda.

June 2, 2014. Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals. Available at: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/owg12.html

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6. Secure water and sanitation for all for a sustainable world

7. Ensure access to affordable, sustainable, and reliable modern energy services for all

8. Promote strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth and decent work for all

9. Promote sustainable industrialization

10. Reduce inequality within and among countries

11. Build inclusive, safe and sustainable cities and human settlements

12. Promote sustainable consumption and production patterns

13. Promote actions at all levels to address climate change

14. Attain conservation and sustainable use of marine resources, oceans and seas

15. Protect and restore terrestrial ecosystems and halt all biodiversity loss

16. Achieve peaceful and inclusive societies, rule of law, effective and capable institutions

17. Strengthen and enhance the means of implementation and global partnership for sustainable development

Its’ goal 04 is related to education with the caption “Provide equitable and inclusive quality education and life-long learning opportunities for all”. It is further sub-divided into 09 targets.

4.1 by 2030 ensure all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes

4.2 by 2030 ensure equal access for all to affordable quality tertiary education and life-long learning

4.3 by 2030 increase by x% the proportion of children able to access and complete inclusive quality pre-primary education and other early childhood development programmes

4.4 achieve universal youth literacy and basic numeracy and an increase by x% of adult literacy and basic numeracy by 2030

4.5 by 2030 increase by x% the number of young and adult women and men with the skills needed for employment, including vocational training, ICT, technical, engineering and scientific skills

4.6 by 2030 ensure that people in vulnerable situations and marginalized people including persons with disabilities and indigenous peoples have access to inclusive education, skills development and vocational training aligned with labour market needs

4.7 by 2030 integrate relevant knowledge and skills in education curricula and training programs, including education for sustainable development and awareness raising on culture’s contribution to sustainable development

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4.8 by 2030 ensure that all schools and other educational institutions provide safe, healthy, non-discriminatory and inclusive learning environments for all

4.9 by 2030 enhance the quality of teaching through promoting training for teachers

There are also explicit education targets for goals on gender equality; economic growth; sustainable consumption and production; climate change; and peaceful and inclusive societies (education is also implicit in several other targets) including;

Proposed goal 5. Attain gender equality, empower women and girls everywhere;

Proposed goal 8. Promote strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth and decent work for all;

Proposed goal 12. Promote sustainable consumption and production patterns; Proposed goal 13. Promote actions at all levels to address climate change;

Proposed goal 16. Achieve peaceful and inclusive societies, rule of law, effective and capable institutions.

Within the UN-facilitated global conversation on post-2015, the thematic consultation on education was co-led by UNESCO and UNICEF. Process & Architecture of Post 2015 Agenda Setting involved a series of consultation meetings at regional and global level. The July 2013 report by the Secretary-General to the General Assembly on post-2015 draws upon on the reports of these constituencies. It emphasizes the importance of high-quality-education and learning from early childhood to post primary, as well as life skills and vocational education and training. At the same time, as a follow-up to the Rio+20 Conference (United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development), a number of processes have been initiated aimed at defining a new global sustainable development agenda.

At the 69th session of the UN General Assembly September, (2014) intergovernmental consultations will be launched, and Member States will engage in formal negotiations on the post-2015 framework. These deliberations should help establish a coherent post-2015 development agenda, defined by one set of global goals to eradicate poverty in the context of sustainable development. The UN high-level Summit in September 2015 is then expected to adopt the post-2015 development agenda.

UNESCO's Executive Board requested at its most recent session, the Director-General of UNESCO will submit this outcome document to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and all UNESCO Member States. It will not be a legally-binding document; it will facilitate Member States’ participation in and contributions to the intergovernmental consultations on the post-2015 development framework agenda. Further adjustments and refinement of the targets and indicators will likely be undertaken during this process. UNESCO will conduct regional consultations on the post-2015 global education agenda in the months to come. This will culminate in the World Education Forum 2015, to be held in May 2015 in Republic of -Korea, and at which all Member States will be present. The World Education Forum 2015 will aim to adopt an agreed position on education. This will become an integral part of the global development agenda to be adopted at the UN Summit in New York City in September 2015. The Forum will also adopt a Framework for Action, with the aim of guiding implementation of the future education agenda at country level.

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ROLE OF LEGISLATURES AND POLICY MAKERS

a) Enforcement of Article 25A: Article 25A of Constitution is a significant step taken by the Government of Pakistan but no serious efforts have been made to implement it. Government should commit seriously in enforcing this article10.

b) Raise matter on the floor of the House: According to the Article 25A of Constitution every Pakistani citizen has the right to education. Almost every province has made rules/ acts accordingly. The member of the Parliament has the responsibility to ask about the situation of education in the country/ their specific province. They should discuss about situation of education on the floor of the house. They can ask for yearly or quarterly reports and progress in education sector.

c) Oversight of education Expenditure: Parliamentarians should maintain a strict oversight of education expenditures. Member of the Parliament can ask about the expenditure on education sector during the post budget discussion. They can ask for quarterly reports/ analysis on expenditure.

d) Focus on Political Party Manifesto of Education: Every Party has its own political Manifesto on education. The parliamentarians should focus on political manifesto of his/her own political party and try to achieve that target within the given period of time. This would improve overall situation of education in the country.

e) Encouraging Public Private Partnership (PPP): Promoting PPP could be a good way of improve quality education in the country. In addition to increasing PPP, engaging civil society organizations for monitoring public sector policies and reforms programs as well as in decision making could be an effective tool to improve quality of education in the country.

f) Allocation of budget to Public Private Partnership: Government should spend its budget on Public Private Partnership Models in addition to the schools led by the Government itself. This would also help to improve the quality of education in the country.

g) Set District Based Targets of Education: District Based targets for education must be made in each province. There should be a proper procedure for data collection and ranking.

h) Creation of District Education Authority (DEA): A separate District Education Authority (DEA) may be created in each district. It can include MPs, civil society members, and others. These DEAs should have complete authority in decision making.

i) Consider creating Technical vocational Education and Training Institutions (TVET): Pakistan ranks lowest on formal training. Therefore; we must consider creating vocational and technical education Institutions TVET which would affect the economy of the country.

j) Increased Budget Allocation to TVET: Budget allocation to TVET must be increased. k) Influence the formulation and allocation of new fiscal year budget by establishing

budget review desk in the assembly and presenting budgetary recommendations. l) Conduct in-depth public hearings, workshops and seminars which would enable

government, civil society organizations, experts from education sector and private sector organizations to take part in promotion of education in the country.

m) Implementation of Education Sector Policies: Although various policies have been formulated and initiatives have been taken to promote primary education in the country. But Country still lags behind to achieve MDG2 Target of Universal Primary Education.

