KP’s Billion Tree Tsunami Afforestation Project (BTTAP) Delivers More Appreciations to Pakistan

By: Azhar Azam

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has been branded as theatre of militancy and terrorism by the United States and its allies since 9/11 attacks but thanks to the efforts of Pakistan military and civil armed forces, the third-largest province of Pakistan has been taking significant strides towards peace and stability.

Previously known as North-West Frontier Post (NWFP), KP is now contributing profoundly to the social, communal, ecological, environmental, and economic benefits as well as to the international climate change, biodiversity, and land degradation in line with Bonn Challenge.

Bonn Challenge is a global effort which was initiated in 2011 by the government of Germany and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to bring 150 million hectares (m ha)of the world’s deforested and degraded land into restoration by 2020 and another 350 m ha by 2030.

The restoration of 150 m ha deforested and degraded land is billed to create net benefits of $84 billion per year consonant with FLR approach – brining direct additional income opportunities for rural communities worldwide. Achieving the goal of 350 m ha could generate $170 billion per year.

In 2014, the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) – launched a campaign ‘Green Growth Initiative’ – Billion Tree Tsunami (BTT) – to enhance forest resource base, restoration and upgradation forest biomes, preventing environment degradation, livelihood improvement, and job creation in rural areas.

The critics and political rivals wasted no time to poke fun at Imran Khan’s grand target to plant one billion trees. But the provincial government has been committed to execute the plan – the brain child of their leader.

Under the provincial government program, some 300 million trees of 42 different species were planted across the KP province. Another 150 million plants were distributed among the landowners while the forest regeneration measures also allowed the plantation of more than 700 million trees – bringing the tally to over one billion.

These statistics have been confirmed by several international independent experts, organizations, and news agencies including World Wildlife Fund (WWF), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and Agence France-Presse (AFP) – third largest news agency after the Associated Press (AP) and Reuters.

AFP in its publication ‘Green gold: Pakistan plants hundreds of millions of trees’ on June 26 admired the enormous KP government’s endeavor, stating:

‘The change is drastic: around the region of Heroshah, previously arid hills are now covered with forest as far as the horizon. In Northwestern Pakistan, hundreds of millions of trees have been planted to fight deforestation.’

‘We are 100 percent confident that the figure about the billion trees is correct’, Manager of Pakistani branch of the World Wildlife Fund after conducting an independent audit of the project.

The French news agency also cited an official from Sindh Forest Department who itemized that ‘more than 60 percent of the forests lining Sindh’s riverbanks have disappeared in the last 60 years – a disaster'.

The story is picked by reputed international dailies such as Al Jazeera, Arab News, The Hindu, and India Times to corroborate the claim of over one billion trees plantation in the KP province of battle-hardened Pakistan.

In August 2017, IUCN appreciated KP’s Billion Tree Tsunami Afforestation Project (BTTAP) for surpassing ‘its target by restoring and planting trees in 350,000 hectares of degraded forest landscapes’.

The global authority on the status of the natural world noted that an additional 13,000 private tree nurseries were established in the province – which boosted local incomes, generated thousands of green jobs, and empowered unemployed youth and women.

Cataloging Billion Tree Tsunami (BTT) the project ‘a true conservative story’, IUCN congratulated the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which demonstrates Pakistan’s leadership role in the international restoration effort and continued commitment to the Bonn Challenge.

In March 2018, KP pledged an additional 252,000 hectares to the Bonn Challenge at the third international high level roundtable in Brazil. The KP pledge became the first sub-national pledge, the first pledge to be fully implemented, and the first pledge to be increased.

Armed Conflicts targeted Civilians in 2017, SIPRI YearBook 2018

By: Azhar Azam

Waning US-Russia relations and the international tensions in South China Sea, the East China Sea, China-India tugs, India-Pakistan conflicts over Kashmir, the regional rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and intra-NATO tensions with Turkey have seriously deteriorated the global security in 2017, the SIPRI YearBook 2018 revealed in its latest publication.

All these international and regional tensions have augmented the international transfers of major arms and invigorated the global military spending – consequently increasing the number, complexity, and lethality of armed conflicts, the Stockholm International Peace and Research Institute further noted.

Here are the key findings of independent international institute dedicated to research in conflict, armaments, arms control, and disarmament:

ARMED CONFLICTS AND PEACE PROCESSES
The contemporary armed conflicts have targeted urban civilians rather than the military in 2017. In the first 11 months of 2017, no less than 15,399 civilians (majority in cities) have been killed by explosive weapons.

