Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar
Balochistan: A powder keg at a geopolitical crossroads
Author: Dr. James M. Dorsey Published in Modern Diplomacy on March 29, 2019
Balochistan should be oozing with optimism
as Chinese and Saudi investment pours into the
troubled Pakistani province. It is not. Instead,
Balochistan, a key node in China’s Belt and
Road initiative that borders Iran, is gripped by
anger, fear and uncertainty.
Local residents are hardly awaiting with baited
breath Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan’s
visit this week for the Gwadar Expo 2019 and
ground breaking of several infrastructure and
development projects, including an
international airport, a power plant, a
vocational training institute and a hospital.
Against the backdrop of a history of neglect
and underdevelopment, resource-rich
Balochistan struggles with a failing health and
education system, drought, and lack of basic
infrastructure.
“The historical lack of investment in basic
economic and social infrastructure in the
province – except for extraction of natural gas
for use in other provinces – has resulted in a
low level of economic activity, implying a
narrow tax base and limited fiscal resources to
invest in development,” said economist Kaiser
Bengali in a recently published study.
Beyond looking at Balochistan as a source of
resource wealth, successive governments in
Islamabad alongside the powerful military
have viewed the province predominantly
through the lens of security and law
enforcement driven by domestic and
geopolitical concerns.
Kech, Balochistan’s second most populous
region known to be the province’s intellectual
heartland from which many of its most
prominent politicians, scholars, bureaucrats,
poets, and writers hail, is a case in point.
Access to the internet and 3 and 4G mobile
services was cut off in Kech two years ago for
security reasons. It has yet to be re-established.
Theoretically, all of that could change with
massive Chinese and Saudi investment as well
as Balochistan’s increased geopolitical
significance given that it borders on Iran’s
equally troubled Sistan and Baluchistan
province.
Balochistan’s Chinese-supported port of Gwadar
takes on added importance as Iran looks to its
Indian-backed port of Chabahar, a mere 70 kilometres
up the coast of the Arabian Sea, as a way to blunt the
impact of crippling US sanctions.
The sanctions were imposed last year after the Trump
administration withdrew from the 2015 international
agreement that curbed Iran’s nuclear program.
Chabahar is the only Iranian port exempted from
the sanctions in a nod to India. China has invested in
recent years an estimated US$19 billion in Gwadar as
well as roads and other infrastructure in Balochistan
as part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor
(CPEC). China and Pakistan envision CPEC as a
crown jewel of Beijing’s infrastructure- and energy
driven Belt and Road initiative.
For its part, Saudi Arabia is looking to pump more
than US$10 billion into the building of a refinery in
Gwadar and the development of a gold and copper
mine on the Iranian border. The problem is that the
lack of a trickle-down effect has so far served to fuel
anger rather than spark a sense of optimism among
local Baloch. The Baloch have seen jobs being
handed out to workers from other parts of Pakistan as
well as China, parts of Gwadar being developed into a
no-go zone for locals, and fishermen being banned
from their traditional fishing ponds.
In addition, predictions that Balochistan’s indigenous
population of 70,000 will be dwarfed by an estimated
two million immigrants from other parts of Pakistan
as well as China have reinforced a prevailing sense of
uncertainty. Some of that anger and uncertainty has
been channelled into anti-Chinese and anti-Pakistani
nationalist sentiment with intermittent attacks on
Chinese targets as well as militant religious assaults
on Pakistani military, law enforcement and judicial
outposts.
Similarly, Balochistan’s strategic geopolitical position
is as much an asset as it is a problem. The Saudi
investment coupled with US and Saudi determination
to force Iran to change its regional policies, if not its
regime, have made the province alongside its equally
underdeveloped neighbouring Iranian counterpart
potential battlefields.
Cross border attacks and suicide bombings have
added to uncertainty fuelled by statements coming out
of Washington and Riyadh as well as reports of funds
from Saudi Arabia flowing into militant anti-Shiite,
 Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar
anti-Iranian madrassas or religious to rest of the country,” said former Pakistani
seminaries that dot the Pakistani-Iranian ambassador Assif Durrani who was last posted in
border. Tehran.
The attacks together with the Saudi investment Mr. Durrani’s comments were equally applicable to
and evolving US and Saudi strategy has put the Baloch province of his own country.
strains on Pakistani-Iranian relations with each Returning from a recent visit to Balochistan, Pakistani
side pointing a finger to the other. In the media policy analyst Muhammad Amir Rana described “an
and among policy wonks, the finger pointing environment of fear; the local journalists cannot
often amounts to the kettle calling the pot report much about residents’ issues, not even water
black. supply problems.”
“Fact (is) that there is a problem Mr. Rana expressed hope that Mr. Khan, the prime
in Sistan-o-Balochistan where people are minister, would “help locals retreat from the jaws of
struggling for their political rights in their own uncertainty and fear.”
province. It is a common grudge amongst the To do that, Mr. Khan will have to do more that talk
Baloch population in the Iranian Balochistan the walk and inaugurate projects. He will have to
that they are under-represented in the ensure equitable economic and social policies and
government, bureaucracy and armed forces… address in deed both immediate concerns and
Sectarian divide is another major source of existential fears. He will also have to manage an
friction in the province where overwhelming explosive geopolitical environment despite increasing
majority of Baloch are Sunnis… Poverty economic and financial dependence on key external
amongst the Baloch is the highest if compared players. That could prove to be a tall order.

UN feudalism and outstanding issues

Author: Khalil-ur-Rahman Shaikh Published in Daily Times on August 21, 2018

The United Nations came into being after World
War II and replaced the League of Nations. Its
main objective was to keep the world away from
war, and create a friendly and peaceful global
environment. The world body failed to achieve its
objectives due to various reasons, mainly its feudal
structure to decide regional and international
disputes, along with other issues.
Feudalism may be defined as a lack of public
authority that is replaced with the writ of the local
lords. To elaborate further, it is the people who use
their collective power to prevail on local and
individual authorities to enforce only their will.
Before proceeding ahead let us examine the Charter
of the United Nations. The chapter 1 of the Charter
provides the Purposes and Principles of the world
body. The Purposes includes maintenance of
international peace and security, to develop
friendly relations among nations, promoting and
encouraging respect of human rights and taking
other suitable measures to strengthen universal
peace etc. To achieve these objectives, the United
Nations has certain mechanisms, however,
unfortunately, due to its decision making system
that is based on feudal principals, they have only
served to cause embarrassment in resolving
international and regional disputes.
The United Nations has two major platforms for
making decisions on the global disputes. These
include the General Assembly and the Security
Council. All U.N members participate in the
proceedings of the General Assembly. The Security
Council consists of fifteen members i.e. five
permanent and ten non permanent which are
elected for the term of two years. The permanent
members are the United States, the United
Kingdom, Russia, China and France.
The decision is generally taken based on a simple
majority, although each of the five permanent
members has the right to veto. The non permanent
members’ right of vote loses its weight before veto
power of the permanent members.
After the Second World War, it was the Cold War
that dominated global affairs between 1945 and
1991. It ended with the dissolution of the Soviet
Union. The cold war between the United States and
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar
the Soviet Union divided the world into two main
blocs. This division badly affected the performance
of the Security Council. When one country viewed
a resolution against itself or their ally’s interests,
it exercised its power of veto. Thus, the resolution
lost its efficacy. This spirit continues in the post
cold war period.
Other three permanent countries also exercised
their respective veto on different occasions.
According to a Security Council Report from 2013,
for the period between 1946 and 2013, the five
permanent members exercised their veto powers
the following number of times: United Kingdom
with 32, the United States with 77, the Soviet
Union with 68 / Russia with 9, China with 8 and
France with 18. The powers enjoyed by only a few,
affects the decision of the entire world body.
They exercised their veto authority in their respective
interests or in the interest of their allies, yet large
number of other populations suffered greatly. Even
though this power has been used for good as well,
there have been occasions when basic human rights
were ignored in the name of self interest.
Constitution Making in Pakistan and its Interruptions
Author: Anjum Sarfraz Published in Modern Diplomacy on March 10, 2019
Constitution is the supreme law of the land from
which all public authorities derive their power. It
sets out the frame work for governance and
exercise of power of the state institutions and
relationship between them. At the time of
independence an interim constitution was adopted
by the Constituent Assembly which was modified
version of India Act 1935. The Objective resolution
which contained guide lines for framing the
constitution was approved by the Constitution
Assembly on 12 March 1948.
Emphasis was on principles of democracy, freedom,
equality, tolerance and social justice as enunciated by for women. In the meantime a political development
Islam. Prime Minister (PM),Liaquat Ali Khan headed took place, provincial elections were held in East
the first Basic Principle Committee formed the same
day for framing the constitution. The committee
submitted first report on 28 Sep, 1950 which was not
approved mainly because it gave equal representation
to both wings although East wing had more
population than West and Urdu as the state language.
Second draft was presented on 22 Dec 1952 by PM,
Khawaja Nazim ud Din (Liaquat Ali Khan had been
These five feudals have now managed to convince
the rest of the members of the United Nations to
seek alliances with them, in order to have some
semblance of power in the organizations’s decision
making process. Their feudality has rendered the
most powerful organ of the world body ineffective.
Presently, more than fifteen disputes are pending
on the agenda of the Security Council, including
Kashmir and Palestine.
There has been a demand for restructuring the
United Nations. A few countries desire to expand
the number of permanent members on the UN
Security Council. If this happens, the feudalistic
culture within the UN may be further strengthened.
The Security Council needs to be democratic in
nature, and the threat of Veto powers needs to be
nullified, so that all decisions are directed towards
ensuring peace and prosperity for humanity as a
whole, rather than being reserved for a few select
powerful nations.
assassinated on 15 Oct 1951). It proposed bicameral
legislation, lower and upper houses to have equal
representation (upper house 60 each and lower 200
each). This also came under criticism, because of
equal seats of two wings, and Urdu as state language.
Third draft was presented on 5 October 1953, by PM,
Muhammad Ali Bogra, which is also known as Bogra
formula. It compromised on disparity and proposed
bicameral legislation. It proposed lower house on the
basis of population total 300 seats (East Bengal165,
remaining 4 units of West Pak 135). Upper house of
52 seats, 10 each to 5 constituent units and 2 reserved
wing in March 1954. Muslim League secured only
10 seats (badly defeated).
The assembly passed a bill in September 1954
which made Governor General (GG) to act on the
advice of the PM. It was also made mandatory for
GG to appoint PM a member of assembly who
enjoys the confidence of majority.GG, Ghulam
Muhammad dissolved the assembly on 24 Oct 1954.
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar
The Supreme Court headed by Justice Muhammad
Munir upheld the decision under the law of
necessity. However Justice Cornelius wrote note of
dissent. New Elections were held on 21 June 1955,
to elect 40 members each from both wings.PM,
Chaudhry Muhammad Ali, took the task of
constitution making. It was passed on 29 Feb 1956
to be effective from 23 March 1956. It was mainly
based on government of India Act 1935,
parliamentary form of government. The state was
declared as Islamic Republic of Pakistan. It was
unicameral legislation to be elected on the basis of
parity between the two provinces. Just after about
two years, President Iskander Mirza dissolved the
assemblies, abrogated constitution and appointed
Gen Ayub Khan C in C Army as Chief Martial
Administrator (CMLA) on 7 Oct 1958.
Main reasons announced, were enhancement of
corruption in society and constitution unworkable.
On 17 Oct 1958 President Iskander Mirza resigned
in favor of Gen Ayub Khan, later became President
and CMLA. The Supreme Court headed by Justice
Muhammad Munir again legitimized the Martial
Law under the law of necessity and Justice
Cornelius wrote the note of dissent as he did not
agree that coup could be legally justified. Gen
Ayub Khan appointed Commission in Feb 60 to
frame constitution which was promulgated on 8
June 1962. It had Presidential form of government,
federation to have two units, East and West
Pakistan. There were 40,000 Basic Democracy
(BD)members to be elected from each wing. BD
members were Electoral College for the elections
of president, members of national and provincial
assemblies. Most powers with center. It was a
unitary form of government. This constitution did
not last very long, because the President became
autocratic and less provincial autonomy.
The agitation started against the President Ayub Khan cabinet to advice. Applying this clause Gen Zia
in late 1968. He handed over powers to C-in C Army, dismissed the government of PM, Muhammad Khan
Gen Agha Muhammad Yahyakhan who proclaimed
Martial Law on 25 March 1969. As per constitution
the Speaker of national assembly should have been
handed over powers. This Martial Law was declared
usurper by the Supreme Court. Justice, Hamood ur
Rehman had written in Asma Jilani case (PLD 1972
SC 139) that Gen Yahya Khan had no authority to
abrogate constitution of 1962 and impose Martial
law. This was the first time that abrogating the
constitution was declared unlawful. However, no
action was taken against any one. After the fall of
Dhaka on 16 Dec 1971, East Pakistan became
Bangladesh. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto became President
and CMLA on 20 Dec 1971 and continued till 15
April 1972 when the National Assembly adopted
India Act of 1935 with amendments as an interim
constitution. A committee of 25 members was formed
to frame constitution and finally the National
Assembly adopted constitution (commonly known as
constitution of 73) with consensus on 11 April 1973.
Main features are, parliamentary form of government,
president head of state and PM head of govt. It has
bicameral legislation, lower house to have seats as
per population and upper house equal seats of the 4
federating units. According to this constitution, the
federal government shall have control and command
of the Armed Forces and supreme command of
Armed Forces shall vest in the President. The
President shall on the advice of the PM appoint,
Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJSC),
and services chiefs. The Armed forces shall, under
the directions of the Federal Government defend
Pakistan against external aggression or threat of war,
and, subject to law, act in aid of civil power when
called upon to do so. This constitution was also
abrogated/ held in abeyance twice once on 5 July
1977 by Gen Zia ul Haq and on 12 October 1999 by
Gen Musharraf. In both cases the decisions of Army
chiefs were not only legalized by the Supreme Court,
but also the Military Rulers were authorized to
amend the constitution.
Gen Zia amended the constitution, besides other
clauses included 58- 2b which gave discretionary
powers to the President to sack the government and
dissolve the assemblies. It is pertinent to mention that
in parliamentary form of government president is
head of state and has only his secretariat and no
Junejo (from 23 Mar 1985 to 29 May 1988). Using
same clause President Ghulam Ishaque khanin the
first tenure of Benazir Bhutto (from 2 Dec 1988 to
5 Aug 1990) and later President Farooq Leghari in
her second tenure (from 19 Oct 1993 to 4 Nov 1996)
terminated her governments.
President Ghulam Ishaque Khan sacked the first
government of PM, Nawaz Sharif (from 6 Nov 1990
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar

to 17 Jul 1993) and his second government (from
17 Feb 1997 to 11 Oct 1999) ended by coup of Gen
Musharraf. The country had remained politically
unstable as long as clause 58-2b was part of
constitution. It was finally removed through
18th amendment on8 April 2010. The 71years
history of Pakistan is full of constitutional turmoils.
The country has been governed by 4 constitutions
(twice India Act 1935, 1956 & 1962), 4 times
military rule and 3 times elected governments were
dismissed under clause 58-2b and now 1973 is in
vogue. It is pertinent to mention that India got
independence with Pakistan in 1947,had adopted
constitution on 19 November 1949 to come into force
on 26 January 1950. It has never been abrogated or
held in abeyance. We have made a lot of experiments
to frame constitution and to run the government.
Infect country has been mostly governed by hit and
trials. Need of the hour is a politically stable
government, with strong and independent pillars of
the state, judiciary, legislation, and administration.
All institutions of the country are required to be
strengthened to work strictly in accordance with the
constitution, rules, regulations and the oath taken by
various authorities.

Education System of Pakistan: Issues, Problems and Solutions

Author: Aftab Hussain Published in IPRI on March 2, 2015
It is mandated in the Constitution of Pakistan to and regulations that guide the individual and
provide free and compulsory education to all institutional interactions within the set up are also
children between the ages of 5-16 years and part of the education system.
enhance adult literacy. With the 18th constitutional Education system of Pakistan:
amendment the concurrent list which comprised The education system of Pakistan is comprised of
of 47 subjects was abolished and these subjects, 260,903 institutions and is facilitating 41,018,384
including education, were transferred to federating students with the help of 1,535,461 teachers. The
units as a move towards provincial autonomy. system includes 180,846 public institutions and
The year 2015 is important in the context that it 80,057 private institutions. Hence 31% educational
marks the deadline for the participants of Dakar institutes are run by private sector while 69% are
declaration (Education For All [EFA] commitment) public institutes.
including Pakistan. Education related statistics Analysis of education system in Pakistan:
coupled with Pakistan’s progress regarding Pakistan has expressed its commitment to promote
education targets set in Vision 2030 and Pakistan’s education and literacy in the country by education
lagging behind in achieving EFA targets and its policies at domestic level and getting involved into
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for international commitments on education. In this
education call for an analysis of the education regard national education policies are the visions
system of Pakistan and to look into the issues and which suggest strategies to increase literacy rate,
problems it is facing so that workable solutions capacity building, and enhance facilities in the
could be recommended. schools and educational institutes. MDGs and EFA
What is Education System? The system of programmes are global commitments of Pakistan
education includes all institutions that are involved in for the promotion of literacy.
delivering formal education (public and private, A review of the education system of Pakistan
for-profit and nonprofit, onsite or virtual instruction) suggests that there has been little change in
and their faculties, students, physical infrastructure, Pakistan’s schools since 2010, when the 18th
resources and rules. In a broader definition the system Amendment enshrined education as a fundamental
also includes the institutions that are directly involved human right in the constitution. Problems of access,
in financing, managing, operating or regulating such quality, infrastructure and inequality of opportunity,
institutions (like government ministries and remain endemic.
regulatory bodies, central testing organizations,
textbook boards and accreditation boards). The rules
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar
Issues
A) MDGs and Pakistan:
Due to the problems in education system of
Pakistan, the country is lagging behind in achieving
its MDGs of education. The MDGs have laid down
two goals for education sector:
Goal 2: The goal 2 of MDGs is to achieve
Universal Primary Education (UPE) and by 2015,
children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be
able to complete a full course of primary schooling.
By the year 2014 the enrolment statistics show an
increase in the enrolment of students of the age
of 3-16 year while dropout rate decreased. But
the need for increasing enrolment of students
remains high to achieve MDGs target. Punjab is
leading province wise in net primary enrolment
rate with 62% enrolment. The enrolment rate in
Sindh province is 52%, in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa
(KPK) 54% and primary enrolment rate in
Balochistan is 45%.
Goal 3: The goal 3 of MDGs is Promoting Gender
Equality and Women Empowerment. It is aimed at
eliminating gender disparity in primary and
secondary education by 2005 and in all levels of
education not later than 2015. There is a stark
disparity between male and female literacy rates.
The national literacy rate of male was 71% while
that of female was 48% in 2012-13. Provinces
reported the same gender disparity. Punjab literacy
rate in male was 71% and for females it was 54%.
In Sindh literacy rate in male was 72% and female
47%, in KPK male 70% and females 35%, while
in Balochistan male 62% and female 23%.
B) Education for All (EFA) Commitment
The EFA goals focus on early childhood care
and education including pre-schooling, universal
primary education and secondary education to
youth, adult literacy with gender parity and
quality of education as crosscutting thematic
and programme priorities.
EFA Review Report October 2014 outlines that
despite repeated policy commitments, primary
education in Pakistan is lagging behind in
achieving its target of universal primary education.
Currently the primary gross enrolment rate stands
at 85.9% while Pakistan requires increasing it up to
100% by 2015-16 to fulfil EFA goals. Of the
estimated total primary school going 21.4 million
children of ages 5-9 years, 68.5% are enrolled in
schools, of which 8.2 million or 56% are boys and
6.5 million or 44% are girls. Economic Survey of
Pakistan confirms that during the year 2013-14
literacy remained much higher in urban areas than
in rural areas and higher among males.
C) Vision 2030
Vision 2030 of Planning Commission of Pakistan
looks for an academic environment which promotes
the thinking mind. The goal under Vision 2030 is
one curriculum and one national examination
system under state responsibility. The strategies
charted out to achieve the goal included:
(i) Increasing public expenditure on education and
skills generation from 2.7% of GDP to 5% by 2010
and 7% by 2015.
(ii) Re-introduce the technical and vocational
stream in the last two years of secondary schools.
(iii) Gradually increase vocational and technical
education numbers to 25-30% of all secondary
enrolment by 2015 and 50 per cent by 2030.
(iv) Enhance the scale and quality of education in
general and the scale and quality of scientific/
technical education in Pakistan in particular.
Problems: The issues lead to the comprehension of
the problems which are faced in the development of
education system and promotion of literacy. The
study outlines seven major problems such as:
1) Lack of Proper Planning: Pakistan is a
signatory to MDGs and EFA goals. However it
seems that it will not be able to achieve these
international commitments because of financial
management issues and constraints to achieve the
MDGs and EFA goals.
2) Social constraints: It is important to realize
that the problems which hinder the provision of
education are not just due to issues of management
by government but some of them are deeply rooted
in the social and cultural orientation of the people.
Overcoming the latter is difficult and would require
a change in attitude of the people, until then
universal primary education is difficult to achieve.
3) Gender gap: Major factors that hinder
enrolment rates of girls include poverty, cultural
constraints, illiteracy of parents and parental
concerns about safety and mobility of their
daughters. Society’s emphasis on girl’s modesty,
protection and early marriages may limit family’s
willingness to send them to school. Enrolment of
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar
rural girls is 45% lower than that of urban girls;
while for boys the difference is 10% only,
showing that gender gap is an important factor.
4) Cost of education: The economic cost is higher
in private schools, but these are located in richer
settlements only. The paradox is that private
schools are better but not everywhere and
government schools ensure equitable access but
do not provide quality education.
5) War on Terror: Pakistan’s engagement in
war against terrorism also affected the promotion
of literacy campaign. The militants targeted schools
and students; several educational institutions were
blown up, teachers and students were killed in
Balochistan, KPK and FATA. This may have to
contribute not as much as other factors, but this
remains an important factor.
6) Funds for Education: Pakistan spends 2.4%
GDP on education. At national level, 89%
education expenditure comprises of current
expenses such as teachers’ salaries, while only
11% comprises of development expenditure
which is not sufficient to raise quality of education.
7) Technical Education: Sufficient attention has
not been paid to the technical and vocational
education in Pakistan. The number of technical and
vocational training institutes is not sufficient and
many are deprived of infrastructure, teachers and
tools for training. The population of a state is one
of the main elements of its national power. It can
become an asset once it is skilled. Unskilled
population means more jobless people in the
country, which affects the national development
negatively. Therefore, technical education needs
priority handling by the government.
Poverty, law and order situation, natural disasters,
budgetary constraints, lack of access, poor quality,
equity, and governance have also contributed in
less enrolments.
An analysis of the issues and problems suggest
that: The official data shows the allocation of
funds for educational projects but there is no
mechanism which ensures the proper expenditure
of those funds on education.
1. The existing infrastructure is not being properly
utilized in several parts of the country.
2. There are various challenges that include
expertise, institutional and capacity issues, forging
national cohesion, uniform standards for textbook
development, and quality assurance.
3. The faculty hiring process is historically known
to be politicized. It is because of this that the quality
of teaching suffers and even more so when low
investments are made in teachers’ training. As a
result teachers are not regular and their time at
school is not as productive as it would be with a
well-trained teacher.
4. Inside schools there are challenges which include
shortage of teachers, teacher absenteeism, missing
basic facilities and lack of friendly environment.
5. Out of school challenges include shortage of
schools, distance – especially for females, insecurity,
poverty, cultural norms, parents are reluctant or
parents lack awareness.
Solutions: There is a need for implementation of
national education policy and vision 2030 education
goals. An analysis of education policy suggests that at
the policy level there are several admirable ideas, but
practically there are some shortcomings also.
It may not be possible for the government at the
moment to implement uniform education system in
the country, but a uniform curriculum can be
introduced in educational institutes of the country.
This will provide equal opportunity to the students
of rural areas to compete with students of urban
areas in the job market.
Since majority of Pakistani population resides in rural
areas and the access to education is a major problem
for them, it seems feasible that a balanced approach
for formal and informal education be adopted.
Government as well as non-government sector should
work together to promote education in rural areas.
The government should take measures to get school
buildings vacated which are occupied by feudal lords
of Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab. Efforts should be
made to ensure that proper education is provided
in those schools.
The federal government is paying attention to the
vocational and technical training, but it is important
to make the already existing vocational and technical
training centres more efficient so that skilled youth
could be produced.
Since education is a provincial subject, the provincial
education secretariats need to be strengthened.
Special policy planning units should be established in
provinces’ education departments for implementation
of educational policies and formulation of new
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar
policies whenever needed. The provincial education
departments need to work out financial resources
required for realising the compliance of Article 25-A.
Federal Government should play a supportive role
vis-à-vis the provinces for the early compliance of
the constitutional obligation laid down in Article
25-A. Special grants can be provided to the
provinces where the literacy rate is low.
Pakistan is not the only country which is facing
challenges regarding promotion of literacy and
meeting EFA and MDGs commitments. Education
remains a subject which is paid least attention in
the whole South Asian region. UNDP report 2014
suggests that there has been an improvement in
other elements of human development such as life
expectancy, per capita income and human
development index value (in past 3 years); but there
has been no progress in the number of schooling
years. The expected average for years of schooling
in 2010 was 10.6 years but the actual average of
schooling remained 4.7 for all South Asian
countries. In the year 2013 the expected average of
number of years increased to 11.2 but the actual
average of years of schooling of South Asian
countries remained 4.7. Regional cooperation
mechanism can also be developed to promote
literacy in South Asian region. Sharing success
stories, making country-specific modifications and
their implementation can generate positive results.
Recommendations
1. Technical education should be made a part of
secondary education. Classes for carpentry,
electrical, and other technical education must be
included in the curriculum.
2. Providing economic incentives to the students
may encourage the parents to send their children to
school and may help in reducing the dropout ratio.
3. Local government system is helpful in
promoting education and literacy in the country.
In local government system the funds for education
would be spent on a need basis by the locality.
4. Corruption in education departments is one of
the factors for the poor literacy in the country.
An effective monitoring system is needed in
education departments.
5. For any system to work it is imperative that
relevant structures are developed. Legislation and
structure should be framed to plan for the promotion
of education in the country. After the 18th amendment
the education has become a provincial subject,
therefore, the provinces should form legislations
and design educational policies which ensure quality
education.
6. Unemployment of educated men and women is a
major concern for Pakistan. There should be career
counselling of the pupils in schools so that they have
an understanding of job market and they can develop
their skills accordingly.
7. Counselling of parents is required, so that they
can choose a career for their child which is market
friendly.
8. There are two approaches to acquiring education:
First, which is being followed by many in Pakistan is
to get education to earn bread and butter. The second
approach is to get education for the sake of personal
development and learning. This approach is followed
by affluent and economically stable people who send
their children to private schools and abroad for
education. The problem arises when non-affluent
families send their children to private schools, and
universities. This aspiration for sending children for
higher education is wrong, because the country does
not need managers and officers only. There are
several other jobs where people are needed. Hence
the mind-set of sending one’s children to university
only for becoming officers and managers needs to
be changed.
Conclusion: The reforms required in the education
system of Pakistan cannot be done by the government
alone, public-private participation and a mix of
formal as well as non-formal education can pull out
majority of country’s population from illiteracy.
Similarly, to make the youth of the country an asset,
attention should also be paid to vocational and
technical training.
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar
Education for growth
Author: Hassan Daud Published in The News on January 30, 2019
Socio-economic development and poverty
alleviation are the key focus areas for our
government. In the same spirit, the CPEC base
has been broadened by promoting these sectors
to facilitate residents in terms of employment
and exchanges.
To give practical effect to these plans, China and
Pakistan will make efforts to carry out vocational
training and improve higher-education resources
to carry out design and R&D activities besides
ensuring cooperation in various sectors. The
newly-established Joint Working Group (JWG) on
Socio-Economic Development has been tasked to
identify and ensure the implementation of pilot
projects in education by setting up smart schools
and knowledge-sharing in faculty development.
Our Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said that
we should seek knowledge, even if we have to go
as far as China to gain it. Therefore, we ought to
learn from China’s journey to become one of the
world’s most influential economies. The same can
be said about China’s robust and evolving
education system, which is the largest in the world.
As per China’s national statistical yearbook for
2018, over 5,944,950 regular teachers are
contributing to the most diverse education system
in the world, with a focus on tertiary education. In
the last 20 years, China has been able to build
specialised higher-education institutions (HEIs).
In order to give education and academia the respect
that it deserves, Teachers’ Day has been observed
on September 10 since 1985. I realised the gap in
our education system when my two children faced
enormous challenges in terms of creativity and
technical knowhow in their Chinese school during
my four-year stay in China.
Therefore, I believe that as Pakistan embarks on the
journey of industrial rejuvenation by encouraging
foreign investment and joint ventures, there is an
urgent need to reform the education system. This
will enable us to produce human resources that
are suitable for the envisaged industrial growth.
There is a growing need for a clear and correct
diagnosis and the importance of education in
economic reforms needs to be re-emphasised as
it is believed that knowledge and the economy are
closely interconnected. By narrowing down the
causes and realising the long-term impact of such
disparities, the process of reforming the education
sector would be more effective.
We cannot expect to improve economic growth
with an old education system as the increasing
disparities would further delay development. Much
has been said and written about the systemic issues in
our education sector, with experts viewing it as a
hurdle to sustainable economic growth. In order to
cater to the needs of accelerated industrial
development on an immediate basis, we need to
reform our curriculum and increase accessibility
to higher technical education.
Following in China’s footsteps, we also need to start
institutions such as a vocational technical college for
the light industry, a petroleum college and a railways
university on the basis of a public-private partnership.
The National Vocational and Technical Training
Commission (Navtec) also needs to be improved to
maintain its quality and relevance, and must introduce
online courses to provide technical training in rural
areas. In the short to mid-term, specialised teacher
education programmes in modern technical and
vocational areas need to be introduced. The HEC
must develop professional development centres
(PDCs) in all HEIs across Pakistan to train faculty
and students in specific knowledge and skill domains
within the spheres of coastal and harbour engineering,
tech textile, aerospace, supply chain, industrial and
logistics zone planning, railways, tourism and
urban planning.
The youth has been defined as an asset and the
educational system is a means to leverage this asset.
If we don’t develop our educational system, we may
fail to become the leading economic power, with a
promised GDP growth rate of around seven percent.
Our regional competitors have prepared well in
developing human resources. With growing
connectivity and Pakistan’s role in the region, we also
need to capitalise on the increased demand for skilled
workers in both domestic and international markets,
especially in new technologies. However, this will
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar
require immediate measures at all levels from the
government and private sector.
Thousands of years ago, Confucius said that:
“education breeds confidence, confidence breeds
hope, and hope breed peace”. To cultivate hope in
our next generation, we must develop an education
system that is tailored to face the storm of new
Pakistan and China through the lens of CPEC
Author: Maria Ajmal Published in Modern Diplomacy on February 9, 2019
It is generally believed that Pakistan convergence
from the United States towards China-the
time-tested and all-weather friend- would not
only benefit Pakistan but also improve its faltering
economy. Any antagonistic remarks by the U.S.
or India about an ironclad camaraderie are viewed
as their efforts to disrupt the relationship which
is “taller than the mountains and deeper than
the oceans”.
Trade and energy corridor plan of General Pervez
Musharraf era was officially launched as China
Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in 2015.
The $62 billion project is being considered an
economic penance and a practical vehicle that
would eliminate all disparities and grievances of
Balochistan’s people. China needs to secure its
sea lanes for economic prosperity and its
preponderance on the South China Sea has become
a bone of contention between its neighboring
countries; it had to develop an alternative route to
avoid the bottlenecked Strait of Malacca. Thus, to
secure its sea trade, China needs Pakistan to
materialize CPEC which gives an access to the
Arabian Sea via Gwadar. Would Pakistan actually
be benefited from an invincible rapport of the
great power pertinent to CPEC?
Gwadar city of Balochistan is the hub of CPEC.
Mineral rich province is the least developed due to
the policies by the extractive institutions and the
failure of the civilian leadership to address the
grievances of its compatriots. Due to this there is
resentment among the Baloch leaders and people
regarding the distributions of province’s resources.
According to the government officials, CPEC
would create jobs for the local population, would
attract foreign investors and its resources would not
be exploited by others. It is an indubitable fact that
technology while developing creativity as well as
cross-cultural understanding and acceptance.
the Baloch are the victim of the state inequalities.
Hopes are being created by the government for the
better future of Balochistan whereas the Bolach
leaders are censuring the government for not taking
into confidence regarding the projects carrying out
under the canopy of CPEC.
China’s rivalry with any country doesn’t affect its
economic ties; its economic policy is based on
peaceful collaboration, coexistence, cooperation
and win-win partnership for everyone. In
2017-2018 fiscal year, China- Pakistan trade
volume was $13.2 billion, whereas India-China
trade was more than $84billion despite the fact that
they have also disputes over territories. According
to World Bank report, Pak- India trade is about $2
billion which could reach $37 billion. If both these
two countries could approach like China vis-à-vis
trade, it would help to alleviate poverty and bring
economic prosperity. Pakistan’s policy about its
relations with India is still dither.
Last year, when Pakistan was placed on ‘grey list’
by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), China
didn’t vote in support of Pakistan alongside Turkey;
although China’s support couldn’t prevent it from
placing on ‘grey list’ when Saudi Arabia had
already decided to give up its support to Pakistan.
In China, Turkish-origin Muslims, Uighurs who are
living in Xinjiang, are being persecuted and
detained in secret “re-education camps”. Almost
one million people, in eleven millions of Uighur’s
population, have been detained, according to the
United Nations report. With a ban on naming
Muslim’s name, restriction to have beards and strict
surveillance of Uighurs, China’s communist party
is quelling the religious freedom of minority
population. Xinjiang had a vital role in CPEC;
Pakistan didn’t raise this issue with China at any
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar
level. Does Pakistan not have to adopt a bilateral
approach especially with China? Is Pakistan silence
on this issue because it is also doing same with
its non-Muslims inhabitants?
Relations between countries, even a developed
country or underdeveloped country, are entirely
based on mutual interests. China’s support on
Why ‘climate change’ just got real?
Author: Kashmala Kakakhel Published in Express Tribune on January 23, 2019
In Katowice, Poland — where the annual climate
change conference (COP24) was held in
December 2018, there was a big but silent
breakthrough. The biggest achievement of this
year’s conference was the agreement of a global
rulebook on implementing the Paris Agreement.
These rules will, therefore, govern how the world
is supposed to act collectively in attempting to
keep global warming under 2oC globally.
Two small and seemingly insignificant elements
of the rulebook are what will actually shift the
game for countries like Pakistan. First, the
agreement of a set of global reporting standards on
the progress that countries make. Second, the
agreement on a ‘facilitative’ compliance regime.
Both of these decisions consequently raise the
stakes for countries like Pakistan.
First, what is significant is that the reporting
standards agreed upon will now be the same for all
countries. This includes how countries will report
on, measure and verify their emissions cutting
efforts. The transparency that these reporting
standards imply mean it will become harder for
countries to wriggle out of their commitments.
In short, this squeezes the space for those arguing
that action on climate change is the responsibility
of rich countries alone.
Second, the rulebook in principle has agreed to a
compliance regime for countries that do not make
enough progress. While in principle this is meant
to be ‘facilitative in nature’, and ‘non-adversarial
and non-punitive’, it would be naive to expect that
in practice this will be the case, in particular as the
urgency on climate change action continues to
increase year on year.
Despite some of the negotiated concessions on
reporting and compliance requirements for
international fronts comes to Pakistan when it also
suits to its benefits, but it would lend its moral
support on each and every occasion. Alongside the
strategic partnership and pro-China stance, Pakistan
needs to scrupulously examine the benefits and
drawbacks of too much reliance on China and
‘secret’ terms and conditions of CPEC.
developing countries, bring the two changes
together, and you can imagine a future where
action on climate change becomes a powerful
tool to shape the economic future of countries
such as Pakistan. Two quick examples.
What if economic incentives become tied to action
on climate change? Case in point. Our Generalised
Scheme of Preferences (GSP) plus status with the
EU for exports is contingent upon compliance
with international conventions such as human
rights, labour laws, environment and climate
change. Given the significance associated by the
EU to climate change, the new reporting
obligations agreed in the rulebook will also have
a direct bearing on our GSP status.
What if borrowing from the multilateral
development banks becomes tied to climate
change action, and to changes in governance?
Ten of them have already signed off an agreement
jointly at the climate change conference in
December to align their activities with the goals
of the Paris Agreement. This is not imaginative
thinking, because the world will need some form
of leverage to ensure action, and therefore this a
future worth preparing for.
In short, the climate change rulebook agreed upon
in Poland makes climate change about much more
than just climate change. It ties it in a potentially
significant way to governance, trade and economic
development. In some ways, this is a good thing,
because it creates an incentive for action. However,
it also means significant leverage for the
developed countries in economic negotiations
with countries such as Pakistan that we should
be prepared for.
In Poland, Pakistan created significant leadership
space in the climate change ecosystem, getting
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar

elected to the Vice-Presidentship of the change strategy. Internationally, it implies that we

International Climate Convention, and securing use our leadership position to ensure that the way
seats on five other technical committees. Within the compliance regime is shaped, secures both a
the country, it becomes important for us to gear up future that is climate proof, but defends the
on implementing key aspects of our climate economic interests of countries like Pakistan.