10

Looking beyond the EFA goals and MDGs- The case of Pakistan. PCE position paper on post-2015 education agenda. June 26

th 2014.

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There is a dire need to implement these policies in each province and district of the country. Each provincial government should take steps to promote primary education and hold the government officials accountable to the society.

n) Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of Education Sector Programs: Quarterly review and M& E of policies and programs under federal and provincial government would be helpful to achieve UPE in the country.

o) Compulsory technical education should be incorporated in education policy as a strategy to add skilled labour in the economy and as a tool to attract parent from lower income group to send their boys and girls to school.

p) Revision of National Education Policy: After 18th amendment education have been made a provincial subject. Keeping in view this amendment, National education Policy 2009 should be redrafted and revised.

q) Effective local government system is the core of any country’s democratic system. No system including education, health, environment etc can be improved unless there is a strong local government mechanism. Devolution of responsibilities should be made to district level in order to ensure effective planning and management at grass root level11.

11

ibid

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CONCEPT

Charter of Democracy Revisited

Ideally nations’ statesmen author a country’s constitution in the spirit of history, culture, political experience and

character of a populace. The Charter of Democracy (Urdu: میثاق جمہوریت‎ )remains the historic alliance that was signed by two populist Prime Ministers of Pakistan, Late Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan People’s Party and Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan Muslim League(Nawaz) on May 14, 2006 in London. The document owned by all democratic political forces of the country proved a watershed in ending the military rule established by the 1999 coup d'état led by Gen Pervez Musharraf and restore civilian democratic rule as envisaged by the Constitution. The document remains eternally relevant as it reflects the strong and unmitigated resolve of people of Pakistan to strengthen parliamentary democracy and rule of law as envisioned by the founding fathers of the state led by the Father of the Nation Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

The text of the Charter is reproduced for kind readers:

We the elected leaders of Pakistan have deliberated on the political crisis in our beloved homeland, the threats to its survival, the erosion of the federation's unity, the military's subordination of all state institutions, the marginalisation of civil society, the mockery of the Constitution and representative institutions, growing poverty, unemployment and inequality, brutalisation of society, breakdown of rule of law and, the unprecedented hardships facing our people under a military dictatorship, which has pushed our beloved country to the brink of a total disaster;

Noting the most devastating and traumatic experiences that our nation experienced under military dictatorships that played havoc with the nation's destiny and created conditions disallowing the progress of our people and the flowering of democracy. Even after removal from office they undermined the people’s mandate and the sovereign will of the people;

Drawing history’s lesson that the military dictatorship and the nation cannot co-exist – as military involvement adversely affect the economy and the democratic institutions as well as the defence capabilities, and the integrity of the country - the nation needs a new direction different from a militaristic and regimental approach of the Bonapartist regimes, as the current one;

Taking serious exception to the vilification campaign against the representatives of the people, in particular, and the civilians, in general, the victimisation of political leaders/workers and their media trials under a Draconian law in the name of accountability, in order to divide and eliminate the representative political parties, to Gerrymander a king's party and concoct legitimacy to prolong the military rule;

Noting our responsibility to our people to set an alternative direction for the country saving it from its present predicaments on an economically sustainable, socially progressive, politically democratic and pluralist, federally cooperative, ideologically tolerant, internationally respectable and regionally peaceful basis in the larger interests of the peoples of Pakistan to decide once for all that only the people and no one else has the sovereign right to govern through their elected representatives, as conceived by the democrat par excellence, Father of the Nation Quaid-i-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah;

Reaffirming our commitment to undiluted democracy and universally recognised fundamental rights, the rights of a vibrant opposition, internal party democracy, ideological/political tolerance,

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bipartisan working of the parliament through powerful committee system, a cooperative federation with no discrimination against federating units, the decentralisation and devolution of power, maximum provincial autonomy, the empowerment of the people at the grassroots level, the emancipation of our people from poverty, ignorance, want and disease, the uplift of women and minorities, the elimination of klashnikov culture, a free and independent media, an independent judiciary, a neutral civil service, rule of law and merit, the settlement of disputes with the neighbours through peaceful means, honouring international contracts, laws/covenants and sovereign guarantees, so as to achieve a responsible and civilised status in the comity of nations through a foreign policy that suits our national interests;

Calling upon the people of Pakistan to join hands to save our motherland from the clutches of military dictatorship and to defend their fundamental, social, political and economic rights and for a democratic, federal, modern and progressive Pakistan as dreamt by the Founder of the nation; have adopted the following, “Charter of Democracy”;

A. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

1. The 1973 Constitution as on 12th October 1999 before the military coup shall be restored with the provisions of joint electorates, minorities, and women reserved seats on closed party list in the Parliament, the lowering of the voting age, and the increase in seats in parliament and the Legal Framework Order, 2000 and the Seventeenth Constitutional Amendment shall be repealed accordingly.

2. The appointment of the governors, three services chiefs and the CJCSC shall be made by the chief executive who is the prime minister, as per the 1973 Constitution.

