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JI in the Press

"Most of India wants peace with Pakistan": Professor Najeeb Jung

Islamabad February 23, 2012: “A shared future of prosperity lies ahead of us in Indo-Pak relations” stated Professor Najeeb Jung, Vice Chancellor Jamia Millia Islamia Delhi and a former IAS officer, at the Islamabad Marriot on Thursday. Prof. Jung was speaking at the round-table panel discussion titled, ‘Indo-Pak Bilateral Relations and India's Search for Balance’, organized by the Jinnah Institute. “Despite a checkered past, India’s future is linked to Pakistan’s future and most of India wants peace with Pakistan,” he emphasized in his lecture before a group of policy experts, adding that there is a pressing need for a more extensive exchange of students, academics, journalists and civil servants between the two countries. Prof. Jung spoke about the status of religious minorities in India , particularly the Indian Muslims and explained that his country’s economic growth had not compromised democratic pluralism.

Mr. Jung has been invited as part of Jinnah Institute’s Distinguished Speaker Series, an Indo-Pak Track-II initiative. Also speaking at the event was Dr. Ajay Behera, Coordinator for Pakistan Studies Program at Jamia Millia Islamia, who talked about taking practical steps that bring people from both countries closer. He lamented that existing MoUs between Indian and Pakistan universities that were non-functional and pointed out the limitations within which peace constituencies could work in both countries. He acknowledged that both India and Pakistan have a youth dividend to capitalize on, and that the future economies of both countries depend on this constituency.

Ejaz Haider, Executive Director Jinnah Institute acknowledged that there is a dearth of Indian experts on Pakistan, or of Pakistani experts on India. Mr. Haider appreciated how the distinguished speakers helped bridge this asymmetry of understanding, and felt that peace movements in India and Pakistan were unable to rise vertically and challenge the policies of their respective states. “It is the two states who have to decide the future course of our bilateral relationship”, Mr. Haider said, “and it has been seen that when the states pull back, the peace process falls apart”.

During the question and answer session, participants of the round-table posed queries regarding water, terrorism, and climate change, among other issues that impact bilateral relations. Questions regarding the Gujral doctrine, sub-regionalization in the Indian subcontinent, and India’s relations with the U.S. and China also came under discussion. Prof. Jung dealt with the local, bilateral, and global aspects of the questions posed in the interactive session, and offered suggestions and solutions from his own experience as an Indian Muslim, a former bureaucrat, and an academic policymaker.

Jinnah Institute is an Islamabad-based public policy think-tank that leads two institutionalized Track II processes between India and Pakistan. JI has partnered with the Australia India Institute (AII) for Distinguished Speaker Series and plans multiple interactions between policy experts and audiences on both sides of the border. Prof. Jung is the third speaker of the Jinnah Institute’s Distinguished Speaker Series, which has hosted Dr. Shashi Tharoor (Member of Lok Sabha and former Indian Minister of State for External Affairs) and Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar (Member Rajya Sabha and former Union Minister for Petroleum, Panchayati Raj and Youth) in the past. It was founded by Sherry Rehman, now Pakistan’s ambassador to the US.

Indian MP Mani Shankar Aiyar lectures in Islamabad

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2-3^rd February, 2012

“History may have divided us, but geography binds us, and a shared inheritance holds as much potential to keep India and Pakistan apart as it has in keeping them apart,” Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar, Member of Rajya Sabha and former Indian Union Minister, said at the Islamabad Club on Thursday. Mr. Aiyar was speaking at a policy discussion seminar titled ‘India and Pakistan: Retrospect and Prospect?’ organised by the Jinnah Institute. Mr. Aiyar asserted that it is not communal animosity, but national hostility, that keeps India and Pakistan apart. Despite this, he appreciated efforts made by the present government of Pakistan towards normalizing Indo-Pakistan trade, and hoped that both countries could realistically become each other’s most favoured nation.

