Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdoan’s relationship dynamic, preference, and mutual trust are a major foundation for Russian-Turkish relations. These interpersonal ties have been put to the test by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Although Turkish and Ukrainian military links are strong and President Erdoan maintains a good working relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, it is evident that Erdoan is unwilling to sacrifice his relationship with Putin for Zelenskyy’s benefit. Moreover, Putin has either refused or ignored Erdoan’s attempts to arbitrate between the two presidents.

The return of Crimea to Ukraine, of which it is an integral part, is essentially a requirement of international law. It was an indicator of the opportunities Turkey is looking for to push the boundaries of its ties with Russia at a time when the Kremlin is stuck in Ukraine. Whether in Syria or the South Caucasus, Ankara is poised to fill the gap as Moscow’s influence appears poised to decline. After Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Turkey acted as a mediator, as seen in a July deal it brokered with the help of the United Nations for Ukrainian grain ships to leave Odessa. Yet Erdogan has remained consistent in his support for Kiev, including in Crimea, the historic home of the Crimean Tatars (a community that sees Turkey as a kin state). Syria was the focus of his trilateral summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran in July, as well as Erdogan’s meeting with Putin in Sochi in August.

Getting Russia and Iran to sign off on his plans for an all-out offensive postpones the prospect of restoring relations with the government of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad as a quid pro quo. Fear of Turkey was a key reason for Armenia’s alignment with Russia in terms of foreign and security policy. The common threat in Syria and Armenia is that Turkey is methodically pushing Russia out of its neighborhood and regions where Moscow has had a strategic advantage over its geopolitical rivals in recent years. Still, anyone who thinks that the war in Ukraine is, at the end of the day, a conflict involving Moscow, Kyiv and Western capitals would do well to look further.
Turkey’s economic situation worsens even further and all of Erdoan’s and his administration’s promises to boost the economy are kept. Given the impact of economic sanctions imposed by the EU, the U.S., Canada, and other like-minded nations on Turkey, Russia is unable to immediately facilitate financially. Nevertheless, it sends tourists and expands its markets to Turkish businesses, including those in the construction industry, assisting in uplifiting some of Erdoan’s economic woes.

Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdoan’s relationship dynamic, preference, and mutual trust are a major foundation for Russian-Turkish relations. These interpersonal ties have been put to the test by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Although Turkish and Ukrainian military links are strong and President Erdoan maintains a good working relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, it is evident that Erdoan is unwilling to sacrifice his relationship with Putin for Zelenskyy’s benefit. Moreover, Putin has either refused or ignored Erdoan’s attempts to arbitrate between the two presidents.

The return of Crimea to Ukraine, of which it is an integral part, is essentially a requirement of international law. It was an indicator of the opportunities Turkey is looking for to push the boundaries of its ties with Russia at a time when the Kremlin is stuck in Ukraine. Whether in Syria or the South Caucasus, Ankara is poised to fill the gap as Moscow’s influence appears poised to decline. After Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Turkey acted as a mediator, as seen in a July deal it brokered with the help of the United Nations for Ukrainian grain ships to leave Odessa. Yet Erdogan has remained consistent in his support for Kiev, including in Crimea, the historic home of the Crimean Tatars (a community that sees Turkey as a kin state). Syria was the focus of his trilateral summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran in July, as well as Erdogan’s meeting with Putin in Sochi in August.

Getting Russia and Iran to sign off on his plans for an all-out offensive postpones the prospect of restoring relations with the government of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad as a quid pro quo. Fear of Turkey was a key reason for Armenia’s alignment with Russia in terms of foreign and security policy. The common threat in Syria and Armenia is that Turkey is methodically pushing Russia out of its neighborhood and regions where Moscow has had a strategic advantage over its geopolitical rivals in recent years. Still, anyone who thinks that the war in Ukraine is, at the end of the day, a conflict involving Moscow, Kyiv and Western capitals would do well to look further.
Turkey’s economic situation worsens even further and all of Erdoan’s and his administration’s promises to boost the economy are kept. Given the impact of economic sanctions imposed by the EU, the U.S., Canada, and other like-minded nations on Turkey, Russia is unable to immediately facilitate financially. Nevertheless, it sends tourists and expands its markets to Turkish businesses, including those in the construction industry, assisting in uplifiting some of Erdoan’s economic woes.