A New World Era

Author: Suleman Khanzada Published in Daily Times on January 21, 2019
The West is moving towards a new era. Far-Right
and nationalist forces are steadily gaining support
in Europe with Donald Trump as a poster-child for
the movement. They are present in parliaments
throughout Europe. They have already formed
governments in Austria and Hungary. Far-Right
elements have even begun to coordinate
across boarders.
The United States and Europe, collectively known
as ‘The West’, are built on a foundation of common
values. Their way of life transcends other factors
that unite nations like ethnicity or religion. In the annexing Europe. In fact, at the time, just about
aftermath of WWII, Europe learned the dangers
of ‘hyper-nationalism’, which further encouraged
it to rally behind a continental culture of Liberté,
Equalité, and Fraternité instead.
But that was then and much has changed since.
In America the liberal wave that finally gave
African-Americans their civil rights and other
reforms seems to have lost its momentum. Their
magnanimous spirit that rebuilt war-torn Europe
with the Marshal Plan and supported the creation
of United Nations seems to have dwindled.
Europe itself set an unprecedented standard of
diplomatic and economic cooperation by forming
the European Union. For the first time in modern
history multiple nations willingly adopted open
boarders, a common currency, and collective
institutions. Yet presently the union seems more
like an imposition than an achievement.
The West is currently at a philosophical crossroads.
They believe in humanitarianism but when thousands
of immigrants escaping catastrophic circumstances
arrive at their gates they haves second thoughts. They
champion privacy laws but fear of terrorism has them
eavesdropping on citizens. They are ardent supporter
of individual freedoms yet hate-crimes and
xenophobia are rising. Even their commitment to
democracy is being contradicted with their continued
support for authoritarian leaders around the globe.
Perhaps nothing exposes the withering of western
“high moral ground” more than their half-hearted
response to Journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder.
The truth is the West was never as liberal and morally
evolved as they believed. There were always
undercurrents of “unhealthy nationalism” and
Far-Right tendencies beneath the splendor of progress
and achievements. We forget it was less than a
century ago that African Americans couldn’t vote.
Belgium was committing war crimes in Congo,
Britain was exploiting India, and Germany was
every western nation was earning its rightful place
in history’s hall of shame.
So it mustn’t come as a surprise that the radical
Right is making a comeback in the region. They
have formed governments in Austria, Hungary and
arguable The United States. Italy, Europe’s third
largest economy, is likely to be next.
Far-Right elements have even begun coordinating
globally. Nigel Farage, the British politician most
credited with inflaming anti-EU hysteria that led to
“Brexit”, was a guest in Donald Trump’s rally.
Leader of Italy’s largest Far-Right party and current
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini just teamed up
with Steve Bannon, a former Trump campaign
mastermind. Bannon predicts that like The U.S.,
now Europe is “ripe for a tectonic shift.”
What exactly that shift will look like remains to be
seen. However, the process will be accelerated with
the next global recession. A CNN poll showed most
American CFO’s believe it will start within a year.
Former Finance Minister Sartaj Aziz argues that “The
West still has not recovered from the last recession
of 2008.” As a result, their ideological foundations
are unhinged. So the next slump might be enough
to tip the political atmosphere towards the Right.
During a recession unemployment rises and
incomes reduce. Naturally, the frustrated
population will want answers. That will be the
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar

perfect opportunity for hardliners like France’s
Marie La Pen to criticize incumbent governments
and offer their audiences the perfect scapegoats.
Immigrants, minorities, and the Brussels-based
bureaucracy of the EU are the usual suspects.
Far-Right governments have a tendency to break
from international institutions that impede their
agenda. Rules and regulations of organizations like
the UN, NATO, and European Union could be seen
as obstacles. Instead of collectivism they promote
nationalism. Mr. Trump’s mantra of “Make
America Great Again” and his constant contempt
for the above-mentioned organizations is a typical
sample of what’s to come.
The consequences of Mr. Trump’s presidency will be
apparent in the long run. But it is clear that he is
dividing America, empowering nationalists, and
steering the country towards economic vulnerability
and political instability. European Far-Right leaders,
when given the chance, will most likely have a
similarly turbulent rhetoric and policies.
But there is a silver lining. As the West becomes
preoccupied with its internal matters, the developing
world could find more autonomy to pursue their own
goals. For example, this would be the ideal
opportunity for Pakistan to increase economic
cooperation with China, Iran, and Russia. For better
or worst, the world as we know it is changing.

Future of ethical journalism

Author: Muhammad Ziauddin Published in Express Tribune on January 19, 2019
It is time to ask what is the future of ethical on migration, identify hate speech, block fake news
journalism in an age when it appears that the and guard against war-mongering and propaganda.
public around the world is falling out with facts, The report notes a growing movement to strengthen
humanity and accountable truth-telling. the craft of journalism and how, in every part of the
Ethics in the News, a report compiled by the world, even where megaphone politics is in power,
Ethical Journalism Network (EJN), has thrown journalists committed to the values of accuracy,
some light on challenges for the media and gives humanity and transparency are doing good work
journalists some key tips on ethical survival and connecting with audiences.
techniques. The report analyses fake news and But more needs to be done to support the media.
how journalism with a public purpose can be The EJN report calls for action to strengthen media
overwhelmed in a do-it-yourself world of professionalism and for new directions in public
communications that has led to a so-called policy: 1) to develop practical and sustainable
post-truth movement in which facts and solutions to the funding crisis facing independent
expert opinion are left on the sidelines of journalism; 2) to support the public purpose of
public discourse. journalism through more investment in public
According to the report, this is a global media crisis. service media; 3) to launch campaigns to combat
Almost all over the world, the question is equally hatred, racism and intolerance; 4) to provide more
relevant. Many countries are said to be on the resources for investigative reporting and ways of
frontline of a catastrophic and ongoing assault on promoting minority voices; 5) to encourage
free expression and a full-scale information war is attachment to ethical values in the management
going on between a number of countries. The report and governance of journalism; 6) to put pressure on
highlights two areas of particular ethical practice social networks and internet companies to accept
that make journalism a cornerstone of reliability and responsibility that as publishers they must monitor
trust: firstly, a tribute to all the whistle-blowers and their news services; 7) to support expanded media
sources who make public interest journalism and information literacy programmes to make people
possible through the eyes of the reporter; and, — including politicians and others in public life —
second, a thoughtful examination of how we use more aware of the need for responsible and tolerant
images to tell stories, focused on refugees. Ethics in communications.
the News also provides tips for journalists on how Aiden White, the moving spirit behind setting up
to stick to the facts, protect sources, report fairly ETJ, has contributed a brainy piece to the report,
excerpts of which follow: “We also look at the role
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar

of war-mongering media in India with bellicose
journalists stoking up the prospects of a new
conflict between these nuclear states.
“The world’s changing culture of communications,
driven by the imperial power of internet
companies and social networks, not only
encourages users to create personal
echo-chambers at the expense of information
pluralism, it has also shredded the market models
that used to nourish ethical journalism.
“Many observers inside media are not overly
optimistic about the future, but although there
may be more rumour, speculation, fake news and
misinformation as the information market moves
online, there is a growing movement to strengthen
the craft of journalism.
“Public trust will only return when people have
confidence that powerful institutions — government,
the state, corporate power — are accountable and
listening to their concerns… The crisis outlined here
is not just one of professionalism, it is a watershed
moment for democracy and requires political will
to invest in open, connected and pluralist systems
of communication. What is needed are new
directions in public policy.

Why democracy is worth fighting for?