Link to PDF version of Keynote Address

Mr. Aiyar, who was a Minister in the Union Cabinet for Petroleum and Natural Gas (2004-2006), Youth Affairs and Sports (2006-2008) and for Development of the Northern Region (2006-2009), has served in the Indian Foreign Service for 26 years. He has also served as Consul General of India in Karachi (1978-1982). He is also credited with coining the now officially used term ‘uninterrupted and uninterruptible dialogue process’.

“Pakistan is a modern nation-state, now under serious threat from armed religious fanatics, but it is not about to succumb as a society or as a state to elements who, even in a moderate garb, have rarely managed to win more than a tiny handful of seats in any election”, Mani Shankar Aiyar posited. He said that any strategy built on the presumption that Pakistan cannot survive is misconceived, misplaced, and dangerously misleading. Mr. Aiyar also regretted the widely accepted view in Indian circles that Pakistan is a ‘failed’ state or ‘failing’ state, and said that such views needed to be countered.

“No state has suffered as much from terrorism as Pakistan itself”, Mr. Aiyar said. “I do believe that a joint strategy to counter terrorism will enable both India and Pakistan to overcome what is, in effect , a joint threat to our people”, he said. Mr. Aiyar concluded by saying, “let us give peace a chance; we have nothing to lose but our chains, and we have a world to gain”.

The talk was preceded by opening remarks by former Ambassador Aziz Ahmed Khan, Honorary Vice President Jinnah Institute, who said that Indo-Pakistan relations have experienced many highs and lows, but a leap of faith is needed in order to find a solution. Mr. Ejaz Haider, Executive Director of Jinnah Institute, said that modern experiences are crucial in forming individual identities and urged India to recognize Pakistan as a reality that will not go away.

During the question and answer session, members of the audience asked what effect opposing mindsets had on the India Pakistan peace process. Mr. Aiyar felt that mindsets can change, that there was symbiotic relationship between mindsets and ground realities and that the narrative of hate must definitely be countered. Regarding a question on the Joint Anti-Terror mechanism established in 1997 by India and Pakistan, he said and that it should be implemented in letter and spirit.

Mani Shankar Aiyar lectured the following day at Quaid-e-Azam University before a crowd of students and faculty members from the Department of Defence and Strategic Studies on ‘Prospects of India Pakistan Cooperation in Global Nuclear Disarmament’.

Link to PDF version of keynote address

Mr. Aiyar is the second speaker from JI’s ongoing Distinguished Speaker Series, as part of its Indo-Pak Track-II called the Chaophraya Dialogue. Previously, Dr. Shashi Tharoor, (Member of Lok Sabha and former Indian Minister of State for External Affairs) has lectured at the Islamabad Club under the aegis of the Distinguished Speaker Series in January 2012. Future invitees include Prof. Najib Jung (Vice Chancellor Jamia Millia Islamia Delhi and a former IAS officer).

JI Condemns the Brutal Murder of Three Hindu Brothers in Shikarpur

Islamabad, Nov 11, 2011: The President of the Jinnah Institute and Former Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Sherry Rehman, has joined voice with all human rights organizations in condemning the murder of three Hindu brothers in the Shikarpur district on Wednesday, 9th November 2011. Sherry Rehman also moved an Adjournment Motion in the National Assembly yesterday against this heinous act.

According to news reports, the three brothers identified as Dr. Ajeet Kumar, Dr. Naresh Kumar and Dr. Ashok Kumar were gunned down due to an altercation with the Muslim Baban Khan Bhayo tribe over a dancing girl, just meters away from the local police station. The victims had been requesting police protection after earlier threats were made to their lives but this was blatantly disregarded and the brothers were sprayed with bullets by men on a motorcycle in their village.