It is the first face-to-face meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State since 2019 and comes in the shadow of the Russia-Ukraine war and rising tensions between the United States and China. The previous two had only been virtually, and this one has occurred in the wake of three notable events: the pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the Taiwan Straits conflict. Meanwhile, the end of the US war and the return of the Taliban government in Afghanistan, which has observer status in the eight-member SCO and have significantly affected regional geopolitics. Prospects for multilateral cooperation are being discussed in the meeting but the main interest is what happens in the side meetings. The event is the first time in a long time that Pakistani and Indian leaders have met face to face. Bilateral negotiations on the sidelines of the conference can also break the ice. After the Samarkand meeting, the SCO Presidency will go to India, which will also host the next summit in 2023. The inclusion of Iran in the group would also broaden the scope; given that the country has been under US sanctions for a very long time, it would support any move to strengthen economic ties between the SCO countries. It is not possible for the Taliban regime to gain full membership of the group. The Samarkand Conference is being held at a very critical time in an atmosphere of rapidly changing geopolitics. An expanded membership confer greater legitimacy on the SCO and yield security and economic benefits for its members.

The globe has almost been divided into pro-NATO and pro-Russian camps, despite the fact that certain countries, like India and Turkey, emphatically claim to be neutral. In a comment written on the eve of the Samarkand Summit outlining Uzbekistan’s perceptions and plans for the SCO, Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said, “The basis of the SCO’s international appeal is its non-block status. China is clearly in the strongest position and attending the summit will be a confident Xi Jinping, his first overseas expansion since the pandemic began. All Central Asian member states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan) have varying degrees of close ties with China, all participate in the Belt and Road Initiative and maintain close ties with China have an economic relationship. The countries of Central Asia and the countries that may join at a later date, such as Mongolia and Armenia, will continue to seek good relations with the United States as part of a “multi-vector” policy. Tajikistan, a close friend and ally of Russia and China, is conducting recent military exercises with the United States as a case in point. India is one of the few members of the group that maintains good and close relations with the United States. 3% of Kyrgyzstan’s external debt, but the recent establishment of Chinese military bases is widely believed to be the result of Tajikistan’s huge debt to China. Another advantage India has is in the cultural and religious sphere. India’s religious pluralism is the antidote to the extremism and fundamentalism of Afghanistan and member state Pakistan.

However, on the first day of conference, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members were urged by Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, to develop country-specific climate change programs in light of Pakistan’s vulnerability to the effects of the natural disaster. He also discussed the fight against terrorism and showed his support and commitment for the high quality development of CEPEC. The prime minister also stated Pakistan supports Azerbaijan’s right to defend its territorial integrity and conveyed his sorrow over the loss of 70 Azerbaijani troops in an unprovoked attack by Armenia. This all predicts the strengthening of multilateral ties.

Water borne diseases do occur during the times of flood. People who got affected by the flood had already been traumatized by the flooding but now they are also facing diarrhea, skin infections, and other waterborne illnesses. Water-borne diseases in areas hit by recent record flooding as authorities stepped up efforts to provide clean drinking water to the hundreds of thousands of people who lost their homes in the disaster. Water borne diseases are spreading rapidly in flood affected areas and even in the in relief camps set up by the government across the country. According to a report released by health officials, more than 90,000 cases of diarrhea have been reported from one of the worst-affected provinces. Similarly, according to official data, 44,832 instances of malaria have been recorded since June of this year during the monsoon season. The latest development comes a day after Pakistan and the World Health Organization expressed concern over the spread of water-borne diseases among flood victims. Floodwaters continued to recede in most of the country, but many districts in southern Sindh province remained under water.

Almost half a million people displaced by the floods live in relief camps. In the provinces affected by the floods, thousands of medical camps have been set up in flood-hit areas to treat victims. A number of pregnant women living in flood-affected areas were also exposed to risks. A few days ago, Pakistan and the United Nations asked Pakistan for emergency funding of $160 million. Floods cause climate induced migration. According to initial government estimates, the devastation caused $10 billion in damage. In Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Punjab, there are currently more than 500,000 people living in relief camps as a consequence of internal displacement

Water borne diseases are causing serious health problems. Apart from food scarcity in the affected areas, there is a shortage of clean and hygienic water. Official medical teams have been sent in the relief camps and Non-Governmental organizations are also working to provide them with clean water and other facilities. Public is also donating and the Pakistan is getting foreign assistance as well but there are a lot more problems yet to come due to floods. Winters are coming soon and the displaced population would have to be protected by the cold as well or else they will catch cold. COVID cases usually rise winters and preventive measures for this are also needed to be taken.