3. (a) The recommendations for appointment of judges to superior judiciary shall be formulated through a commission, which shall comprise of the following: i. The chairman shall be a chief justice, who has never previously taken oath under the PCO.

ii. The members of the commission shall be the chief justices of the provincial high courts who have not taken oath under the PCO, failing which the senior most judge of that high court who has not taken oath shall be the member

iii. Vice-Chairmen of Pakistan and Vice-Chairmen of Provincial Bar Association with respect to the appointment of judges to their concerned province

iv. President of Supreme Court Bar Association

v. Presidents of High Court Bar Associations of Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and Quetta with respect to the appointment of judges to their concerned province

vi. Federal Minister for Law and Justice

vii. Attorney General of Pakistan

(a-i) The commission shall forward a panel of three names for each vacancy to the prime minister, who shall forward one name for confirmation to joint parliamentary committee for confirmation of the nomination through a transparent public hearing process.

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(a-ii) The joint parliamentary committee shall comprise of 50 per cent members from the treasury benches and the remaining 50 per cent from opposition parties based on their strength in the parliament nominated by respective parliamentary leaders.

(b) No judge shall take oath under any Provisional Constitutional Order or any other oath that is contradictory to the exact language of the original oath prescribed in the Constitution of 1973.

(c) Administrative mechanism will be instituted for the prevention of misconduct, implementation of code of ethics, and removal of judges on such charges brought to its attention by any citizen through the proposed commission for appointment of Judges. (d) All special courts including anti-terrorism and accountability courts shall be abolished and such cases be tried in ordinary courts. Further to create a set of rules and procedures whereby, the arbitrary powers of the chief justices over the assignment of cases to various judges and the transfer of judges to various benches such powers shall be exercised by the Chief Justice and two senior most judges sitting together.

4. A Federal Constitutional Court will be set up to resolve constitutional issues, giving equal representation to each of the federating units, whose members may be judges or persons qualified to be judges of the Supreme Court, constituted for a six-year period. The Supreme and High Courts will hear regular civil and criminal cases. The appointment of judges shall be made in the same manner as for judges of higher judiciary.

5. The Concurrent List in the Constitution will be abolished. A new NFC award will be announced.

6. The reserved seats for women in the national and provincial assemblies will be allocated to the parties on the basis of the number of votes polled in the general elections by each party.

7. The strength of the Senate of Pakistan shall be increased to give representation to minorities in the Senate.

8. FATA shall be included in the NWFP province in consultation with them.

9. Northern Areas shall be developed by giving it a special status and further empowering the Northern Areas Legislative Council to provide people of Northern Areas access to justice and human rights.

10. Local bodies election will be held on party basis through provincial election commissions in respective provinces and constitutional protection will be given to the local bodies to make them autonomous and answerable to their respective assemblies as well as to the people through regular courts of law.

B. CODE OF CONDUCT

11. National Security Council will be abolished. Defence Cabinet Committee will be headed by prime minister and will have a permanent secretariat. The prime minister may appoint a federal security adviser to process intelligence reports for the prime minister. The efficacy of the higher defence and security structure, created two decades ago, will be reviewed. The Joint Services Command structure will be strengthened and made more effective and headed in rotation among the three services by law. 12. The ban on a ‘prime minister not being eligible for a third term of office’ will be abolished.

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13. (a) Truth and Reconciliation Commission be established to acknowledge victims of torture, imprisonment, state-sponsored persecution, targeted legislation, and politically motivated accountability. The commission will also examine and report its findings on military coups and civil removals of governments from 1996.

(b) A commission shall also examine and identify the causes of and fix responsibility and make recommendations in the light thereof for incidences such as Kargil.

(c) Accountability of NAB and other Ehtesab operators to identify and hold accountable abuse of office by NAB operators through purgery and perversion of justice and violation of human rights since its establishment.

(d) To replace politically motivated NAB with an independent accountability commission, whose chairman shall be nominated by the prime minister in consultation with the leader of opposition and confirmed by a joint parliamentary committee with 50 per cent members from treasury benches and remaining 50 per cent from opposition parties in same manner as appointment of judges through transparent public hearing. The confirmed nominee shall meet the standard of political impartiality, judicial propriety; moderate views expressed through his judgements and would have not dealt.

14. The press and electronic media will be allowed its independence. Access to information will become law after parliamentary debate and public scrutiny.

15. The chairmen of public accounts committee in the national and provincial assemblies will be appointed by the leaders of opposition in the concerned assemblies.

16. An effective Nuclear Command and Control system under the Defence Cabinet Committee will be put in place to avoid any possibility of leakage or proliferation.

17. Peaceful relations with India and Afghanistan will be pursued without prejudice to outstanding disputes.

18. Kashmir dispute should be settled in accordance with the UN Resolutions and the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

19. Governance will be improved to help the common citizen, by giving access to quality social services like education, health, job generation, curbing price hike, combating illegal redundancies, and curbing lavish spending in civil and military establishments as abstentious causes great resentment amongst the teeming millions. We pledge to promote and practice simplicity, at all levels.

20. Women, minorities, and the under privileged will be provided equal opportunities in all walks of life.

21. We will respect the electoral mandate of representative governments that accepts the due role of the opposition and declare neither shall undermine each other through extra constitutional ways.

22. We shall not join a military regime or any military sponsored government. No party shall solicit the support of military to come into power or to dislodge a democratic government.

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23. To prevent corruption and floor crossing all votes for the Senate and indirect seats will be by open identifiable ballot. Those violating the party discipline in the poll shall stand disqualified by a letter from the parliamentary party leader to the concerned Speaker or the Chairman Senate with a copy to the Election Commission for notification purposes within 14 days of receipt of letter failing which it will be deemed to have been notified on the expiry of that period.

24. All military and judicial officers will be required to file annual assets and income declarations like Parliamentarians to make them accountable to the public.

25. National Democracy Commission shall be established to promote and develop a democratic culture in the country and provide assistance to political parties for capacity building on the basis of their seats in parliament in a transparent manner.

26. Terrorism and militancy are by-products of military dictatorship, negation of democracy, are strongly condemned, and will be vigorously confronted.

C. FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS

27. There shall be an independent, autonomous, and impartial election commission. The prime minister shall in consultation with leader of opposition forward up to three names for each position of chief election commissioner, members of election commission, and secretary to joint parliamentary committee, constituted on the same pattern as for appointment of judges in superior judiciary, through transparent public hearing process. In case of no consensus, both prime minister and leader of opposition shall forward separate lists to the joint parliamentary committee for consideration. Provincial election commissioner shall be appointed on the same pattern by committees of respective provincial assemblies.

28. All contesting political parties will be ensured a level playing field in the elections by the release of all political prisoners and the unconditional return of all political exiles. Elections shall be open to all political parties and political personalities. The graduation requirement of eligibility which has led to corruption and fake degrees will be repealed.

29. Local bodies elections will be held within three months of the holding of general elections.

30. The concerned election authority shall suspend and appoint neutral administrators for all local bodies from the date of formation of a caretaker government for holding of general elections till the elections are held.

31. There shall be a neutral caretaker government to hold free, fair, and transparent elections. The members of the said government and their immediate relatives shall not contest elections.

D. CIVIL - MILITARY RELATIONS

32. The ISI, MI and other security agencies shall be accountable to the elected government through Prime Minister Sectt, Ministry of Defence, and Cabinet Division respectively. Their budgets will be approved by DCC after recommendations are prepared by the respective ministry. The political wings of all intelligence agencies will be disbanded. A committee will be formed to cut waste and bloat in the armed forces and security agencies in the interest of the defence and security of the

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country. All senior postings in these agencies shall be made with the approval of the government through respective ministry.

33. All indemnities and savings introduced by military regimes in the constitution shall be reviewed.

34. Defence budget shall be placed before the parliament for debate and approval.

35. Military land allotment and cantonment jurisdictions will come under the purview of defence ministry. A commission shall be set up to review, scrutinize, and examine the legitimacy of all such land allotment rules, regulations, and policies, along with all cases of state land allotment including those of military urban and agricultural land allotments since 12th October, 1999 to hold those accountable who have indulged in malpractices, profiteering, and favoritism.

36. Rules of business of the federal and provincial governments shall be reviewed to bring them in conformity with parliamentary form of government.

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OPINION

From Peace talks to operation Zarb-i-Azb

By

Muhammad Maqbool Khan

Additional Director Research

“The Romans never allowed a trouble spot to remain simply to avoid going to war over it, because they knew that wars don’t just go away, they are only postponed to someone else’s advantage.”

Niccolò Machiavelli

Introduction

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who won the May 2013 general elections on a promise to hold talks with TTP as part of a broader settlement, initiated a dialogue with TTP through a panel of representatives, since January 29, 2014. Since taking office, Prime Minister Mr. Nawaz Sharif came under mounting pressure to bring the violence under control, with many accusing his government of lacking a strategy to deal with the militants. However, the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said he wanted to end the insurgency by peaceful means, but has indicated that stronger military action will be used if talks fail.

In the past, the Pakistani military has inked peace agreements with militants, but they failed to survive. However, it's the first time that Pakistan's civilian leadership has sat down with the leaders of the TTP. No previous attempts at peace talks – by the military or civilian leadership – have had the kind of mandate as these do. However, series of bomb attacks during a supposed cease-fire raised the possibility that the very idea of making peace has divided the Taliban, with militant cells splintering off rather than speaking with the government. Following the recent Karachi airport terrorist attack, the government abandoned its ‘dialogue’ policy and launched the military operation which is now already in progress with successful air raids against the foreign and local terrorists hiding in this area bordering Afghanistan.

The war is ours, finally. The time for talks, indeed, is over. Pakistan Army has launched an operation against the militants in North Waziristan Agency (NWA). This is not the first operation against the militants, and Pakistan is not the first country in the world to launch a retaliatory operation against a domestic threat either. In fact, Zarb-i-Azb is one of comprehensive operation undertaken by the Pakistan Army since 2007. Like the Swat operation that took place in 2009, this operation is comprehensive, politically owned by the government and backed by all major political parties. Pakistanis have attached very high expectations to this operation and are hoping to achieve endurable peace as a result.

Irrespective of how successful this operation is, the major concern right now is to see how long the Taliban will be kept disbanded, how much time this operation will take, how many of them will be physically eliminated, whether their leaders will be taken out or not and, last but not least, for how long the IDPs will be required to remain in camps. These are very pressing questions that need to be answered.

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Background/ Why Peace?

1. While coming into power, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif government believes it has an advantage over previous governments through which it can play the card of disassociation from the war on terror. Because Muslim League Nawaz was out of power before war began in 2001 and remained out of power until May 2013 election.

2. Moreover, the government also started with a strong campaign against the US drone strikes in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), which was TTP’s one demand for negotiation. The drone strikes already derailed peace talks a number of times in the previous years while this time around the government urged the US to halt them at least during the peace process. This unprecedented hiatus factored in bringing Islamabad and TTP to the negotiation table and holding face-to-face meeting for the first time since 2007.

3. Also tribal elders and common people favor negotiations. Weary of years of war, including Pakistani military bombardment and the displacement of tens of thousands of villagers, community leaders were pressing the Taliban to talk to the government.

4. Furthermore, in last May's elections, Pakistan's two leading political parties (PML-N and PTI) campaigned on a platform of peace talks. Afterwards, all major parties threw their weight behind negotiations, which Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has called the “last chance” for the TTP.

Peace Efforts

1. Government announcement of holding of peace talks with the Taliban Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif first announced the holding of peace talks with the Taliban on January 29, 2014 despite growing demands in the country for military action against the militants. Even, the United States has been pressuring Pakistan to conduct an offensive against the Taliban in North Waziristan, the rugged tribal region that has been a haven for Taliban and Qaeda militants operating in Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, Nawaz Sharif said that he would pursue a dialogue with the Taliban despite their terrorist attacks and growing calls in Pakistan for military action against the militants.

2. First Formal Meeting The first formal meeting between Pakistan's government and a Taliban-nominated team held in Islamabad for preliminary peace talks on Tuesday (4 February 2014). The meeting was aimed at charting a "roadmap" for negotiations that will try to end a decade-long insurgency. Both the parties were represented by their respective teams.