Author: Saad Hafiz Published in Daily Times on January 11, 2019
The democratic system faces multiple threats in secular democracy impede the consolidation of
these volatile times. The clarion cry of the coercive structures. It protects the right of freedom
anti-democrats is that democracy favours the elites of speech and protest without fear or favour.
and has failed the masses that it was intended to Importantly, it instills respect for the practice of
serve. They point to the unfulfilled promises and diverse religious beliefs and disbelief.
the time wasted in the endless debate which gets in To cite a few examples, the rise of German and
the way of the hard work of nation-building. Japanese democracies after WW2 has helped prevent
There is a troubling trend in established liberal the rise of dictators and militarists. The policies of
democracies, that younger voters are impressed glasnost and perestroika inspired reforms of the
by populist leaders and authoritarian solutions. Communist Party in the former Soviet Union.
These angry voters have never lived in a It brought people out of the dark shadows of Gulags
totalitarian one-party state or under a dictatorship. and forced labour camps. In turn, Western secular
If they had, they would understand what Nobel democracies have provided refuge to millions of
Laureate Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn meant when people, fleeing tyranny and oppression, including
he said: “unlimited power in the hands of limited from Muslim majority states. It is ironic though
people always leads to cruelty.” that some former refugees, living under western
freedoms, are still advocates of repressive
Emerging democracies also are facing dangers
Islamic Shariah states.
from arbitrary rule, curtailment of freedom of
expression and rigged elections. Crackdowns under In South Asia, the success of democracy in India
the guise of combating crime and corruption are belies the claim that a country has to be rich to
taking an ominous turn. They end up limiting function as grass-roots democracy. India has a
political choices and impeding the will of the progressive constitution based on the country’s
people. As we know, once a state starts down the secular roots. It serves as a foil against the
path of authoritarianism, it is difficult to change majoritarian bias present in a range of official
course. To quote Professor Steven Levitsky How institutions in India. Moreover, in spite of the blot
Democracies Die: “there is a misguided impression left by the unchecked human rights violations
that authoritarianism can be controlled or tamed.” committed by state forces in Indian Kashmir, Indian
Despite strident criticism, the democratic system democracy has largely protected Muslims and other
remains the best hope for inclusive progress. It is the minorities from an extremist section of the Hindu
sole governance system that can account for majority. In their mind, Hindutva extremists want
competing interests, human frailties, and an unfair revenge for Hindus who lived under hundreds of
world. Furthermore, the checks and balances of a years of Muslim hegemony and misrule.
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar
India is also a good example of democracy and
leadership working together to liberalise the
economy. As a result, in the last two decades,
India pulled the second-most number of people in
the world out of poverty. And the country also
reported high GDP growth numbers exceeding 7
percent annually. The big challenge for India is to
address the disparities between rich and poor.
To help in achieving this goal, democratic
institutions that can manage people’s expectations
and soothe conflict are the best bet.
In contrast, grass-roots democracy didn’t take root
in Pakistan. The country’s leadership is mostly
elitist and disconnected from the masses. These
factors hindered Pakistan’s political, economic,
and social development. The low growth and
high debt trap that the country finds itself has a
great deal to do with flawed priorities that arose
from anti-democratic governance. Moreover,
the country’s ethnic and religious minorities
don’t have the safeguards they could have
enjoyed under a progressive constitution.
It is the core responsibility of democratic
governments to unite, inspire, and secure their
grass root constituents and electoral base. A sign
Women empowerment reforms
Author: Salman Sufi Published in Dawn Newspaper on January 20, 2019
The obvious is often obscure, it seems. The state
of affairs regarding women’s rights has hardly
ever been a matter of pressing concern for our
masters. Yet ornamented rhetoric has taken over
grass-root reforms, and our gradual numbing to
screaming headlines of abuse and assault on the
basic dignity of women has reduced most of the
work to mere table talk.
Let’s talk basics. One could argue that women’s
rights are intrinsically ingrained in the Constitution trained state apparatus she must turn to for protection
— which they are — and hence the matter is
adjudicated. Meanwhile, laws to protect and empower circumstances — from her lifestyle to clothes to
women passed in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan
employ ferociously ambitious clauses, which might
make even the most cynical observer hopeful. Yet
beneath the overarching landscape painted by these
legislative feats, there is an absence of solid
foundations. Excepting Punjab, there are no
that a democratic system isn’t delivering is when
voters are disaffected with the governments they
helped elect. As a result, disgruntled voters tend to
look for extreme solutions on the right and left of
the political spectrum. The polarized political
landscape plays into the hands of populists with
divisive agendas and autocrats wielding the gun.
On the flip side, citizens also have a responsibility
to remain committed to the democratic process.
Voters must actively challenge their leaders and
parties to deliver on their electoral promises. We
must remember that governments and leaders
alone don’t determine the success or failure of
democracy. It also has a great deal to do with the
actions and aspirations of constituents.
Finally, the building blocks of democracy are unity,
courage and hard work. Creating a stable, democratic
system takes time and effort. It is a process that can’t
be done quickly or based on set timelines. It is not
an all-or-nothing system and requires the creation of
a political order that is participatory and pluralist.
But the example of so many people in so many
different parts of the world being prepared to risk
so much to live in a democracy is a testimony to
its enduring appeal.
implementation mechanisms embedded in
pro-women laws, while the architects of criminal
justice have designed a system to address abuses
they have never had to face.
Take violence against women, for example: a woman
facing abuse has to gear up for battle on multiple
fronts. The notion of her seeking support and justice
outside the walls of her abode is still frowned upon
by society. Her agony doesn’t end here. The poorly-
still grapples with moral dilemmas surrounding her
domestic background, all factor into an officer’s
deliberations on whether to file a report or to send her
off with a sermon about preserving the sanctity of the
home by keeping silent on ‘trivial’ issues like abuse.
On the rare occasion that a case is filed, the burden
to prove the abuse — without having the tools
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar
necessary to do so — is on her. Physical abuse
requires a medico-legal report, but getting to a state
medical facility in the first place is an uphill battle.
Moreover, the lack of awareness among victims of
the crucial impact timely medico-legal
examinations have on investigations often result in
delayed reporting, and hence critical evidence to
successfully prosecute perpetrators is lost.
From reporting to evidence collection to the trial
itself, the system disenfranchises the victim every
step of the way. The survivor service model of the
Violence against Women Centre in Multan
addresses this by providing each service —
including police, prosecution, medico-legal
facility and rehabilitation — under one roof, by
its all-women team, despite not being allocated
funds and salaries for months.
This bias against women embedded in our criminal
justice system has been irrefutably gauged for
decades, but to no recourse. Selective amendments
to laws, thrust upon the public when an incident
arouses national uproar, proves that women’s
empowerment, instead of being crafted through
policy-based structural reform, is curated according
to populist sentiment.
Herein lies another issue. Political parties often
decorate their manifestos with promises of ushering
in a new era for the disenfranchised half of
Pakistan’s population, yet rarely have dedicated
teams within their ranks actually working on a
roadmap for implementation. And with no real
watchdog to keep a politically neutral check on
elected governments’ election promises, most
women empowerment reforms never see the light
of day. For the few that are legislated on, we are
faced with the eternal question that has haunted
most of Pakistan’s development agendas: how will
it be implemented, and by whom?
The power to do so rests with the bureaucracy.
This reality is in stark contrast to the belief that
elected officials have about their roles when they
enter the mammoth legislatures, with their ability
to boost even the most meagre of egos. There is
an inevitable clash between what the people’s
representatives want versus what they can get from
the state machinery. It is unfair to demand reform
from a system designed to follow the beaten path
and discourage even the slightest course correction.
To task already stretched departments with
implementing new agendas and reforms will
inevitably result in a flawed product for the people.
Women development departments in Pakistan are
no different. They are barely financed with budgets
to match their ambitions, and thus mostly relegated
to planning events for International Women’s Day.
It begs the question: why has a specialised field
like gender been left to career civil servants who
are often shifted from one department to another,
triggering a never-ending reinvention of the wheel?
To connect with on-ground issues in real time and
provide genuinely implementable solutions, there is
a dire need for a specialised cadre for
women-specific development. Though the Punjab
Women Protection Authority Act, 2017, was
introduced keeping such views in mind, it has
yet to be made functional.
From criminal justice to societal attitudes that hold
women’s basic rights and development back, a
starting point for women empowerment reforms
must be the careful review and corresponding
amendment to policies and implementation
mechanisms. Hollow chants of equal rights might
be enough to keep patriarchal policymakers content,
but at what cost? How much longer must we
pretend that our job is done with the collective
sighs we exhale whenever a rape victim is killed
without justice, or a woman is sexually harassed at
her workplace with no recourse, or a woman
simply seeking a divorce is dragged through the
courts with never-ending delay tactics?
It’s time to shrug off this immaculate imitation of a
just country for women and bring forth real change
— forging a nation where women are equal
participants in the development process rather than
the subjects of social experiments. Federal and
provincial governments alike should harness their
resources to further the groundbreaking work
already in progress instead of engaging in populist
rhetoric that only serves to strengthen misogyny.
The revolution is here and to stay, till the last
woman standing, and — this time — men should
stand beside them.
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar
Water scarcity versus water mismanagement in Pakistan
Author: Sharmin Arif Published in Pakistan Growth Story on December 6, 2018
The water crisis in Pakistan is both a supply and
a demand side issue with various contributing
factors at play. On achieving statehood in 1947,
the country held 5,300 cubic meters of water per
capita, which has now been reduced to 1000 cubic
meters. Pakistan faces continued clashes with
upper riparian India over rights to water from the
Indus river. Moreover, a historic lack of political
will to consider the repercussions of water scarcity
has led to under investment in water infrastructure
and sub-optimal pricing of water across all sectors.
Under pricing and inadequate regulation has
created a pervasive culture of irresponsible water
consumption and lack of conservation. However,
since the reasons for mismanagement stem from
several quarters, the solution for optimal utilization
of water is not straightforward.
Pakistan’s water scarcity is the result of a
combination of factors, including the
mismanagement of water resources and burgeoning
population growth. Currently Pakistan’s economy
is one of the world’s most water-intensive
economies in terms of cubic meters consumed
per unit of GDP. Further, its water productivity is
among the lowest, producing 0.13kg of agricultural
output per cubic meter, while that of the US’s
stands at 1.3kg. Low productivity compounded
by spiraling population growth has meant
dwindling water quantities available per person.
For these reasons, the country was declared as
water scarce in 2005.
Panel Discussion:
Dams may not effectively address water scarcity
Constructing dams at upper riparian locations of
the Indus river basin can be considered as a means
to evenly control year round water flows going all
the way down to Sindh. Mr. Leghari emphasized on
the need to develop a consensus on the Kalabagh
Dam. He further explained that in addition to good
returns on investment, the project promises,
contrary to popular belief, 88% share in the
additional water storage for all provinces other
than Punjab, with Sindh being the major
beneficiary. Yet, despite this knowledge,
politicians are unable to find a way forward.
Construction of dams, however, will not address the
emergency of dwindling water resources and
availability of clean drinking water unless agriculture
methods are modernized. More than 90 percent of
fresh water is diverted towards agriculture.
Agriculture in Pakistan relies on inefficient methods
that over-extract and waste water. Lack of
technological advancement in agriculture is
perpetuated by misaligned state incentives for uptake
of technology and use of more productive seeds.
Farmers find it economically viable to grow
water-intensive crops such as sugar cane and rice
and waste water, even though these crops do not
contribute significantly to the economy.
Mr. Arif Nadeem discussed it would be more
financially and environmentally sustainable to import
(instead of over produce) sugar, and shift to
value-added crops like sesame seeds with high
economic value and comparative advantage. Such
crops not only utilize less water but also generate
foreign exchange.
The government should thus redirect farmers towards
sustainable agricultural choices through imposition of
state regulation for water conservation and correcting
its pricing. Currently the water price does not reflect
its scarcity. It is instead valued at the cost incurred for
maintaining water infrastructure and extraction borne
by the farmer in the form of electricity bills. This
comes down to a paltry PKR 135 canal water charges
per year and PKR 3000 to 5000 per acre watering
charges for electricity.
Construction of dams may not ensure an adequate
water supply unless they also address the issue of
water losses incurred due to faulty construction of
both reservoirs and distribution infrastructure.
Distribution network losses amount to 50 to 55
million acre feet (MAF) of water every year.
Policymakers must bear these points in mind before
the construction of proposed Bhasha Dam, that can
potentially store up to 8.5 MAF of water begins. Mr.
Leghari added that Pakistan currently stores less than
10% of the water that flows compared to a global
average of 40%.
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar
Water management as a solution to water
scarcity – Lessons from the Colorado river basin
Pakistan can learn from the significantly successful
water management strategies deployed in the
Colorado river basin. Dr. Sattar presented the
findings of her extensive research on the basin
highlighting lessons for Pakistan. The Colorado
basin in America is currently undergoing a
two-decade drought. Despite this, the US
government has managed to increase both its
agriculture productivity by 25 percent and its
power generation by 30 percent. The US was able
to do this by building consensus amongst all