Floods are indeed the worst kind of climate crisis. One third of Pakistan and more than 33 million of population have been affected by the floods in Pakistan. The floods have left the whole country in the alarming situation. It has not only caused the deaths, but it has disturbed the whole system of the country. The circumstances are very complicated. The worst floods in recent Pakistani history was followed on by heavy monsoon rains, which has swept away villages and left more than three million children in desperate need of emergency assistance and more vulnerable to waterborne illnesses, drowning, and starvation.

At 22.7 percent, the agriculture industry contributes for nearly a fifth of Pakistan’s GDP. Massive destruction, specifically to the country’s important cotton crop, arises at a time when Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves are rapidly diminishing and the government is already dealing with significant inflation, which reached a five-decade high of 27.3% in August. According to a UN Food and Agriculture Organization study from August 29, about 80% of Sindh’s crops—which provide approximately 30% of all Pakistan’s production of cotton ruined. Pakistan’s textile sector, a significant employment and contributor of foreign cash, uses nearly 70% of the cotton cultivation there. The industry is bracing for a shortage because almost 35% of that is produced in Sindh province by farmers like Kingrani.

Although the immediate financial impact of the disaster in terms of destroyed buildings, bridges, and road networks as well as lost crops and livestock can be calculated, government should also be cautious and must plan for the disaster’s spilling effect on the rest of the economy. Meeting the requirements of tax hikes and austerity policies as part of its deal with IMF for its bailout deal, which was agreed last month for the cash-strapped nation, will be Pakistan’s economic team’s most difficult challenge.

Population has been left homeless and the population of the rural areas owning animals like Cows, Buffaloes, and Chickens have all lost them in flood and it has caused a huge loss to their businesses as well. It has destroyed the whole agricultural system as well. Places which were famous for their tourism are also affected. So, the flood has caused an equal material and non-material loss.

Women from rural areas have almost no access to participation and expression they may not use them through social media either. Apart from this cultural reason, because the media itself has portrayed the media as a male-dominated field, and somehow it is men don’t let their women into the media because they think it’s not safe for them women. They fear that women will be harassed. The role of gender is also intended for the media. The media plays a vital role in determining how women and men are perceived by society. It also shapes values. Gender bias begins in media through the options and choices of media managers and other media professionals. Women are often portrayed in the media as housewives, objects beauty, vulnerable, soft targets, victims of violence, etc. Less attention is given older women and working class and minorities. Stereotypes are negative and destructive because they neglect the individuality and uniqueness of people and result judgments against a particular gender. The media does not only have dogmatic views about women but about also men. The media portrays men as strong and emotionless and that is not the case.

Qatar invites businessmen of both countries to contribute to the development of bilateral trade cooperation and strives to bring Qatari companies and their Pakistani counterparts closer to cooperation for the benefit of both countries. Bringing Pakistanis to work in Qatar and facilities provided in this regard. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of the State of Qatar, has ordered an increase in the number of Pakistani workers in the State of Qatar. Pakistan was among the first eight countries selected by the State of Qatar to open “Qatar Visa Centers Abroad” to curb illegal practices and guarantee workers’ rights by validating contracts. Cooperation in the field of education and healthcare. Pakistan has become the biggest beneficiary of Qatar’s initiative to educate 10 million out-of-school children as Qatar supported the Federal Ministry of Education and Training to launch an education program for 1 million out-of-school children in Pakistan, according to an agreement signed in 2018. The “Lives and Livelihoods Fund”, led by the “Qatar Fund for Development” in the period 2019-2020, finances the project “Support to the National Polio Eradication Program 2019-2022.

In the recent meeting of the representatives of the two states, economic ties between the states has been discussed. The focus was on enhancing the economic ties and strengthen the relationship through these diplomatic means. According to the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif: ‘’Pakistan and Qatar have a clear vision of the future, with new opportunities and greater awareness to upgrade bilateral relations, particularly on the economic front. There is greater awareness between the two countries of the need for upgrading the bilateral relations by making economic cooperation the pivot of bilateral ties.’’ The PM encouraged the Qatari investors to take advantage of the opportunities given by the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and reassured them that the government would fully support them as they strengthened their presence in Pakistan (CPEC). Qatar is also ready to avail the opportunity.