The Government was represented in these talks by the Prime Minister's Advisor on National Affairs Irfan Siddiqui, Major (Retd.) Mohammed Amir (a former ISI official), senior journalist Rahimullah Yousafzai, and former Ambassador to Afghanistan Rustam Shah Mohmand (who was nominated by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government).

The TTP team was led by Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, a hardline cleric known in the west as the "Father of the Taliban", Maulana Abdul Aziz, (chief cleric of the Lal Masjid in Islamabad), Professor Mohammad Ibrahim of the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), and

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Mufti Kifayatullah, a former lawmaker of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) from Mansehra. The TTP had also asked cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan to be part of their team but he declined.

3. Conditions/ Demands by both parties

A. Government The government set out following five conditions:

i. All talks be held within the framework of the constitution ii. The scope of the talks should remain confined to areas affected by violence, not

the whole country iii. All hostilities should cease during talks iv. The Taliban should clarify the role of a separate nine-member committee that

they have established v. The talks should not be protracted

B. TTP

In the meeting the TTP had so far made no formal demands for the talks. However, in the past the militants have called for their prisoners to be released and for Pakistani troops to be pulled out of the seven tribal areas along the Afghan border. The initial demands of the Taliban delegation, led by a prominent religious scholar, were largely procedural. It wanted clarification of whether the government’s negotiating team was empowered to make decisions. For the talks to succeed, the Taliban negotiators said, they also need access to Sharif, Pakistan’s army chief and the head of the country’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency.

4. Suspension of Talks But the talks between the two sides yielded little, and the dialogue was suspended on February 17, 2014 after a Taliban faction claimed that it had killed 23 paramilitary soldiers in its custody. Consequently the Pakistani military pounded militant hide-outs in North Waziristan and the Khyber tribal regions, killing dozens of militants.

5. Cease-fire by TTP However, the TTP announced a month-long cease-fire on March 1, 2014 in an effort to revive the peace initiative which had also collapsed following the slaying of 23 paramilitary troops by the group’s Mohmand chapter. Reciprocating the move, the government had also called off surgical air strikes against suspected Taliban hideouts in the tribal belt.

6. Formation of new peace talks committee Government formed new peace talks committee. The government’s new peace talks committee was comprises of Rustam Shah Mohmand, Additional Chief Secretary FATA Arbab Arif, Secretary Ports and Shipping Habibullah Khattak and Additional Secretary to Prime Minister Fawad Hasan Fawad. The new Committee was given the mandate to hold talks with the Taliban as part of the second phase of dialogue with the banned group.

7. First face-to-face meeting with Taliban leaders

Government negotiators held on Wednesday (March 26, 2014) first face-to-face talks with Taliban leaders in an area adjacent to North Waziristan (Bilandkhel area of Orakzai Agency near garrison town of Thall). Members of the government and TTP committees flew from Peshawar to Thall in a military helicopter and later went to Bilandkhel.

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i. The government team comprises federal secretaries Habibullah Khan and Fawad Hassan, additional chief secretary Fata Arbab Mohammad Arif, former ambassador to Afghanistan Rustam Shah Mohmand and ex-ISI officer Mohammad Amir.

ii. Maulana Samiul Haq, Professor Ibrahim and Maulana Yousaf Shah, members of the TTP committee, also attended the talks.

iii. The Shura of the outlawed TTP was represented by Qari Shakil, Maulana Azam Tariq, Maulvi Bashir and Maulvi Zakir.

According to the sources, the meeting between government negotiators and TTP Shura members was held in two sessions. TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid told CNN the talks, which ended in the evening, were held in a conducive environment. He said both sides had agreed to extend a cease-fire, agreed on March 1, and that there was consensus on the exchange of noncombatants held by both sides.

i. According to the sources, the government has demanded release of Ajmal Khan, Vice Chancellor of Islamia College University, Peshawar; Ali Haider Gilani, son of former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani; and Shahbaz Taseer, son of slain Punjab governor Salman Taseer.

ii. The TTP has demanded release of about 300 non-combatants, including women, children and the elderly who, it claims, are in the custody of security forces.

8. No further extension of cease-fire by TTP In April 2014, the TTP chose not to renew a 40-day ceasefire. The one month-long ‘unilateral ceasefire’ declared by the TTP on March 1, which was later extended till April 10, ended thereafter, with TTP alleging that there was no positive response from the Government. TTP ‘central spokesperson’ Shahidullah Shahid later declared, on April 16, that the central council of TTP would not extend the month-long ceasefire, adding, however, “The TTP will not abstain from taking any steps if the Government makes some progress.”

9. Statement by TTP leader Maulana Fazlullah In May, via a rare video statement, TTP leader Maulana Fazlullah effectively killed the prospects for peace when he declared that Pakistan must accept the “writ of Allah” and adopt the Taliban’s strict interpretation of shari’a. He also encouraged suicide attackers to prepare operations against “forces that transgress the limits set by God. ”The TTP, along with the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), claimed responsibility for the Karachi assault that occurred just weeks later.

10. Terrorist attack on Karachi airport After the Karachi airport terrorist attack, the government abandoned its ‘dialogue’ policy and launched the military operation which is now already in progress with successful air raids against the foreign and local terrorists hiding in this area bordering Afghanistan.

The talks have highlighted existing splits within those organizations, giving rise to splinter groups like Ahrar-ul-Hind, which have refused to adhere to a TPP ceasefire. In May, a group led by a warlord named Sajna denounced violence and accused the TTP of criminality. In this context, Sajna’s disavowal of the TTP’s violence against the state and rejection of the anti-state leadership of Mullah Fazlullah is significant. The split, say analysts, provides an opportunity to the government and the military to win over militant leaders like Sajna — whose group has a strong disruptive

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presence in Karachi. Security analysts see that in the coming days, Khan Said aka Sajna will be propped up to ally with pro-state groups. This, in turn, may cause others to feel redundant, creating insecurities that the incentives and influence they enjoyed would go to others. However, analysts also see the present situation as one where the Pakistani state would continue to create cleavages, playing one group against the other to maintain the status quo, to keep militant “militias” embroiled in conflict till the time other powers in the region — India, Iran, Afghanistan (with Nato and the US) — reveal their cards after the American withdrawal from the region.