The family members of the victims have expressed dissatisfaction over the registered FIR against the Bhayo clansman believing it to be largely fabricated, leading to the provision of some benefit of doubt for the accused despite the heinous nature of the crime. Sherry Rehman said that “This kind of open bias on the part of a state institution towards a minorities group not only amounts to violation of constitutional rights of minorities, it also creates mistrust over the state’s role as guarantor of a citizen’s protection.” The Shikarpur incident calls for a serious investigation into the role of local police officials who ignored the pleas of protection from the victims. The suspension of the SHO in Chak police station remains a disproportionately weak response to the abominable nature of this crime.

Sherry Rehman stated that the gruesome killings were “a reflection of the fact that we as a majority, are still silent in condoning the discrimination and rampant persecution of citizens based on their religious background. The government has verbally condemned the murders but it remains an indisputable fact that religious minorities will not feel safe and free in an increasingly hostile and predatory environment for non-Muslims until the deep-rooted issues surrounding faith-based violence begin to be addressed.”

Sherry Rehman pointed out that Pakistan needs a major overhaul in its social and legislative framework to pave the way for a rights-driven approach towards issues related to minorities and the disadvantaged. The idea that crimes against religious minorities can easily escape accountability must be challenged. To effectively avoid further abuse and to address the perpetual vulnerability and fear amongst religious communities, greater transformative measures need to be taken on an immediate basis.

To start with, any hate crime which results from the discrimination on the basis of any individual’s faith or background should be treated as a case of aggravated assault, and penalised as such. Federal and provincial funding to areas where educational and health programs encourage segregation based on religious affiliation should be blocked. A Special Ombudsman on the Rights of Minorities should be put in place. The National Commission on Minorities as a statutory body, must be revived and reconstituted with terms of reference that make regular meetings, and which is comprised largely of minority and vulnerable groups. Further, the supra-legal authority exercised by jirgas should give way to any dispute between parties being resolved within the ambit of the country’s legal system.

Sherry Rehman has added that Pakistan was envisioned by its founders as an equal-rights state with sufficient guarantees to all groups to practice their faith under state’s protection. “Any structure that allows individuals and groups to violate laws with impunity needs critical state interventions on an immediate basis.”

News coverage: Dawn, The Nation, The News, Daily Times, Asian News International, New Kerala, Zee News India

Jinnah Institute Briefs National Security Standing Committee on Afghan Endgame

Jinnah Institute briefed the Parliamentary Committee on National Security about findings from its research report titled ‘Pakistan, the United States and the End Game in Afghanistan: Perceptions of Pakistan’s Foreign Policy Elite’. The briefing was held specially for members of the Standing Committee ahead of the report’s formal launch next week in Islamabad.

Sherry Rehman, President of Jinnah Institute informed the Committee members about the collaboration between Jinnah Institute and United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in undertaking this research project and the need for reviewing national strategic policies in light of the same.

Moeed Yusuf, South Asia Advisor for USIP gave a detailed presentation on the report findings which reviewed perceptions of the Pakistani foreign policy elite on America’s evolving strategy in Afghanistan. The report documented Pakistan’s perceived short term and long term interests and ways in which they could best be pursued in addition to how regional actors like India and Iran could play a role in finding a solution to the conflict.

Salman Zaidi, Security Analyst at JI, spoke about the methodology involved in soliciting views from Afghanistan experts across the board, including former diplomats and military officers, academics, members of the policy and media communities. Other members from Jinnah Institute included former Ambasador Aziz Ahmed Khan, who pointed out the lack of clarity in the Afghan reconciliation and the implications it had for Pakistan. Professor Rifaat Hussain from QAU spoke about impediments in a successful endgame in Afghanistan.

Members of the Standing Committee appreciated several aspects of the report and discussed the necessity to prepare for the upcoming Bonn conference and incorporate the recommendations presented in the report.

The Standing Committee was chaired by Senator Mian Raza Rabbani; other members included Senator Ishaq Dar, MNA Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan, MNA Maulana Fazlur Rehman, MNA, Aftab Sherpao, Senator Mir Israr Ullah Zehra and MNA Sherry Rehman.