relevant stakeholders for implementing effective
reforms, which is something that the Indus River
System Authority (IRSA) in Pakistan has not
succeeded in doing thus far. Dr. Sattar further
shared that Indus river basin has 10 times more
water in the system than the Colorado water
system and yet Pakistan’s GDP is lagging
massively behind.
The broad contours of the solution comprise
rationalization of water use, especially for
agricultural purposes, which can happen through
adequate costing of water and will prompt higher
productivity per each drop of water. Crop zoning
Shaping Pakistan’s future
Author: Zahid Hussain Published in Dawn Newspaper on March 20, 2019
“Nations fail economically because of extractive
institutions. These institutions keep poor countries
poor and prevent them from embarking on the path
of economic growth.”
This excerpt from the book Why Nations Fail, a
seminal work on the subject by two of the world’s
foremost economists, could relate to the Pakistan of
today. More than seven decades after its formation,
Pakistan remains one of the poorest nations, sliding
behind regional countries on almost all social and
economic indicators.
Although we pride ourselves as being a
nuclear-armed state, the security of the country is
threatened by a failing economy, population
explosion, poverty and environmental degradation.
A massive youth bulge and a rising uneducated and
unskilled population with few prospects of finding
productive employment present a terrifying
has proven crucial for conservation of water.
Demand management, through mobilizing extra
cubic meters of water – and not dams – remains
the cheapest per liter source of water.
Latest policy response on water mismanagement
in Pakistan: A National Water Policy 2018 has
been formed, which has determined the key
priorities on which the newly formed water
commission, run by Federal Ministers, will
urgently work towards. To this end, a
coordination body has been assembled for tackling
the multifarious issues pertaining to water
mismanagement by bringing all stakeholders on
board for political ownership. This is a similar
model which was followed by the US government
for the efficient utilization of water from the
Colorado river basin despite the seemingly
unsurmountable challenges they faced. Their
institutional coordination included all political and
private sector influencers in the matter from the
highest to the lowest echelons relevant for
contributing to the solution. That level of
transparency and fervent intention is what needs to
be replicated in Pakistan for sound implementation
of the identified priorities.
scenario. But can this situation be turned around?
Where will Pakistan be three decades from now
when it crosses the 100-year mark?
In its landmark report, Pakistan@100: Shaping the
Future, the World Bank projects two scenarios.
One would take Pakistan to a $2 trillion economy
by the year 2047, placing the country in the
middle-income Second World group. This is a
highly optimistic scenario that requires the country
to achieve sustainably high economic growth rates
for approximately the next three decades.
The second scenario is extremely depressing.
Failing to change the country will cause it to slide
further into the abyss of poverty. Pakistan today is
standing at a crossroads and, as the report warns,
decisions over the next decade will decide
Pakistan’s future. It all depends on whether we are
willing to change the extractive nature of the state
institutions that mainly serve the interests of a
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar
small ruling elite, and so remove the fetters that
prevent the country from embarking on the path
of economic growth and social progress.
A major challenge is how to transform a
crumbling institutional structure and address
the key constraints to economic growth. Pakistan
will have to overcome the barriers to structural
transformation that have been stifling its
development in previous decades. Partial and
half-hearted reforms cannot take Pakistan out
of the current morass. It is not just about
economic growth but also the welfare of the
people that matters.
One of the major reasons for our backwardness, as
pointed out by the report, has been low investment
in developing human capital. Investments in family
planning, maternal health and early childhood
development are the foundation of human capital
accumulation. The empowerment of women is a
key component of efforts to increase human capital
in Pakistan. “A first priority for Pakistan is to make
the best use of its greatest asset, its people,” the
report said.
Pakistan has one of the highest population growth
rates in the world, offsetting efforts to improve
social indicators. With a 2.4 per cent growth rate,
Pakistan’s population has crossed the 208 million
mark, making it the fifth largest populated country.
It is sitting on a potential demographic disaster with
more than 60pc of its population under 25 years
of age. The number of individuals ready for the
labour market is expanding faster than the total
population.
According to the report, Pakistan’s situation today
suggests that it will not be able to generate a
demographic dividend. The inability of the state to
productively utilise a large young generation has
already turned the country into a breeding ground
for violent extremism, and could cause further
social dislocation and conflict.
The fertility rate in Pakistan is far higher than that
in other regional countries. The population growth
rate must be brought down to 1.4pc to achieve the
goal of entering the middle-income group. But
there seems no urgency to contain the population
explosion.
Regional conflicts have also been a strong factor in
exacerbating Pakistan’s economic woes. Strained
relations with neighbours have closed opportunities
for economic cooperation and the expansion of trade.
Hostile borders and the country’s being a front-line
state in the Afghan wars over the last four decades
has had huge costs in both economic and social terms.
The blowback of the conflict in the region has turned
Pakistan itself into a battlefield. The internal security
problems have also affected foreign and domestic
investments, retarding our economic growth. High
expenditure on defence leaves few resources for
economic and human infrastructure development.
Peace could open up massive opportunities for
expansion of trade and economic cooperation. A
transition from a national security state to a social
welfare state is critical to shaping Pakistan’s future.
Increased regional cooperation and connectivity
must be a top priority in order to achieve structural
transformation and a stronger economy. Higher
investment in economic and human development
will also ensure our national security. The traditional
approach of security is becoming increasing
unsustainable.
Pakistan occupies a pivotal position in what is
described by Peter Frankopan, an Oxford professor,
as a ‘silk road’. According to the author of The New
Silk Roads, “We are living in the Asian century
already, a time when the movement of global GDP
from developed economies of the West to those of the
East is taking place at an astonishing scale and at an
astonishing speed”. Its geographical position provides
Pakistan a massive opportunity to transform the
country into a trade and transit hub.
Surely CPEC, which is the flagship project of China’s
ambitious One Belt One Road scheme, can open up vast
economic and connectivity opportunities for Pakistan.
Given its geostrategic position, Pakistan has the
potential to serve as a nexus for the two routes
envisaged under OBOR — the continental Eurasian
‘silk road economic belt’ and the Southeast Asian
‘maritime silk road’. According to the report, increasing
regional integration within South Asia could cause
Pakistan’s economy to expand by 30pc by 2047.
Stronger regional relations can support Pakistan’s
economic transformation and security objectives,
increasing its leverage to resolve disputes with its
neighbours and freeing up resources for public
investment in economic and human development.
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar
But that requires a clear strategy for greater
integration with other countries in the region. With
clear policy direction and political will, Pakistan
The real costs of Russiagate (by Stephen Cohen)
Published in RT on March 29, 2019
Its perpetrators, not Putin or Trump,
“attacked American democracy.”
The very few of us who publicly challenged and
deplored Russiagate allegations against candidate
and then President Donald Trump from the time
they first began to appear in mid-2016 should not
gloat or rejoice over the US Attorney General’s
summary of Robert S. Mueller’s key finding: “The
Special Counsel’s investigation did not find that the
Trump campaign or anyone associated with it
conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts
to influence the 2016 US presidential
election.” (On the other hand, those of us
repeatedly slurred as Trump and/or
Putin “apologists” might feel some vindication.)
But what about the legions of high-ranking
intelligence officials, politicians, editorial writers,
television producers, and other opinion-makers,
and their eager media outlets that perpetuated,
inflated, and prolonged this unprecedented political
scandal in American history - those who did not
stop short of accusing the president of the United
States of being a Kremlin “agent,” “asset,”
“puppet,” “Manchurian candidate,” and who
characterized his conduct and policies
as “treasonous”? (These and other examples are
cited in my bookWar with Russia? From Putin and
Ukraine to Trump and Russiagate, and in a
recent piece by Paul Starobin in City Journal.) Will
they now apologize, as decency requires, or, more
importantly, explain their motives so that we might
understand and avoid another such national
trauma?
Shortly after Mikhail Gorbachev became leader of
the Soviet Union, in 1985, he released a banned
film, Repentance, that explored the underlying
institutional, ideological, and personal dynamics of
Stalinism. The film set off a nation-wide media trial
could join the other countries as a formidable
economic power at the age of 100.
and condemnation of that murderous era. Though
Russiagate has generated in America some Soviet-like
practices and ruined a number of lives and reputations,
it is, of course, nothing even remotely comparable to
the Soviet Stalinist experience. By comparison,
therefore, some introspective repentance on the part
of Russiagate perpetuators should not be too much
to ask. But as I foresaw well before the summary
of Mueller’s Russia investigation appeared, there is
unlikely to be much, if any. Too many personal
and organizational interests are too deeply invested
in Russiagate.
Not surprisingly, leading perpetrators instead
immediately met the summary with a torrent of
denials, goal-post shifts, obfuscations, and calls for
more Russiagate “investigations.” Joy Reid of
MSNBC, which has been a citadel of Russiagate
allegations along with CNN, even suggested that
Mueller and Attorney General William Barr were
themselves engaged in “a cover-up.”
Contrary to a number of major media outlets,
from Bloomberg to The Wall Street Journal, nor
does Mueller’s exculpatory finding actually
mean that “Russiagate . . . is dead” and indeed
that “it expired in an instant.”
Such conclusions reveal a lack of historical and
political understanding. Nearly three years of
Russiagate’s toxic allegations have entered the
American political-media elite bloodstream and
they almost certainly will reappear again and again
in one form of another.
This is an exceedingly grave danger because the real
costs of Russiagate are not the estimated $25 to $40
million spent on the Mueller investigation but the
corrosive damage it has already done to the
institutions of American democracy - damage done
not by an alleged “Trump-Putin axis” but by
Russsigate’s perpetrators themselves. Having
examined this collateral damage in my recently
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar
published book War with Russia? From Putin and
Ukraine to Trump and Russiagate, I will only note
them here.
— Clamorous allegations that the
Kremlin “attacked our elections” and thereby put
Trump in the White House, despite the lack of any
evidence, cast doubt on the legitimacy of American
elections everywhere - national, state, and local.
If true, or even suspected, how can voters have
confidence in the electoral foundations of
American democracy? Persistent demands
to “secure our elections from hostile powers” -- a
politically and financially profitable mania, it
seems- can only further abet and perpetuate
declining confidence in the entire electoral process.
Still more, if some crude Russian social media
outputs could so dupe voters, what does this tell us
about what US elites, which originated these
allegations, really think of those voters, of the
American people?
— Defamatory Russsiagate allegations that Trump
was a “Kremlin puppet”and thus “illegitimate”
were aimed at the president but hit the presidency
itself, degrading the institution, bringing it under
suspicion, casting doubt on its legitimacy. And if
an “agent of a hostile foreign power” could occupy
the White House once, a “Manchurian
candidate,” why not again? Will Republicans be
able to resist making such allegations against a
future Democratic president? In any event, Hillary
Clinton’s failed campaign manager, Robby Mook,
has already told us that there will be a “next time.”
— Mainstream media are, of course, a foundational
institution of American democracy, especially
national ones, newspapers and television, with
immense influence inside the beltway and, in
ramifying synergic ways, throughout the country.
Their Russiagate media malpractice, as I have
termed it, may have been the worst such episode in
modern American history. No mainstream media
did anything to expose, for example, two crucial
and fraudulent Russiagate documents - the
so-called Steele Dossier and the January 2017
Intelligence Community Assessment - but instead
relied heavily on them for their own narratives.
Little more need be said here about this
institutional self-degradation. Glenn Greenwald
and a few others followed and exposed it
throughout, and now Matt Taibbi has given us a
meticulously documented account of that systematic
malpractice, concluding that Mueller’s failure to
confirm the media’s Russiagate allegations “is a
death-blow for the reputation of the American news
media.”
Nor, it must be added, was this entirely inadvertent or
accidental. On August 8, 2016, the trend-setting New
York Times published on its front page an
astonishing editorial manifesto by its media critic.
Asking whether “normal standards” should apply to
candidate Trump, he explained that they should
not: “You have to throw out the textbook American
journalism has been using for the better part of the
past half-century.” Let others decide whether this
Times proclamation unleashed the highly selective,
unbalanced, questionably factual “journalism” that
has so degraded Russiagate media or instead the
publication sought to justify what was already
underway. In either case, this remarkable - and
ramifying - Times rejection of its own professed
standards should not be forgotten. Almost equally
remarkable and lamentable, we learn that even now,
after Mueller’s finding is known, top executives of
the Times and other leading Russiagate media outlets,
including The Washington Post and CNN, “have no
regrets.”
— For better or worse, America has a two-party
political system, which means that the Democratic
Party is also a foundational institution. Little more
also need be pointed out regarding its self-degrading
role in the Russiagate fraud. Leading members of the
party initiated, inflated, and prolonged it. They did
nothing to prevent inquisitors like Representatives
Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell from becoming the
cable-news face of the party. Or to rein in or
disassociate the party from the outlandish excesses
of “The Resistance.” With very few exceptions,
elected and other leading Democrats did nothing to
stop - and therefore further abetted - the institutional
damage being done by Russiagate allegations. As for
Mueller’s finding,the party’s virtual network,
MSNBC, remains undeterred. Rachel
Maddow continues to hype “the underlying reality
that Russia did in fact attack us.” By any reasonable
definition of “attack,” no, it did not, and scarcely any
allegation could be more recklessly warmongering, a
perception the Democratic Party will for this and
other Russiagate commissions have to endure, or not.
(When Mueller's full report is published, we will see
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar

if he too indulged in this dangerous absurdity.
A few passages in the summary suggest he
might have done so.)
— Finally, but potentially not least, the new Cold
War with Russia has itself become an institution
pervading American political, economic, media,
and cultural life. Russiagate has made it more
dangerous, more fraught with actual war, than the
Cold War we survived, as I explain in War with
Russia? Recall only that Russiagate allegations
further demonized “Putin’s Russia,”thwarted
Trump’s necessary attempts to “cooperate with
Russia” as somehow “treasonous,” criminalized
détente thinking and “inappropriate contacts with
Russia”—in short, policies and practices that
previously helped to avert nuclear war. Meanwhile,
the Russiagate spectacle has caused many ordinary
Russians who once admired America to now
be “derisive and scornful” toward our political life.
The scarce good news it is that some Russian
officials hope Mueller’s Russiagate exoneration of
Trump will enable the president to resume his
attempts to cooperate with Moscow. The bad
institutional news is that Congress has invited, on
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s initiative, NATO’s
Secretary General to address it on April 3. That
figurehead has announced a renewed attempt to bring
the former Soviet republic of Georgia into the
military alliance. The last such attempt led to the
US-Russian proxy war in Georgia in 2008. When it
was tried in Ukraine in 2013, it produced the still
ongoing Ukrainian civil and proxy war.
The editor of The New Yorker, itself an ardent
Russiagate publication, asks whether “the moral
and material corruption [Trump] has inflicted will be
with us for a long while.” Perhaps. But the
institutional costs of Russiagate are likely to be
with us for even longer.