Why Operation? Since assuming power last year, the PML-N government struggling to find a way out to deal with the TTP. However, the TTP has conducted attacks with devastating effect on the Pakistani military and government, as well as innocent civilians even during the time of ceasefire. Following are the some major attacks that ultimately caused the current operation “Zarb-i-Azb”:

1. February 16, 2014, announcement by the Mohmand chapter of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), that it had executed 23 Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, allegedly as revenge for the killing of its fighters in custody in several parts of the country. The FC personnel had been abducted in June 14, 2010, from the Shoonkri Post of Mohmand Agency.

2. On March 2, its fighters killed 11 people at a judicial complex in Islamabad. 3. On March 14, 2014, 11 persons were killed and another 45 were injured in a suicide attack

targeting the Police in the Sarband area of Peshawar. 4. On March 14, 2014, at least 10 persons, including nine civilians and one trooper, were killed

and another 35 were injured, in a bomb explosion targeting an FC vehicle in the Science College Chowk area of Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan.

5. Moreover, at least 23 civilians were killed and many others were injured in a bomb explosion in the Pir Wadhai area near the Sabzi Mandi locality in Islamabad on April 9, 2014.

6. On June 9, 2014, ten gunmen disguised as police guards attacked a terminal at Pakistan's busiest airport with machine guns and a rocket launcher. The attack on Karachi's international airport resulted in the deaths of 29 people, including security personnel.

7. On June 9, 2014, a suicide bomber rammed a truck into a military checkpoint in North Waziristan, close to the Afghanistan border, killing at least three soldiers.

However, it is unclear if the recent attacks will lead to the emergence of a coherent policy and civil-military consensus in Pakistan. Civilians are afraid of the reprisal attacks; and the military is in no mood to allow TTP to continue killing its soldiers.

The operation appears to be a direct consequence of the attack on Karachi airport. Quite understandably, no government could ignore a threat to its vital installations. And since the attackers had proven links to their bases or hideouts in the tribal area of North Waziristan, no government could look the other way. However, the TTP said the attack was in response to the Pakistani military's recent airstrikes in the country's North Waziristan region. "The government should be ready for more attacks like this," said Shahidullah Shahid, a TTP spokesman.

Operation Launched

“Terrorists have waged a war against the state of Pakistan using North Waziristan as a base, disrupting our national life in all its dimensions, stunting our economic growth and causing enormous loss of life and property.” “They also paralyzed life within the [tribal] agency and perpetually terrorized the entire peace loving and patriotic local population.”

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“Our valiant armed forces have been tasked with eliminating these terrorists, regardless of hue and colour, along with their sanctuaries.” “With the support of the entire nation, these enemies of the state will be denied space anywhere across the country.”

(Maj-Gen Bajwa ISPR Spokesman) 1. Launched an all-out offensive

The federal government finally ordered the military to launch an all-out offensive against militant hideouts in the restive North Waziristan Agency (NWA) on June 15, formally calling off months-old efforts to strike a peace deal with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its affiliates. The decision to launch a full scale military offensive was taken on June 10 during the high-level civil and military huddle attended by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and army Chief General Raheel Sharif. However, the formal launch of the operation was delayed till the holding of the presidential run-off vote in Afghanistan at Kabul’s request, the official said.

However, the announcement of the operation came hours after the military carried out massive air strikes in North Waziristan, killing scores of suspected terrorists, including the mastermind of Karachi airport attack, Abu Abdul Rehman al Manni. The decision to launch an operation means that efforts to strike peace deal with TTP and its affiliates are now officially over.

2. The operation “Zarb-i-Azb”

The operation has been named Zarb-e-Azb. Zarb-e-Azb was the name of the sword used by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) during the Battle of Badr, explained one military official.

3. Goal of operation Zarb-i-Azb

According to ISPR, the military operation Zarb-i-Azb was launched against local and foreign terrorists. The main goal of Operation Zarb-i-Azb is to “eliminate these terrorists regardless of hue and colour, along with their sanctuaries”. Speaking at the NDU, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif also spelt out the basic objectives of Zarb-e-Azb as rooting out terrorists, eliminating their sanctuaries in North Waziristan and freeing the country of the menace of terrorism.

4. “Zarb-i-Azb”- comprehensive’ operation

“On the directions of the government, the armed forces of Pakistan have launched a comprehensive operation against foreign and local terrorists who are hiding in sanctuaries in North Waziristan Agency. “This includes a ground offensive to establish the writ of the state,” The ISPR statement said.

5. Operational Strategy

According to the ISPR statement:

North Waziristan Agency has been isolated by deploying troops along its border with neighbouring agencies and Fata regions to block any movement of terrorists in and out of the agency.

Within the agency, troops have moved and cordoned off all terrorist bases, particularly in Mirali and Miramshah.

The military is conducting aerial surveillance of the region.

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Afghan security forces have also been asked to seal off the border to prevent militants from escaping military action. Moreover, Afghan authorities have also been requested to initiate immediate measures to eliminate TTP terrorists and their sanctuaries in Kunar, Nuristan and other areas of Afghanistan.”

“Surrender points have also been made for militants who chose to quit violence and give up their arms.”

Security officials said the military expected to clear terrorists from the area before the start of Ramadan.

6. Operation: Huge dislocation of population

The military actions have resulted in displacement of a large number of civilians seeking shelter in adjoining districts. Majority of the residents of North Waziristan had already left their homes and villages for safer places and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Hundreds of families have fled from a surge of fighting between government forces and militants into neighboring Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, key militant commanders were reported killed in airstrikes in the tribal region. However, tribal sources said the senior leadership of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had secretly left North Waziristan and shifted to Tirah valley in Khyber Agency and Shahbaz valley lying between North and South Waziristan.