Newly displacement crisis in Myanmar along with Afghanistan, Central America, Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen have increased the world total of forcibly displaced people to more than 65.6 million.

In addition, the armed conflicts have also rejuvenated the food insecurity, with at least 25% of the people in seven countries – Afghanistan, Congo, Lebanon, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen – chronicled food crisis or food emergency.

In Americas, the ongoing peace process in Colombia might end the only active armed conflict in western hemisphere. However, the levels of political and criminal violence remained high in several countries of Central and South America including El Salvador, Mexico, and Paraguay.

Cities in the Americas are some of the world most dangerous and there is also an increase in forced displacement especially from northern Central America.

Afghanistan, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, and the Philippines were the five countries in the Asia and Oceania which continued to involve in active and armed conflict.

In Myanmar, the forced displacement of Rohingya people elicited repercussions in Bangladesh while in the Philippines; state security forces had the latitude to commit pervasive violence.

Due to nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programs of the North Korea, one of the most militarized regions – North East Asia – perceived rising tensions. The threat of Islamic State (IS) also grown in Afghanistan and the Philippines.

However the peace processes in Nepal and Sri Lanka helped to the growing stability in the two countries.

As of 2017, two armed conflicts were active in Europe including Nagorno-Karabakh (involving Armenia and Azerbaijan) and Ukraine. There were also some inactive but mulish conflicts in Cyprus, Georgia, Moldova, and Kosovo.

Tensions between Russia and members of NATO and the West heightened over allegations of Russian interference in western domestic politics. European countries focused on combating terrorism as well.

In Middle East and North Africa, there were seven armed conflicts in Egypt, Iraq, Israel and Palestine, Libya, Syria, Turkey, and Yemen. Most of these conflicts are intertwined and involve regional and international powers and copious sub-state actors.

Iraq is facing a tough reconstruction tasks in areas greatly devastated in rooting out IS, especially Mosul. Syrian civil war has displaced half of its population and starved 6.5 million people while 17 million people in Yemen faced acute food insecurity in 2017.

Mali, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Congo, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Somalia are seven countries in Sub-Saharan Africa where armed conflicts were active in 2017. Countries such as Burundi, Cameron, Gambia, Kenya, Lesotho, Sudan, and Zimbabwe either experienced post war conflicts and tensions or were flashpoints for potential armed conflicts.

MULTILATERAL PEACE OPERATIONS
A total of 63 multilateral peacekeeping missions were active with a total personnel deployment of 145,911 – 4.5% less as compared to 2016. UN conducted 24 missions and operations (98,354) during 2017 which were more than any other organization.

Somalia has the largest multilateral peace operation where there are 21,039 personnel has been deployed, followed by Congo and South Sudan. Out of eight multilateral peace operations with over 10,000 personnel, six were located in Africa.

Ethiopia, the United States of America, Bangladesh, India, Uganda, Rwanda, Pakistan, Burundi, Nepal, and Kenya are the largest contributors to peace missions. Most of the US uniformed peace mission personnel are deployed in Afghanistan.

As UN peace operations have prioritized political processes, peace building, and conflict prevention – the tensions are mounting with host-nations over national sovereignty. Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan are the countries which believe that the UN is infringing their sovereignty and confound UN operations.

The radical increase of peacekeeping fatalities is becoming a grim challenge to the United Nations. These peacekeeping fatalities linked with hostile acts have dramatically increased to 61 in 2017 as compared to 34 in 2016.

MILITARY EXPENDITURE
World military expenditure in 2017 was $1,739 billion which is 2.2% of the global GDP or $230 per person and marginally higher than 2016.

Military spending fell by 0.2% YOY in North America for the 7th consecutive year in a row however it rose by 4.1% YOY in East Asia for the 23rd year in succession. Military spending in Western Europe also increased by 1.7% in 2017, 3rd consecutive upturn.

United States military expenditure was the largest of all – at $610 billion in 2017 (and will be spending $700 billion in FY2018 and $716 billion in FY2019). China military spending was $228 billion – second largest in the world.

Saudi Arabia ($69.4 billion), Russia ($66.3 billion), and India ($63.9 billion) were the next three largest countries in military spending. Americas and Europe together spent $1,037 billion while the total military expenditure of Asia and Oceania was $477 billion.

INTERNATIONAL ARMS TRANSFERS
The volume of international transfers of major weapons increased by 10% in five-year period of 2013-17 as compared to 2008-12 (the arms sale of SIPRI top-100 was $375 billion excluding China in 2016).