The other form of terrorism

Author: Muhammad Ziauddin Published in Pakistan Observer on April 1, 2019
Pakistan has been ranked fifth by the Global deadliest province was (former) Federally
Terrorism Index (GTI) 2018. We are preceded by Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), which recorded
Iraq (1st), Afghanistan (2nd), Nigeria (3rd), Syria 226 deaths, or 27 per cent of the total. Sindh
(4th) and followed by Somalia (6th), India (7th), province was the third deadliest with 16 per cent of
Yemen (8th), Egypt, (9th) and Philippines (10th). the total terrorism deaths occurring in the region.
The index has been developed by the Institute for Terrorism increased substantially in the FATA
Economics & Peace while measuring the impact of and Sindh regions, with deaths increasing by 117
terrorism. According to GTI 2018 Pakistan in 2017 and 104 per cent respectively in 2017. Deaths in
recorded its lowest number of terror-related deaths the Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces
since 2006. Deaths declined eleven per cent from decreased by 31 and 60 per cent respectively.
2016 to 2017, falling from 957 to 852. Deaths are In May 2018, Pakistani parliament passed a
now 64 per cent lower than the peak year of 2013. constitutional amendment to have the FATA region
Pakistan’s three most active terror groups, absorbed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Khorasan an effort to crack down on the high level of
Chapter of the Islamic State, and Lashkar-i-Jhangvi terrorism in the region. Prime Minister Imran Khan,
were responsible for 67 per cent of all deaths in the newly elected leader of Pakistan, has also
Pakistan in 2017. The TTP and the Khorasan pledged to assist Afghanistan in efforts to stymie
Chapter were both responsible for 233 deaths each, terrorism along its shared border. The year 2017 was
making them the deadliest groups in Pakistan. the deadliest on record for the Khorasan Chapter of
Deaths committed by TTP declined by 17 per cent the Islamic State (ISKP), highlighting the group’s
from 2016, but were offset by increases in deaths by migration into South Asia following military
the Khorasan Chapter, which rose by 50 per cent setbacks in Iraq and Syria. The group committed
and deaths by Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, which rose by 17 over half of its attacks since 2014 in 2017. ISKP
per cent. The most-impacted province was was also responsible for the deadliest terror attack
Balochistan, which recorded 296 terrorism deaths, in Pakistan in 2017, a suicide bombing attack in
or 35 per cent of the total in Pakistan. The next the Sindh Province that resulted in 91 deaths and
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar
over 250 injuries.
A couple of weeks ago, we saw another form of
terrorism when a far-right extremist killed at least
50 people – including a three-year-old child –
worshiping at two mosques in the New Zealand city
of Christchurch. Neither white supremacy, nor
racially motivated terrorist attacks carried out in its
name, are new phenomena. Yet the response to
far-right terrorism remains thoroughly insufficient.
According to Bjørn Ihler (The global threat of white
terror published on March 23, 2019 in the weekly
Newsletter of International Politics and Society)
after the New Zealand massacre, US President
Donald Trump dismissed the threat of white
nationalism as a case of ‘a small group of people’
with ‘a very, very serious problem.’ This fits into a
broader trend, in which attacks by perpetrators with
Muslim backgrounds are immediately classified as
‘acts of terror’ and addressed in a well-resourced
and systemic way, while violent attacks perpetrated
in the name of other ideologies are treated as an
‘isolated incident.’ But there is nothing isolated
about such incidents. According to the Global
Terrorism Index 2018, the death toll from terrorist
attacks associated with far-right groups or
individuals has been steadily rising since 2014.
In the United States, right-wing extremists have
carried out far more attacks than Islamists. The
attack in Christchurch was directly inspired by the
2011 far-right terrorist attack in Norway. Indeed,
the Christchurch gunman, Brenton Tarrant, claims
to have received the blessing of the perpetrator of
the Norway attack, Anders Breivik, who killed
77 people that day.
Breivik is far from Tarrant’s only white-supremacist
role model. In his rambling ‘manifesto,’ released
just before the attack, Tarrant also mentions other
far-right extremists – such as Dylann Roof, who
killed nine African-Americans in a church in
Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015. All of this goes
against the notion that massacres like the
Christchurch shootings are cases of disturbed
individuals – mentally ill ‘lone wolves’ – carrying
out a one-time attack. These attacks are clearly part
of a broader pattern, which demands a response on
par with all other counter-terrorism efforts. Even as
far-right extremism surges, most of the world’s
people recognise that there is more that unites us
than that divides us. Such a response must, first and
foremost, acknowledge the link between resurgent
far-right nationalism and the casual racism and
dog-whistle politics that have been creeping back
into many societies’ public discourse. At Extremely
Together, a counter-extremism youth-engagement
initiative convened by the Kofi Annan Foundation,
members have been following this trend with
growing concern. Several of the members know
first-hand what it is like to live through terrorist
attacks. “We also know that, when Trump warns
that immigrants will ‘infest’ the US, he is feeding
the narrative that some people are sub-human. That
narrative – also taken up by other leaders, such as
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro – has real-world
consequences, including the emboldening of
extreme actors. It comes as no surprise that Tarrant
praised Trump in his manifesto as ‘a symbol of
renewed white identity and common purpose.’ The
response to this intensifying terrorist threat must
also reflect the fact that, like Islamist extremism,
violent white supremacists are organising across
borders, becoming increasingly closely connected
and eager to amplify one another’s messages. To
counter this trend, governments and civil-society
organizations must work to boost coordination and
information-sharing, just as they do in response to
Islamist terror. “Media also have a role to play. In
order to maximise control over his message of hate
and its dissemination, Tarrant live-streamed his
attack on Facebook. But many news organisations
then posted parts of the video on their own platforms,
arguably spreading the perpetrator’s violent message
for the sake of clicks.
“Rather than make themselves accomplices and
amplifiers of terror, news organisations must stick to
fact-based reporting that avoids spreading terrorist
propaganda. A debate may be needed – and should
be welcomed – to help journalists find the right
balance, so that they provide comprehensive
independent reporting without becoming tools of
extremists. “Of course, part of the responsibility also
lies with social-media platforms like Facebook.
Today’s digital technologies offer an immediate,
high-impact channel through which terrorists can
reach a global audience, often in real time. Facebook
and others must take their share of the responsibility
and find ways to prevent their platforms from being
used in this manner. “Even as far-right extremism
surges, most of the world’s people recognise that
there is more that unites us than that divides us.
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar
Effective responses to poverty, climate change,
epidemics, and much else require cooperation across
Deterrence and South Asia
Author: Munawar Mahar Published in The News on March 31, 2019
Adil Ahmed Dar triggered an unintended and
unprecedented chain reaction in the history of the
two nuclear-armed states in South Asia. The Indian
air raid deep into Pakistani territory and the reaction
by the latter resulted in the first-ever direct air
skirmish between the two nuclear states since the
advent of the nuclear age in the last century.
It is definitely an unprecedented and alarming
development. Arguably, the recent military
adventurism between the two arch-rivals has
fundamentally challenged the conventional logic
of nuclear deterrence. The much-trumpeted
deterrence value of nukes stands greatly discredited
in the context of Pakistan and India whose direct
air clash dangerously defied the cardinal principles
of nuclear deterrence.
To put into perspective the floundering nuclear
deterrence in South Asia, it is pertinent to revisit the
core premises of the concept of nuclear deterrence.
Deterrence means dissuasion by the threat of grave
consequences for the aggressor. This implicit and
mutual understanding ensures mutually assured
survival sustained by the fear of mutually assured
destruction in case of a nuclear exchange between
the two nuclear-armed belligerents.
It is important to note that deterrence theory is far
from being perfect. Since no two nuclear states have
ever engaged in a direct military confrontation
involving nuclear weapons, none of the cardinal
assumptions of the concept has been derived from
an empirically-tested and proven theory. The
existing theory is premised on deductive reasoning
rather than inductive logic. Military strategists
struggle to establish if a limited war is possible
under a nuclear umbrella. What constitutes a nuclear
threshold for a state? How long can nukes sustain
rational behaviour? These are the million-dollar
questions that remain to be answered by the
deterrence theory that continues to evolve with
changing dynamics and drivers of nuclear policies
and posture of states with nuclear arsenal.
However, what is important to note is that the
exercise of rational behaviour by a nuclear-armed
not just territorial borders, but also racial, ethnic, or
religious lines.
state is central to the whole notion of nuclear
deterrence. Nuclear weapons induce psychological
effect only if an opponent is a rational actor and
wants to continue to exist by thinking through the
consequences of any act of aggression against an
enemy nuclear country. Nukes do not automatically
deter outbreak of a military conflict unless a
nuclear-armed state acts rationally due to certainty
of mutually assured destruction in case of the armed
conflict escalating into a nuclear exchange.
The brazen Indian air strike in Balakot is illustrative
of the abandonment of rational behaviour supposed
to be induced by nuclear weapons of Pakistan. Thus,
the Indian military planners resorted to the punitive
air incursion without calculating the cost of
switching on the conflict escalator that could have
led to a nuclear apocalypse. Such irrational
behaviour by a nuclear-armed nation is in conflict
with the principle of rationality that lies at the heart
of the deterrence doctrine. The recent Indo-Pakistan
military flare-up has put a big question mark over
whether the credibility of the enemy’s nuclear
arsenal and certainty of MAD yield rational
behaviour critical to avert mutual annihilation.
In South Asia, the geographical contiguity leaves
absolutely no room for any technical glitch or
human error by either country. Such eventuality will
end up in the inadvertent nuclear Armageddon due
to the very short response time available to the other
side for verification of a false nuclear attack alarm
that can precipitate nuclear retaliation by the
aggressed country.
Most Indo-Pakistan experts attribute the hardening
Indian posture towards Islamabad to the upcoming
Indian elections and Pakistan’s alleged patronage of
Kashmir-centric non-state actors. It is debatable if
Indo-Pakistan ties will be cordial once the Kashmir
dispute is peacefully resolved. An analysis of the
emerging situation in the region suggests that there
is more to the Indian muscular approach than meets
the eye. Its size, military and economy make India
structurally inclined to establish its predominance
in South Asia.
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar

This sense of entitlement long harboured by India pressure which can nudge both the nations to the
stands challenged by Pakistan which continues to negotiating table for amicable resolution of bilateral
persistently checkmate the Indian strategic ambition issues.
of absolute regional hegemony. Being buoyed by its
burgeoning economy and growing military might,
India views itself well-qualified for a great power
status. The BJP government in New Delhi seems to
have decided in principle to sort out its ‘Pakistan
problem’ once for all with the combination of
aggressive military posture and multi-pronged
diplomatic pressure. Seen in this context, the recent
Indian military attack was meant to introduce a
paradigm shift in its perennially antagonistic
equation with Pakistan.
Tellingly, the power transition at global level, is also
adversely affecting the power dynamics in South
Asia. The US bid to enhance India’s military,
diplomatic and technological profile in its strategic
quest to prop up a reluctant India as a formidable
strategic hedge against China, even if inadvertently,
is undermining the fragile strategic balance in the
region. The gap between the conventional power of
the two South Asian rivals is widening as India now
enjoys unprecedented access to cutting-edge
American and European military technology as
reflected by the Indo-US nuclear agreement and the
Rafale jets deal with France. The growing power
asymmetry is bound to further lower Pakistan’s
nuclear threshold in the event of any full-blown
military conflict.
India’s flirtation with the idea of limited military
adventure under the nuclear umbrella is a suicidal
thought after the introduction of tactical nukes in its
military calculus by Islamabad. In case of a nuclear
war in the region, Indians and Pakistanis will be the
first casualty – leaving behind a living hell for the
rest of the world.
The post-Pulwama military developments in the
Subcontinent have pushed both the countries into
uncharted territory by bringing the two closer to the
brink of nuclear war than ever before. The fog of
war may appear to have receded, but the war clouds
will continue to menacingly hover over the skies
in the region.
The international community can no longer be
indifferent to the perennial state of conflict between
the two nuclear states. There is an acute need for a
moral deterrence to be put in place by international
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar
Islamophobia: Causes and cures
Author: Muhammad Asif Published in Pakistan Observer on March 30, 2019
Islamophobia is defined as; “the fear, hatred of,
or prejudice against, Islam or Muslims”. The word,
‘Islamophobia’ has been relatively recent added to
the vocabulary of English language. Linguists and
social scientists have not yet reached a consensus
regarding the universally agreed upon literal or
connotative meanings of Islamophobia as a word,
or a concept. Though the use of Islamophobia as a
contrived expression dates back to the early 20th
century, it surfaced as a neologism in the 1970s.
However, it nearly completely disappeared during
the 1980s and 1990s, most probably due to the role
played by the Muslim countries, especially Pakistan
and the people of Afghanistan, to dismantle the
(erstwhile) Soviet Union, the archenemy of
Christian and Jewish world. The term regained
currency with the publication of a report by the
Runnymede Trust’s Commission on the British
Muslims and Islamophobia (CBMI) titled,
“Islamophobia: A Challenge for Us All” (1997).
The introduction of the term was justified by the
report’s assessment; “anti-Muslim prejudice has
grown so considerably and so rapidly in recent
years that a new item in the vocabulary is needed”.
It is difficult to pinpoint the exact causes and
characteristics of Islamophobia. The change in the
policy and approach of the US to the Afghan
freedom fighters, who were once glorified as
Mujahideen (Holy Warriors) during the Afghan War
served to transform them from the pro-US and West
militias into terrorist organisations such as Al-Qaeda,
etc. Though 9/11 and terror attacks in Europe,
reportedly carried out by Al-Qaeda and its affiliates
strengthened anti-Islam and anti-Muslim sentiments
among the American and European public,
Islamophobia became a cause of concern for the
governments of these states after the rise of Taliban
and Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in
Afghanistan and the Middle East respectively, which
were perceived as radical Islamic Movements
having the potential of spreading in other Muslim
states. In addition to terror attacks and the rise of
radical Muslim movements, a number of other
factors have triggered the spread of Islamophobia
in the US and Europe.
The brutalities committed by Taliban and ISIS
against their opponents in the name of Islam, and the
outmoded socio-political culture-cum-systems in
vogue in some Muslim countries, portrayed the
Muslims as the followers of a religion that is
exclusivistic, regressive and unresponsive to change.
The increased presence of Muslims in the United
States and Europe is another cause of increased
prejudice against the Muslims. Sabine Schiffer, and
the researcher Constantin Wagner, have outlined
similarities and differences between Islamophobia
and anti-Semitism. They point out the existence of
equivalent notions such as Judaisation/Islamisation”,
and metaphors such as “a state within a state” are
used in relation to both Jews and Muslims. The
differences between Islamophobia and
anti-Semitism consist of the nature of the perceived
threats to the “Christian West”. Muslims are
perceived as “inferior” and a visible “external
threat”, while Jews are perceived as “omnipotent”
and an invisible “internal threat”.
The media houses, too are responsible for spreading
Islamophobia. A case study, examining a sample of
articles published in the British press from 1994 to
2004, concluded that Muslim viewpoints were
underrepresented and that issues involving Muslims
usually depicted them in a negative light. Such
portrayals include the depiction of Islam and
Muslims as a threat to Western security and values.
Negative feeling about Islam were also strengthened
by the use of Islamophobia as a campaign tactic
during the 2008 American presidential election by
the Republican politicians, including Donald Trump,
who insisted that Barack Obama was secretly a
Muslim. In the 2016 presidential election, Donald
Trump once again exploited anti-Muslim sentiments
as a campaign tactic by suggesting a ban on the
entry of Muslims into the US.
The emergency meeting of the Organisation of
Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign
Ministers held on March 22, 2019 in Istanbul
suggested a strategy to tackle rising Islamophobia.
The meeting was called to discuss the causes,
impacts and way forward in the aftermath of the
New Zealand terror attacks targeting two mosques in
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar

Christchurch on March 15, 2019. The communiqué
issued by the meeting ignored the most important
issue i.e. addressing the rising misconceptions and
apprehensions of the Islamophobes about Islam as a
threat to the Western culture. To quell the fears of
the US and the West about Muslims as, “barbaric,
primitive, sexist, violent, aggressive and supportive
of terrorism”, the Muslim countries are required to
initiate curative measures, preferably in
collaboration with the affected countries, to
counterbalance the sectarian organisations belonging
to different Muslim schools of thought, which
are damaging the image of Islam by promoting
regressive religious ideologies.
Religious prejudice is not confined to a particular
religion or region. The unthoughtful policies of
political parties in the democratic countries have
also played a role to transform religious intolerance
into a global menace to achieve their own political
and strategic goals. There have been a marked
increase in religion-based violence in India during
the last couple of decades. The analysts believe that
incidents of religious violence are politically
motivated and a part of the electoral strategy of
political parties which are associated with radical
Hindu nationalism like the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The religious-based hatred and extremism, whether
it be Islamophobia, Jihadi Culture, Hindutva or
Zionist racism, are a global challenge that warrants a
well-planned and well-coordinated global response
to eliminate this threat to the world peace. Measures,
such as interfaith dialogue, are good initiatives. But,
as the oft-repeated cliché, “actions speak louder than
words” aptly outlines that practical steps must be
taken. Adoption of an unbiased policy by the UN
against the societies that indulge in discrimination
and violence against religious minorities to achieve
their political or sectarian agenda, may help curb the
religious violence.