Appeared in The News

Roundtable on Pak-US bilateral relations

As tensions mount between Pakistan and the US, policy experts call for a clear articulation of coordinated policy

Islamabad, August 4, 2011: At a Roundtable conducted by Jinnah Institute on the state of Pak-US relations, participants expressed serious concern about the gravity of the strain between the two countries, most notably since the Raymond Davis episode. The discussion aimed to assess the relationship between the US and Pakistan in the backdrop of recent events that have further aggravated the deepening trust deficit between the two countries.

The roundtable was attended by former diplomats, academics and members of the policy and media communities. While critically reviewing key nodes of the relationship, there was significant debate about whether the current impasse was a strategic fracture, or a policy hiccup that can be overcome through dialogue and diplomatic engagement between the two governments.

It was observed that much of the volatility in bilateral relations post-Raymond Davis and the Osama Bin Laden killing, originated in Pakistan's perception of its sovereignty deficits and its willful erosion by some of the U.S policies. Participants voiced concern over growing anti-American sentiment, as its speed it was allowing radicalism to gain ground in Pakistan.

A majority of participants noted with concern that strains in Pakistan-US ties were not merely episodic, but suffering from a structural crisis. It was seen that there was a ‘legacy of distrust’ on both sides and despite efforts from Washington and Islamabad to overcome this challenge, the bilateral relationship would continue to be transactional as it has been in the past. However, many agreed that all strategic relationships tend to be transactional and Pakistan must realize that its ‘mistreatment’ is a direct function of its internal weakness.

There was also apprehension about foreign and security policy shifts in the US, given that many of the key strategic positions are now occupied by people who are perceived to hold hardline views on Pakistan's role and contribution in the War on Terror.

It was stated that in Pakistan a coherent national counter-terrorism strategy had to be devised after broad based consultations with all relevant stakeholders. Participants noted that foreign policy in Pakistan has increasingly become subordinate to operational security policy which was dominated by the military.

Furthermore, participants felt that the US was not playing an effective role with regard to regional stability in South Asia by ignoring major regional complexities. Participants felt the US should act more responsibly in this regard, bringing its weight towards stabilizing the region instead of the converse.

While some agreed that the strategic and economic priorities of India and the US aligned more closely, these added to the security threats Pakistan has long seen as emanating from India. Some participants felt that Pakistan’s security apprehensions vis a vis India were legitimate, especially now with the endgame in Afghanistan drawing closer. It was argued that Pakistan increasingly faces the challenge of having to deal with the possibility of two hostile borders.

Most of the policy experts agreed that Pakistan has a critical role to play in the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, however, efforts to eclipse this role in the ongoing reconciliation process could further damage the relationship. This would be ultimately detrimental to the common goals both countries have shared over the past decade: elimination of terrorist safe havens and dismantling of Al-Qaeda networks.

There was agreement that Pakistan-US relations need to be re-defined in order to better suit sustainable long term national interests. It was felt that high level consultations need to take place between the two countries on a regular basis with a clear set of expectations and mutually agreed policy frameworks. Strategic cooperation on terrorism should continue, but without compromising on Pakistan's national sovereignty.

There was a clear consensus that both countries cannot and should not walk away from each other and find ways to remained engage in a non confrontational mode with a focus on long term objectives.

Participants included: Sherry Rehman (President Jinnah Institute and Member National Assembly), Nasim Zehra (Director Current Affairs, Dunya TV), Mohammad Malick (Editor, The News), Mosharraf Zaidi (Columnist), Rifaat Hussain (Chair, Department of Defence and Strategic Studies, QAU), Tariq Fatemi (Former Ambassador), Aziz A. Khan (Former Ambassador), Riaz Khokhar (Former Foreign Secretary), Humayun Khan (Former Foreign Secretary) and Zahid Hussain (Author and Senior Journalist)

Press Release appeared in the following newspapers;

Daily Times

The News International