Sheikh Khaild Jehangir, Secretary General, ICPS, addressed Y20 consultation meet on climate change under India’s G20 presidency in Srinagar on Thursday, 11 May 2023 at University of Kashmir.
Issue Briefs
The Chabahar Port and India-Iran Agreement
On 13 May 2024, India and Iran signed a 10-year long-term contract for operation of Shahid Behesti terminal at the Chabahar port in Iran, eight years after concluding the general framework of cooperation on the Chabahar port. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in May 2015 for the development of this port by India and on 23 May 2016, the contract was executed during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Iran.
Widening gulf between Pakistan and AJK
Although most of the demands have been accepted― of course, not before securitizing the political issue by deploying FC, Rangers along with police to use force against the protesters― the people of AJK are unlikely to forget the ordeal they have had to pass through, for the last more than six months, which has certainly steeled their nerves.
National Report by China in the 45th UPR Session: Hiding More than it Reveals
China’s report on human rights in the 45th session of the UPR on 23 January 2024 has drawn the attention of human rights activists worldwide. It has painted a rosy picture of the human rights situation within China.
Books/Journals
Mr. Mekki El Mograbi, Media Consultant and Head, International Relations, Sudan Centre for Thinktanks and Strategic Studies, Khartoum, Sudan, visited ICPS on 28 March 2023 and interacted with the scholars.
Dr Aleksei Zakharov, Research Fellow, Higher School of Economics (HSE), Moscow interacted with the researchers at ICPS on 17 March 2023. There was a free exchange of views on the evolving political and security situation in the Eurasian region including Afghanistan.
Andreas Mountzouroulias. @andreasmoun, Editor in chief of directus.gr visited ICPS on 10 March 2023, Friday, and interacted with the researchers.
Marco Respinti, Director-in-Charge, Bitter Winter, visited International Centre for Peace Studies (ICPS) on 14 December 2022 and interacted with the scholars of the Centre.
On the occasion of Kashmir Accession Day International Centre for Peace Studies (ICPS)
organised Book Launch of The Two Kashmirs authored by Sheikh Khalid Jehangir
ICPS organised a talk by Umit Alperen, Director of the Centre for Asia-Pasific Studies at the Suleyman Demirel University, Turkey on 02 September 2022. He focussed on Turkey's foreign policy in general and also its relations with India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Comments
Why has India not been able to make significant progress in the Chabahar Port?
Ahmad Reza Taheri
The Chabahar Port presents itself as an alternative route for India that circumvents Pakistan, thereby alleviating India's reliance on Pakistani transit corridors. India and Iran have been engaged in negotiations to implement the Chabahar project for several years since 2003 without much success so far. This comment, from an Iranian scholar, dwells on the reasons for the tardy progress on the project since last two decades.
Pakistani Urdu Media’s Coverage of India’s 18th Lok Sabha Elections Results
Afroz Khan
The aim of the piece is to acquaint the reader with the thought process amongst commentators in Pakistani vernacular media regarding the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections in India (conducted in April-June 2024).
From Autonomy in GB to Rights Movement in AJK: The State vs The People in PoK
Zainab Akhter
In Pakistan, it has been the norm to address issues only when they have ballooned into a full-blown crisis; be it the GB protests or the rights movement in AJK. Only few month have passed since the local population of GB had staged protests along similar lines. It remains to be seen whether the government’s steps satisfy the people in both regions in the long term.
Jaish al-Adl and Pak-Iran Exchange of Fire: The Underlying Condition
Syed Eesar Mehdi
The militant ethnic assertion in the Baloch majority region straddling Iran and Pakistan is a function of the apathy shown by the states towards the people inhabiting the area which has pushed them towards violence. Rather than addressing the underlying causes of ethnic unrest, the two states have episodically exchanged missiles and diplomatic barbs against each other, which is certain to keep the Pak-Iran border region disturbed in future.