The Centre for Research & Security Studies (CRSS) claims to be Pakistan’s first think-tank founded by civil society activists, and committed to producing quality and impartial analysis on a range of issues. CRSS works in the areas of governance, security and terrorism, and the environment. The centre has an advocacy role, and hosts regular conferences, seminars, and workshops to spread the findings of research produced by the centre.

CRSS has published reports on issues of human security such as the water and power crisis, as well as exploring the links between peacebuilding and the Jihadi curriculum in Pakistan, democracy, the Taliban, terrorism and governance. Often, peace in South Asia cannot be seen in isolation due to strong connections with neighbouring countries, hence CRSS's focus on understanding the regional situation.

CRSS produces the Pakistan Conflict Tracker which monitors the many conflicts in Pakistan. The tracker produces weekly and monthly situation reports, which are made available online.