Center For Peace And Secular Studies

OBJECTIVES

Peace

CPSS hopes to create a pluralistic society that is inclusive of all members of the society. The organization holds peace as its core value and strives to preserve the native culture of tolerance and coexistence promoted in the region for centuries through the Bhakti and Sufi traditions.

Preserving Cultural Heritage

CPSS believes that the root of fundamentalism lies in the severe and deep rooted identity and intellectual crisis of the younger generations. To counter this growing trend, CPSS works to protect the regional literature, languages and historical/religious sites such as temples and ancient monuments as part of a rich national heritage so that the history of pluralism, tolerance, diversity and peace can be fostered and relayed to the future generations.

Promoting Peace and Tolerance

CPSS zealously advocates for the elimination of all forms of violence against minorities and vulnerable segments of the population. CPSS believes that all citizens of the state should be equal before the law regardless of their gender, religious or political affiliation, birth status, or lifestyle choices. CPSS firmly stands against the practice of forced conversions, forced marriages, abductions and human trafficking, harassment, discrimination in the workplace – including safeguarding the rights of domestic workers, while working against cyber bullying and harassment of any kind.

Secularism

The founder of the nation, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, in his first address to the constituent assembly famously declared: “You are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this state of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed, that has nothing to do with the business of the State.” To implement the words of the founding father, CPSS has secularism enshrined in its core values with the conviction that preserving human dignity was the original intent of the founding father and should continue to be the nation’s top priority. CPSS is committed to creating a culture where non-Muslim citizens are given equal rights and the freedom to practice their religion without fear of persecution.

Promotion of Freedom of Expression

CPSS seeks to promote a culture of intellectual curiosity, introspection, logical thinking, civility and democratic values through academic, educational and extracurricular activities. CPSS seeks to create a space for open discussion and dialog to encourage diversity of ideas and an appreciation for different philosophies and ideals. CPSS actively promotes literary, scientific and research oriented debates and inculcates a culture of knowledge and intellectualism.

Preserving Media Freedom and Transparency

Media is considered the fourth pillar of the state, and CPSS is absolutely committed to promote media freedoms and transparency. A free, transparent and open media is the prerequisite for modern democracy. CPSS holds accountable forces that control investigative journalism and silence dissenting voices. CPSS stands to defend the rights of media personnel and organizations and condemns the culture of cyberbullying, censorship of protests and attacks on journalists, dissenting voices and activists.

Rights of Women and Sexual Minorities

CPSS holds the defense of the rights of women and sexual minorities as one of its core values and principles. CPSS focuses on ensuring a gender balance in society. CPSS promotes the availability of equal opportunities along with the elimination of discrimination against sexual minorities as an integral part of its struggle for uplifting human rights and promoting dignity of life. CPSS stands against all forms of violence against women and sexual minorities including but not limited to femicide, gender biased infanticide, rape, domestic violence, work and public place harassment, acid throwing, honor killings, forced conversions and all regressive socio-cultural practices.

Rights of Children

CPSS believes that education and a healthy and uplifting environment are among the fundamental rights of children, and are only achievable through the efforts of multiple stakeholders working at all levels to ensure that every child has the opportunity to live in a peaceful environment free from violence. Quality education is the inalienable right of every child. Having observed and researched thoroughly the roots of extremism in society, CPSS believes that Jihadist indoctrination, gender prejudices and xenophobia found in the Pakistani curriculum is contradictory to the progress of society, and the Center pushes to eradicate all such materials from the curriculum. The organization stands against using children as organs of radicalism and violence and works to end all forms of recruitment and propagation of radicalization among children. CPSS strongly opposes child marriage and uses legal and democratic remedies to help eliminate the practice from society. CPSS decries child domestic work as a form of modern day slavery, and is working to eliminate all forms of child exploitation.

Strengthening Democratic Processes

CPSS believes that democracy is the way forward for progress and uplifting the overall human condition. CPSS strives to change laws that are humiliating, derogatory and contradictory to human rights and used by powerful individuals to victimize the vulnerable sections of society. The Center is gravely concerned about the lack of constitutional rights accorded to the people of Gilgit-Baltistan, FATA, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. CPSS continues to raise awareness about the need for proper representation from these regions, and calls for full autonomy for provincial governments. CPSS also believes in creating a culture of transparency, accountability and openness, and advocates for the Right to Information Act of 2013 to be fully enforced in letter and spirit across all institutions.

Economic Prosperity

CPSS believes that to reduce the defense budget by at least 50% and to allocate those funds instead to social development (education, healthcare, clean water, housing, environment and employment) is imperative for the overall progress of society. CPSS supports the idea of moving away from the concept and structure of a security state and promoting the practices of human security. CPSS also believes in creating social programs and safety nets to uplift the most vulnerable segments of the population.

Regional Peace and Harmony

CPSS believes that signing of a security treaty among all SAARC members is the only way to thwart imperialistic designs and achieve the complete elimination of weapons of mass destruction and nuclear proliferation. CPSS strives to facilitate the strengthening of ties between nations in the region, with the certainty that long lasting peace and better relations among states is necessary for the prosperity of the region as a whole. CPSS also seeks to form a South Asian Union where all regional partners would be treated equally. Since the ongoing Indo-Pak conflict has been a major hurdle for regional and world peace, a friendly union would help improve the lot of disenfranchised individuals and communities in the region and lead to a lasting peace between the two countries.

Ending All Forms of Violence against Minorities

CPSS zealously advocates for the elimination of all forms of violence against minorities and vulnerable segments of the population. CPSS believes that all citizens of the state should be equal before the law regardless of their gender, religious or political affiliation, birth status, or lifestyle choices. CPSS firmly stands against the practice of forced conversions, forced marriages, abductions and human trafficking, harassment, discrimination in the workplace – including safeguarding the rights of domestic workers, while working against cyber bullying and harassment of any kind.