The United States (34%) and Russia (22%) remained the largest suppliers of major arms worldwide. These two countries along with France, Germany, and China accounted for 74% of global volume of exports of major weapons.

India (12%), Saudi Arabia (10%), Egypt (4.5%), UAE (4.4%), and China (4.0%) were the largest contributors to imports of major weapons in 2017. Asia and Oceania and Middle East accounted for 74% of total global imports.

SIPRI does not provide the financial value of arms trade but on the bases of data provided by various countries on arms exports, the financial value of global arms trade in 2016 was at least $88.4 billion.

WORLD NUCLEAR FORCES
As the start of 2018, nine states – the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea – possessed approximately 14,465 nuclear weapons of which 3,750 were deployed with operational forces.

The United States (6,450) and Russia (6,850) collectively account for about 92% of global nuclear weapons. The United Kingdom (215), France (300), China (280), India (130-140), Pakistan (140-150), Israel (80), and North Korea (10-20) are the other states with nuclear warheads inventory.

Out of total inventory of 6,450 nuclear warheads, United States maintains a military stockpile of 3,800 nuclear warheads including 1,750 deployed nuclear warheads (1,600 strategic and 150 non-strategic warheads). 2,050 nuclear warheads are held in reserve while 2,650 are retired.

As of January 2018, Russia maintained nuclear arsenal of nearly 4,350 nuclear warheads out of total inventory of 6,850. Russia also possesses 2,520 strategic and 1,830 non-strategic warheads. 2,500 warheads are estimated to be retired.

Strategic and Non-Strategic Nuclear Warheads (Tactical Nuclear Weapon)
Strategic nuclear warheads are used to destroy the enemy’s ability to conduct high-level warfare by targeting its military bases, command centers, economic, industrial, energy, and transportation infrastructure, and cities and towns.

Non-strategic nuclear warheads (also known as tactical nuclear weapons) are smaller in explosive power and are used in battlefield to destroy the adversary’s immediate military value.

Toshiba Sells PC Business to Sharp

By: Azhar Azam

Within a week of divesting of Memory business, Toshiba axed its PC business and sold it to Sharp over a deal that would fetch only $36 million, the Japanese electronics giant announced on its website.

Under the contract, Toshiba Corporation will transfer 80.1% of outstanding shares of personal computer business – Toshiba Client Solutions (TCS) – to Sharp Corporation.

Both the companies signed the share purchase agreement which is expected to be completed by October 1, 2018.

Once a market leader, the Tokyo-based multinational pioneered the first commercial laptop in 1985 and is currently manufacturing the notebooks under the brand-name ‘Dynabook’.

Toshiba PC sale tumbled to embarrassing 1.4 million units last year from its peak 17.7 million few years ago. As a result, the conglomerate logged a loss of about $79 million last year.

The Healthcare Systems & Services, the Home Appliances, the Westinghouse Nuclear Power, Memory, and PC businesses will now be classified as discontinued operations.

Sharp which is now owned by Apple’s supplier – Foxconn – is making a comeback in PC market after eight years. Taiwanese manufacturing conglomerate bought sharp for $3.6 billion two year ago.

Toshiba Sells its Core Chip Business for $18 billion

By: Azhar Azam

Toshiba finally overrode the hitches to sell out its semiconductor known as NAND flash memory chip business to a consortium led by US investment group – Bain Capital – for two trillion 300 million yen or roughly $21 billion.

Shambolic Toshiba had put one of it’s the most lush chip business – Toshiba Memory Corporation (TMC) – ‘on sale’ to heal the financial wounds caused by US Westinghouse nuclear division.

Initially TMC’s business partner – Western Digital – hanged back Toshiba to precede the sale but the court dispute eventually ended up with WD joining the consortium.

Then China antitrust authorities broke the proceedings and just approved last month.

All shares of Toshiba Memory Corporation (TMC) have been transferred to special-purpose company, K.K. Pangea including stakes from Apple, Dell, Kingston, Seagate, SK hynix, and Western Digital.

Pangea will have 49.9% voting rights.

As a result of repurchase, Toshiba has also acquired approximately 40.2% of the voting rights in Pangea. Precision equipment maker – Hoya Corporation – will have 9.9% of them.

Net selling price of TMC after Toshiba’s repurchase is about $18 billion.

Once second-largest chip maker in the world behind Intel, Toshiba conceded the #2 position to Samsung in 2010 and finally fell to #8 spot in 2017, according to Gartner.

For the same year, Samsung distraught Intel and pilfered its 26-year top rank in worldwide semiconductor market.