However, the growing infighting within the TTP and recent surgical strikes has considerably weakened the militant outfit. The main targets would be achieved within the next few weeks, but the real challenge would be rehabilitation and rebuilding, which could take many months. Operation will undoubtedly cause a huge dislocation of population. In addition, there may be extensive damage to property, houses, markets and other infrastructure. Civilian casualties would result from bombing and shelling as well as from artillery and rocket fire.

These operations have taken a toll — cultural, social and economic besides causing health hazards because of sleepless nights for fear of drones and a generation losing out on education. The most urgent business is to stabilise the area, restore peace, reestablish the writ of the government, launch major development initiatives that can deliver in a short period of time, create economic opportunities, rehabilitate the displaced people, repair and reconstruct houses, infrastructure and markets on a crash programme basis. For that purpose, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif constituted a national coordination committee on June 16, 2014 to oversee the ongoing military operation in North Waziristan. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, the coordination committee will hold regular meetings and subsequently brief the premier about the progress of the operation. Members of the committee will include Ministers for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Information Minister Senator Parvaiz Rashid, Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for States and Frontier Regions Lt. General (retd) Abdul Quadir Baloch and Governor Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). Secretary interior, finance, chief sectary K-P, Chairman NDMA, Chief of General Staff, Director General Military Operations (DG MO), Director General of Inter-Services

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Intelligence (DG ISI), Director General Inter Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) will also serve as members of the committee.

7. “Zarb-i-Azb”- whether guarantee the TTP’s elimination?

The operation has been accompanied by hype assuring us that this time we will fight to our last breath and eliminate the militant threat for good. What is being withheld from us is the crucial information of what makes this operation different to the many we have previously undertaken. War, everyone should agree, should only be undertaken as a measure of the last resort since it causes so much death, both of blameless civilians and our men and women in uniform. But our track record has been poor, with militants able to regroup elsewhere after being cleared from one area. so it is said that a full-scale operation in North Waziristan cannot guarantee the TTP’s elimination. There are two reasons for that:

i. First, the TTP and its local and international affiliates have expanded their networks in other parts of the country, and the number of terrorist sleeper cells is increasing.

ii. Secondly, the North Waziristan militants can relocate to Afghanistan like Fazlullah did after Swat operation. Some media reports suggest that the foreign and local militants from North Waziristan had already started fleeing to neighboring Khost province of Afghanistan, even before the launch of the operation.

WAY FORWARD:

Eventually it is the military leadership that will have to decide the fate of the militant groups based in North Waziristan. The military operation in itself is not a difficult task. Pakistan army has capabilities to reclaim and hold the area in a minimum time-frame. Tanks and troops have been mobilized and are expected to begin a new, more intense phase of the operation after a three-day window to allow civilians to leave the area, due to end on June 20. However, to make this operation successful and eliminate miscreants once and for all, following are some of the very pertinent issues that have to be kept in mind:

1. Once committed, which is now a reality, there is no turning back. The consequences are as stark. You lose this war, and you lose the state. This war will need to be fought to its very end.

2. As a result of the military conflict, the rest of the country will see a wave of internally displaced persons (IDPs) flocking to the safer areas of the land. While the Pakistani state should provide safe passage to the displaced, stringent checks will have to be made to ensure that militants are not allowed to escape into other regions of the country in this way. Furthermore, if the operation runs long (and I have a feeling it might), the IDPs will have to be integrated into the national mainstream through efficient management of human and physical resources.

3. All locations within Pakistan that can provide easy targets for the militants (and our past experience tells us that this list runs very long) to retaliate over the operation in NWA must be given hefty security upgrades. A lot of Pakistani lives have already been lost in the events

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leading up to this day. Efforts must be made to ensure protection and safety for all citizens. Pakistan is going to be at war now, and a dedicated drive can be launched nation-wide, to educate the masses on the necessity for the operation, and provide guidelines for individual and communal safety.

4. We must learn from our past mistakes. Regardless of the outcome of the operation, we have to understand that it is not just the matter of eliminating a few militants or bombarding some remote hideouts. We know from experience that the enemy is quick to replace their fallen, so the problem here is much deeper. In order to truly eliminate the militant threat, a more moderate and multi-cultural approach has to be adopted in our daily lives, one that leaves no room for any extremist ideologies to flourish anymore.

5. We also have to ask ourselves if we can trust that the state is totally committed to eliminating the militant threat, not just in North Waziristan but also in places like southern Punjab and Balochistan where the groups operating have been carefully nurtured by the state.

6. The contested Durand Line, that serves as the territorial border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, must be made less (read non) porous, to not let the militants take refuge in Afghan land during times of heavy conflict. Without an effective control of the boundary, the militants will easily migrate to safer areas across the border. With the NATO forces drawing down as well at the end of this year, this contingency must be addressed.

7. To eliminate widespread retaliatory attacks by the TTP it is imperative that initiative is wrested by the state and the military through an intense pace of offensive action forcing the TTP into a reactionary state of mind. That is the key to garnering a momentum of success in this kind of war. There cannot be an occasion for a pause of any kind.

8. There can be no two opinions on the need to combat terrorism. And to eliminate this evil, a military operation alone is not enough. We will have to address its root causes. To address the root causes is not to justify or condone terrorism. It is to understand them and then to overcome them. We can kill or capture any number of terrorists; disrupt their operations; destroy their organizations; but unless we prevent others from following their path, we cannot succeed in eliminating terrorism. To win the war against terrorism, we must win the hearts and minds of those who are susceptible to follow the path of terrorism.

9. One final, and perhaps the most essential plank of war, is that of diplomacy. It is an opportunity to improve relations with the neighbors, who will allow us to focus on the issue at hand, and not let our energies be diverted. An overt, proactive diplomatic engagement with neighbors, including India and Russia, is essential to have all on board in this venture, and to preclude countermoves that can play with its successful conclusion. Even that will need to be proactive. The safe havens in North Waziristan have been a cause of concern for quite some time, so hopefully the operation will provide the impetus to a broader regional cooperation.