Over the past ten years, there have been numerous geopolitical changes in the larger Middle East and South Asia that have changed the traditional alignment patterns between the states in the two regions. The historical ties that were already in place have been undermined by these shifts, but new partnerships amongst regional stakeholders have also been formed. The partnerships between Turkey, Qatar, and Pakistan fall within the scope of this new engagement, which has gained relevance as a result of the close bilateral ties and political, diplomatic, and security coordination between the three parties on a variety of regional concerns. The three parties’ unique strategic compatibility—in which they don’t truly differ on important geopolitical problems that affect both the area and internationally to their cooperation.

Media is a communication channel. The media allows each individual to be represent themselves. Media is a platform used by everyone where they can freely talk about problems they face. So every gender should have equal access to it. When Pakistani women are entering media, they don’t have a good mentor to help them, train them and make them learn and polish their skills to become successful. The training takes place at the work level. There are far fewer women in Pakistan work in leadership positions. Women in the media are not encouraged to speak freely because of cultural norms. Women also use social networks but comparatively in a lower percentage. Many women are seen in the mainstream media. One of the reasons is that most people find it culturally unacceptable for their women to participate in media.

Women from rural areas have almost no access to participation and expression they may not use them through social media either. Apart from this cultural reason, because the media itself has portrayed the media as a male-dominated field, and somehow it is men don’t let their women into the media because they think it’s not safe for them women. They fear that women will be harassed. The role of gender is also intended for the media. The media plays a vital role in determining how women and men are perceived by society. It also shapes values. Gender bias begins in media through the options and choices of media managers and other media professionals. Women are often portrayed in the media as housewives, objects beauty, vulnerable, soft targets, victims of violence, etc. Less attention is given older women and working class and minorities. Stereotypes are negative and destructive because they neglect the individuality and uniqueness of people and result judgments against a particular gender. The media does not only have dogmatic views about women but about also men. The media portrays men as strong and emotionless and that is not the case.

Media houses in Pakistan lack strategies or policies to address this challenge women who are currently reporting a soft beat. It’s because this thing doesn’t take as a problem and was not recognized as a stereotype or bias against women. When times are assigned by personnel managers, hard tacts which include politics, economic issues and sports are usually assigned to men. They are females mostly focused on social issues. This is the case with mainstream electronic media. Pakistani women also write for newspapers and magazines. In Pakistan, attributes assigned to women are of lesser value than those assigned to men. This creates an uneven balance of power between gender, which leads to discrimination of their rights, unequal opportunities jobs. When women are not given the opportunity to join the mainstream media, they raise voice through social media. Social media is also very powerful tool to let people hear your voice, for entertainment, fashion, communication, etc. Girls from the rural areas are not allowed to use social media and if something bad happens to them like domestic violence, sexual harassment or any other problem, they don’t know how to report it. There are many examples in the case of Pakistan where through social media, different genders got justice. Such as the Zainab rape case. There are also such many cases where women face domestic violence and still choose to stay away from it media because they are worried about their reputation. Also, whenever there is any conflict or disaster like floods, earthquake etc. female reporters are needed to address the issues of women in an affected area.

If women participate in the media, they will first be aware of their rights and along with this, they will speak for other women as well. They will also solve the problems of other girls and women and they will gender-sensitive reporting. Equal participation of all genders would lead to peace journalism in a way that when there is gender sensitive reporting and not propaganda against any gender. Mainstream media operates at the government level, so the voice of each gender should be heard from it equally. Most transgender people they are not educated and no one studies media studies so they are not capable of it representation and participation in mainstream media. There should be proper training and space for them to express themselves and fight for their rights through the media. Equal participation of women and men in the media can play a role in conflict-sensitive reporting well.

Israel’s assaults on Gaza has been increasing day by day. The situation there has been worsening even more since May 2021. Protests took place nationwide against the brutal Israel’s attacks and this led to a temporary cease fire for the time being. This became possible because people got to know about the killings of Palestinians by Israelis through social media. The violence has flared up now. There is no proper media coverage given in case of Israel Palestine conflict. Media plays a very important role in any violent conflict. It can also help in transforming the violent conflict into the non-violent one by giving it a nonbiased coverage.

Role of mainstream media is not prominent in case of Israel-Palestine conflict. There is a very minimal role of social media but that is not enough. Media should unleash the world about the atrocities committed in Gaza strip by the Israel. The world know very less about what is happening in Gaza. There are apparent war crimes being committed in Gaza which needs to be covered by the digital media. Very few reports are there on the war crimes and that too are on the print media. Israel’s behavior is represented less negatively. Their human rights violations and war crimes are not labeled as that what they are but, in fact, they are just considered as the violence in conflict.