Future Water Wars

Author: Dr Zeeshan Khan Published in Daily Times on January 16, 2019
Once Benjamin Franklin said,”You will learn the Tensions are rising as shortages intensify, says
worth of water when the well dries.”A new paper Zeitoun, noting simmering water conflicts along the
paints a disturbing picture of a nearby future where Tigris and Brahmaputra, and intra-state conflicts in
people are fighting over access to water. These China’s Yellow Basin and the Basra region of Iraq.
post-apocalyptic-sounding “water wars” could rise Two Pakistani provinces, Punjab and Sindh – the
as a result of climate change and population growth last in the line for the Indus water before it reaches
and could become real soon enough if we don’t the sea – are routinely at odds over water. In Sindh,
take steps to prevent them. many fishers and farmers reliant on the rapidly
The study, which comes from the European declining delta ecosystem have simply given up and
Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), says fled to cities – water refugees. In Darfur, where
that the effects of climate change will be combined rainfall is down 30 per cent over 40 years,
with an ever-increasing number of people to evaporating water holes and disappearing pasture
trigger intense competition for increasingly scarce helped push farmers and herders into civil war.
resources. This can lead to regional instability The Indus River is the primary source of freshwater
and social unrest. for most of Pakistan. Pakistan is one of the
Future water wars cannot be neglected. fastest-growing nations in the world. It had a
Approximately, eight hundred million people are population of 210million now. The country is
lacking clean drinking water around the globe. grappling with the same sorts of growing pains that
As droughts and crises multiply, academics have its neighbour, India, is experiencing. The year 2025
begun grappling with the darker question of whether has been marked as the year when Pakistan – if it
such shortages will push citizens – and even doesn’t mend its ways soon – will turn from a
countries – into hostile factions of water-rich and “water-stressed” country to a “water-scarce” country
water-poor. By mid-century, some of the world’s But Pakistan has an extraordinary problem looming
most populous, troubled regions are predicted to be on the horizon: water scarcity, which has devastated
dangerously water-scarce, including southern and other countries in the sub-tropics in the past decade,
central Asia, the Middle East and northeast Africa. is now quite real. And a solution to the crisis is not
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar
entirely within the country’s control.
An IPCC special report on climate change
adaptation says that at least a billion people in
sub-tropical regions of the world like Pakistan,
India, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Somalia will face
increasing water scarcity. Glacier melting is
responsible for roughly half of the water flowing
in the Indus, making the situation worse.
“Given the rapid melting of the Himalayan glaciers
that feed the Indus River… and growing tensions
with upriver archenemy India about use of the
river’s tributaries, it’s unlikely that Pakistani food
production will long keep pace with the growing
population,” says Steven Solomon, writer Of Water
The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and
Civilisation. He also tells that the Middle East would
be the first region to confront the issue and which
actually apparent as of now Yemen, wrote in The
New York Times.
Just as we’ve seen in Yemen-where water riots
ripped the country apart and led to a civil war that
has destabilized the country in the midst of political
chaos-wealthy, politically connected landowners in
Pakistan have also been accused of siphoning off far
more than their fair share of freshwater in upriver
Punjab. There have been water riots over lack of
water and electricity in Karachi.
“The future looks grim,” Solomon concludes.
“Eventually, flows of the Indus are expected to
decrease as global warming causes the Himalayan
glaciers to retreat, while monsoons will get more
intense. Terrifyingly, Pakistan only has the capacity
to hold 30-day reserve storage of water as a
buffer against drought.”
But experts believe that India’s efforts to dam up
the Indus could ultimately destroy Pakistan’s
ability to feed its population.
If both countries collaborated on a series of giant,
large-scale dams that were built to rotate water use
to different regions, tensions could be reduced.
More than 700 billion gallons of water are pulled
from the Indus River every year to grow this cotton.
“Pakistan’s entire economy is driven by the textile
industry,” says Michael Kugelman, a South Asia
expert at the Woodrow Wilson International Center
for Scholars. “The problem with Pakistan’s
economy is that most of the major industries use a
ton of water-textiles, sugar, wheat-and there’s a
tremendous amount of water that’s not only used,
but wasted.”
Water crisis in Pakistan and overall the world has
become adverse than never before. All this should
serve as a clarion call to our leaders who are busy
in power politics and political squabbling. If the
incumbent leadership does not build an adequate
number of small and large dams, the country will
face recurrent drought and threatening floods in the
future. Be it climate-change, limited storage
capacity, trans-boundary dispute or mismanagement
of water; government entities ostensibly lack
co-ordination to tackle issue of water wars.
At the end, construction of reservoirs,using
advanced telemetry, raising height of existing dams
to increase capacity, using advanced technologies
e.g. drip farming for water conservation,
strengthening the role of UN with constitutional
and international law amendments, national policy
reviews are a few ways to counter this emergency
with practical futuristic approach.
Vocabulary for CSS Beginners’
1) Perpetrators (Noun)
Definition: a person who carries out a harmful,
illegal, or immoral act
Synonyms: criminal, offender, felon
Usage: The perpetrators of this horrific crime
must be brought to justice
2) Agonizingly (Adjective)
Definition: Causing extreme worry
Synonyms: badly, vigorously, severely, arduously
Usage: She went through an agonizing few
weeks waiting for the test results.
3) Fudging (Verb)
Definition: present or deal with (something) in a
vague or inadequate way, especially so as to
conceal the truth or mislead.
Synonyms: evade, dodge, duck, shift, ground about
Usage: The authorities have fudged the issue.
4) Affluent (Adjective)
Definition: (especially of a group or area) having
a great deal of money; wealthy
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar
Synonyms: wealthy, rich, prosperous, opulent
Usage: The affluent societies of the western world,
5) Anonymize (Verb)
Definition: remove identifying particulars or
details from (something, especially medical test
results) for statistical or other purposes.
Synonyms: testing, analyzing, finding
Usage: We used anonymised data from the
medical research center of Islamabad.
6) Stifle (Verb)
Definition: make (someone) unable to breathe
properly; suffocate
Synonyms: suffocate, choke, asphyxiate
Usage: When I got off the plane I was completely
stifled by the suffocating heat of Sukkur.
7) Augur (Verb)
Definition: (of an event or circumstance)
portend a good or bad outcome
Synonyms: bode; portend, herald, be a sign of,
be an indication of, be a warning of, warn of
Usage: Initial feedback from participants was
very positive and augurs well for the future
of a great event.
8) Deception (Noun)
Definition: the action of deceiving someone
Synonyms: deceit, deceitfulness, duplicity
Usage: A person who obtains property under
such circumstances will be obtaining property
by deception.
9) Dodgy (Adjective)
Definition: of low quality
Synonyms: second-rate, third-rate, substandard
Usage: I agree, the pictures are very dodgy.
10) Allegation (Noun)
Definition: a claim or assertion that someone has
done something illegal or wrong, typically one
made without proof.
Synonyms: claim, assertion, declaration, statement
Usage: He made allegations of corruption against
the administration
11) Humoured (Verb)
Definition: comply with the wishes of (someone)
in order to keep them content, however
unreasonable such wishes might be.
Synonyms: indulge, pander to, yield to, bow to,
cater to, give way to, give in to
Usage: She humoured him to prevent trouble.
12) Churn (Verb)
Definition: move or cause to move about vigorously
Synonyms: heave, boil, swirl, toss, seethe, foam
Usage: Through the window we watched the
brown sea churning beneath the ship.
13) Tranche (Noun)
Definition: a portion of something, especially money
Synonyms: share, slice, piece
Usage: They released the first tranche of the loan.
14) Bandh (Noun)
Definition: a general strike.
Synonyms: gather, group, join, merge, unite
Usage: The impact of the bandh would be fatal to
the cloth trade.
15) Fomenting (Verb)
Definition: instigate or stir up (an undesirable or
violent sentiment or course of action)
Synonyms: instigate, incite, provoke, agitate, excite
Usage: She accused him of fomenting political unrest.
16) Tailwinds (Noun)
Definition: a wind blowing in the direction of travel
of a vehicle or aircraft; a wind blowing from behind
Synonyms: Heavy Wind, Cyclone, Wind
Usage: America faced Tailwind a month ago.
17) Incentivized (Verb)
Definition: motivate or encourage (someone) to do
something; provide with an incentive
Synonyms: inducement, reason, stimulus, stimulant
Usage: This is likely to incentivize management
to find savings.
18) Errand (Noun)
Definition: a short journey undertaken in order to
deliver or collect something, especially on someone
else's behalf.
Synonyms: task, job, chore, assignment
Usage: She asked Ahmed to run an errand for her.
19) Dovish (Adjective)
Definition: Supportive discussion or other peaceful
solution
Synonyms: Peaceful, peaceable, pacific
Usage: He is a dovish politician who was one of
the signers of a model peace treaty.
20) Euphoria (Noun)
Definition: a feeling or state of intense excitement
and happiness
Synonyms: happiness, joy, joyousness, delight, glee,
excitement, exhilaration
Usage: In his euphoria, he had become convinced he
could defeat them
21) Vandalization (Noun)
Definition: the act of deliberately destroying or
damaging public or private property.
Synonyms: emolishing, demolishment, desecrating,
Current Affairs for CSS 2020 (Volume-IV), Aamir Mahar
desecration, destruction, ravage, ravaging
Usage: Due to vandalization in the past, a security
system has been installed in the house.
22) Harangued (Verb)
Definition: lecture (someone) at length in an
aggressive and critical manner.
Synonyms: deliver a tirade to, rant at, lecture, hold
forth to, preach to, pontificate to, sermonize to
Usage: He harangued the public on their ignorance
23) Nuanced (Adjective)
Definition: characterized by subtle shades of
meaning or expression
Synonyms: fine distinction, subtle
distinction/difference, shade
Usage: Areesha’s work has gradually grown
more nuanced.
24) Unbridled (Adjective)
Definition: uncontrolled; unconstrained
Synonyms: unrestrained, unconstrained,
uncontrolled, uninhibited, unrestricted.
Usage: PPP wants the Supreme Court to take
notice of 'unbridled' NAB powers.
A moment of unbridled ambition
25) Salvo (Noun)
Definition: a simultaneous discharge of artillery
or other guns in a battle
Synonyms: bombardment, cannonade, drumbeat
Usage: A deafening salvo of shots rang out
26) Eschew (Verb)
Definition: deliberately avoid using; abstain from
Synonyms: abstain from, refrain from, give up,
forg forswear, shun, renounce
Usage: He appealed to the crowd to eschew violence.
27) Knee-Jerk (Adjective)
Definition: reacting in a readily predictable way
Synonyms: impulse, automatic, involuntary
Usage: Labor created Knee-Jerk moment.
28) Clogging (Verb)
Definition: block or become blocked with an
accumulation of thick, wet matter
Synonyms: block, obstruct, congest, jam, choke
Usage: The gutters were clogged up with leaves.
29) Chicanery (Noun)
Definition: the use of deception or subterfuge
to achieve one's purpose
Synonyms: trickery, deception, deceitfulness,
duplicity, dishonesty
Usage: story lines packed with political chicanery.
30) Inasmuch (Adverb)
Definition: to the extent that; in so far as
Synonyms: Because, Since, While
Usage: These provisions apply only inasmuch
as trade between member states is affected.
31) Gamut (Noun)
Definition: the complete range or scope of something
Synonyms: range, spectrum, span, sweep, area
Usage: The whole gamut of human emotion.
32) Nuances (Noun)
Definition: a subtle difference in or shade of meaning,
expression, or sound
Synonyms: fine distinction, subtle distinction/
difference, shade, shading, gradation
Usage: He was familiar with the nuances of the
local dialects of Balochistan.
33) Stewardship (Noun)
Definition: the job of supervising or taking care
of something, such as an organization or property.
Synonyms: control, maintenance, protection
Usage: The PTI government now has full
stewardship of the economy.
34) Chinks (Noun)
Definition: a narrow opening, typically one that
admits light.
Synonyms: opening, gap, space, hole, aperture
Usage: Light and air enter through chinks in the
walls or holes in the roof.
35) Exacerbated (Verb)
Definition: make (a problem, bad situation, or
negative feeling) worse.
Synonyms: aggravate, make
worse, worsen, inflame, compound, intensify
Usage: The exorbitant cost of land in urban areas
only exacerbated the problem
36) Prune (Verb)
Definition: reduce the extent of (something) by
removing superfluous or unwanted parts.
Synonyms: reduce, cut, cut back, cut down, cut back
on, pare, pare down, slim down
Usage: the workforce was pruned
37) Enclave (Noun)
Definition: a portion of territory surrounded by
a larger territory whose inhabitants are culturally
or ethnically distinct.
Synonyms: territorial dominion, district, territory
Usage: Hareth Najem fled the militant Islamic
State group's last enclave in eastern Syria
wounded and alone.