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REFERENCES

1. Declan Walshapril, “Fractured State of Pakistani Taliban Calls Peace Deal Into Question,” Newyark Times, April 20, 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/21/world/asia/pakistani-taliban.html?_r=0

2. “Members of new government peace talks committee announced,” Express Tribune, March 12, 2014. http://tribune.com.pk/story/681899/nawaz-sharif-visits-imran-khan-to-discuss-peace-talks-with-ttp/

3. “Countering terrorism: PM forms committee to oversee operation,” Express Tribune, June 17, 201. http://tribune.com.pk/story/722856/countering-terrorism-pm-forms-committee-to-oversee-operation/

4. Kamran Yousaf, “Zarb-e-Azb: Full scale assault begins in North Waziristan,” Express Tribune, June 16, 2014. http://tribune.com.pk/story/722436/zarb-e-azb-full-scale-assault-begins-in-north-waziristan/

5. Rustam Shah Mohmand, "Finally taking the plunge,” Express Tribune, June 16, 2014. http://tribune.com.pk/story/722638/finally-taking-the-plunge/

6. “A turning point,” Dawn, Jun 17, 2014. http://www.dawn.com/news/1113142/a-turning-point

7. Mushtaq Yusufzai, “Ground operation launched in NWA,” The News, June 16, 2014. http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-30957-Ground-operation-launched-in-

8. “North Waziristan operation, ” Dawn, June 16, 2014. http://www.dawn.com/news/1112922/north-waziristan-operation

9. Kamran Yousaf, “Targeting militants: Army authorised to take action,” Express Tribune, June 11, 2014. http://tribune.com.pk/story/720197/targeting-militants-army-authorised-to-take-action/

10. “Pakistan enters peace talks with Taliban,” BBC, 6 February 2014. Taliban Talks\BBC News - Pakistan enters peace talks with Taliban.mht

11. “Islamabad-Pakistan Taliban Peace Talks: Shifting Focus to Afghanistan – Analysis.” http://www.eurasiareview.com/10042014-islamabad-pakistan-taliban-peace-talks-shifting-focus-to-afghanistan-analysis/

12. Zulfiqar Ali, “Govt holds first direct talks with Taliban,” Dawn, March 27, 2014. http://www.dawn.com/news/1095884

13. Muhammad Amir Rana, "Zarb-i-Azb — Bad news for 'Good' Taliban?”, Dawn, June 19, 2014. http://www.dawn.com/news/1113775/zarb-i-azb-bad-news-for-good-taliban

14. Shoaib A Raja & Muhammad Saleh Zaafir, “No one to be allowed to put country’s security at stake: Nawaz,” The News, June 19, 2014. http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-31021-No-one-to-be-allowed-to-put-countrys-security-at-stake-Nawaz

15. Nadir Hassan, “The sombre task of war,” The News, June 19, 2014. http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-9-256929-The-sombre-task-of-war

16. Shahzad Chaudhry, “Enough,” The News, June 19, 2014. http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-9-256930-Enough

17. Tahir Khan, “Pakistan special envoy, foreign secretary seek Afghanistan's cooperation on Waziristan operation,” Express Tribune, June 19, 2014. http://tribune.com.pk/story/724104/foreign-secretary-meets-karzai-to-discuss-waziristan-operation/

18. “At least 113,000 people have fled N Waziristan since initial air strikes in May',” Express Tribune, June 19, 2014. http://tribune.com.pk/story/724092/at-least-113000-people-have-fled-n-waziristan-since-initial-air-strikes-in-may-officials/.

Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services 2014

PIPS Research Digest- Volume: I, Issue: 6 Page 27

On A Lighter Note…

Brazuca by Pakistan

Pakistani women worked day and night to manufacture over 42 million

Brazuca footballs for the world cup.

By

Muhammad Rashid Mafzool Zaka Director Research and I.T

The Brazuca, official football of the FIFA World Cup, being held in Brazil (2014) is produced in Pakistan. Forward Sports, based in Sialkot, Pakistan, were awarded the contract by Adidas to manufacture the Brazuca ball at short notice to meet the high demand for the ball. Forward Sports, Pakistan, have been associated with Adidas since 1995 and already supplied footballs for both the Champions League and the German Bundesliga.

The Brazuca has a revolutionary design…one of the most aerodynamic soccer balls in history, making the Brazuca a key reason why goal production has increased during this year’s FIFA World Cup to 3 goals per match on average

Sialkot has a long tradition of soccer ball production: 30 million balls were exported last year, 40

percent of global soccer ball production.

Ninety percent of those chosen to craft the balls were women, who are considered more diligent. The proud Pakistanis worked the production line tirelessly working briskly to meet the demand. Priced at $159.99 or replicas priced at a "meager" $39.99, these balls were assembled by Pakistani women paid Rs 10,000 a month ($101.73) after government raised the least wages of unskilled labour in last year’s budget. Yet it is less than the price of a single ball, which is around Rs 15,757 (USD 159.99) but Pakistani women and craftsmen have made the whole nation proud of them by manufacturing and exporting over 42 million Brazuca balls from Sialkot to meet the demand of footballs for the world cup as well as world over. They began with flat white propeller-shaped pieces of polyurethane, added Brazuca's distinctive colors and then glued the panels to the ball's rubber. They treated the seams with special sealant, heating and compressing the ball into its spherical shape. From flat panel to finished product, the process takes up to 40 minutes. The factory produces up to 100 balls per hour. Pakistan Zindabad!

For feedback feel free to contact Editor at: Ataturk Avenue (Service Road), F-5/2, Islamabad Email: research@pips.org.pk Web: www.pips.org.pk

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through an act of the Parliament to promote research, provide training and to

provide facility of information to the Parliamentarians in performance of their

duties and for matters connected therewith and ancillary thereto. The Institute

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