Afghanistan is undergoing a major shift backward as basic human rights are restricted there, despite the fact that the war is over and there is relatively peaceful environment. The decade long armed conflict is over but it has left long lasting affects in the region. The Taliban government may still be in contact with the outside community, but there is no indication that they have received official recognition. Even those nations that had been in favor of a more lenient approach to them have demonstrated deep concern over the Taliban because of their own inflexibility, which was encouraged by the hard-liners among them, regarding women and other human rights as well.

As Taliban did not get recognition and there have been no proper diplomatic relations between the Afghanistan and the other countries, so, the Taliban continued to follow their same old rigid policies. Things would have been different if the Taliban government was not into isolation. While Afghanistan remains cut off from the rest of the world, and is unable to accept a progressive rule that curtails equal rights for women and basic human rights, there is a realization that Taliban challenges being faced by the nation cannot be properly be resolved if the country and the government remains isolated. Not only this, reports of transnational militant groups reappearing in Afghanistan and posing a serious danger to regional security are even more worrisome. Militant organizations like Al Qaeda, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement also use Afghanistan as a base for their illegal activities. These organizations are a major source of concern for the regional countries as well

Now, Taliban radicals have no hesitation about marginalizing the more moderate Taliban members in order to promote their obscurantist beliefs over international participation. Such a policy will undoubtedly lead to disaster for a nation already battling with serious economic, social, and political issues.Back are the days in Afghanistan where the minority groups and women rights were sidelined and Afghanistan had existential crisis. Taliban government alone cannot take out Afghanistan from this chaos.

Definition of food security as per the United Nations’ Committee on World Food Security is: ‘’All people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their food preferences and dietary needs for an active and healthy life.’’ Food security is one of the very important part of the national security as well. Food security is directly linked with the population of the state and involves the humanitarian factor that is why it cannot be neglected and can pose to the national security of a state. Massive amount of population resides in the rural area of Pakistan where all the agricultural activities are taking place as well. Food security is equally important for both, rural and urban areas of the country.

How Can Rural Areas Be Made Food Secure?

There are some food related difficulties faced by the people in rural areas due to the lack of facilities, and once they are addressed, only then food security can be achieved. For example, Families cannot cultivate vegetables on the majority of the household-level land in the region due to salinity. Small, on-site versions of a vertical gardening system are built during Farmer Field Schools, filled with good soil, and then used to grow vegetables. Therefore, the best and most cost-effective solution is a vertical garden system. The majority of the resources used in this learning process are found nearby and are recycled, including wheels and plastic bottles. Improvement in farming methods is needed to increase agricultural production. Agricultural productivity and food availability are negatively impacted by issues like salinity and waterlogging, which have a direct impact on nutrition. Through adaptability and enhanced farming practices, these obstacles can be addressed. Crop yields, food diversity, security, and nutrition are all predicted to grow with improved adaptive farming techniques. Community fish farms are also another crucial component of the idea. Many impoverished communities living in distant regions far from large cities cannot buy fresh and high-quality seafood. The project’s delivery of goats and chickens is essential because it gives families reliable and secure food sources. For instance, goat’s milk has the same nutritional value as breast milk and its fat content improves digestion.

Change in eating habits is also required to prevent malnutrition. For long-term improvements in under nutrition, social and behavioral changes in regard to eating patterns are crucial because they contribute to a more complete rise in food diversity. In the developing countries like Pakistan, there is under or uneven development. By these two terms it means that the urban areas are more developed and more is invested in the city sides and the rural areas remain less developed. For example, Baluchistan is a province rich in mineral and resources but it is less developed while Punjab is comparatively more develop. So, instead of investing more in development of Punjab, first the underdeveloped regions should be taken into consideration. Same is the case with urban and rural areas. Rural areas should be provided with some basic facilities which can ensure the food security there. Understanding how agricultural policies affect food supply, income, and the poor and vulnerable in rural and urban regions, as well as how this burden is transferred on to other sectors, is necessary for managing food security in Pakistan. Another important think when we talk about food security is to keep a check and balance on food wastage as well. Food waste occurs at the retail, food service, and residential levels while food loss happens from the farm up to and excluding retail. Poor handling, improper shipping or storage, a lack of cold chain capacity, adverse weather conditions, low hygienic standards, and consumers with poor planning and preparation abilities are just a few of the causes. Simply put, less food wasted or lost means more food for everyone.