Pakistan was among the first countries to recognise the People’s Republic of China in 1950, at a time when Beijing remained diplomatically isolated from most of the world. Diplomatic relations were established on 21 May 1951. That early recognition was more of a foreign policy choice than an economic calculation, shaped by geography and Islamabad’s […]
Op-Ed
BLA’s War on Women
There is an image the Balochistan Liberation Army wants the world to see: a woman in militant fatigues, renamed as resistance and pushed across sympathetic media feeds. There is another image that it fears more. A nurse sitting before cameras in Quetta, saying she had been misled, trapped and blackmailed. A teenage girl stopped on […]
Trump says Iran wants a deal, but Washington splits on war or peace
President Donald Trump insists that the Islamic Republic “really wants to make a deal” with the United States and that any agreement “will be a good one for the U.S.A. and those that are with us”. He urged critics to “sit back and relax” and complained that political “chirping” from Democrats and some Republicans made […]
Water as a Weapon: Unravelling of a Treaty the World Once Called a Miracle (Part I)
There is a river that has flowed through the heart of Pakistani Punjab for centuries. Farmers along its banks have measured their seasons by it, calibrated their sowing to it, and built civilisations around the certainty of its arrival. The Chenab is not merely a river to Pakistan. It is a lifeline. And for the […]
From Collapse to Comeback: The Rise of ABHI Bank
Some stories are about growth. Others are about survival. But once in a generation, a story emerges about resurrection. When TPL and Abhi came together to enter the banking space, we were not searching for an easy acquisition. We were stepping into one of the most difficult institutional recovery challenges in Pakistan’s financial sector. FINCA […]
Art of Mediation
In an increasingly polarised world, diplomacy is often celebrated when it succeeds and forgotten when it fails. Headlines are often dominated by wars, military strikes, and political confrontations, while the quieter work of mediation receives little attention. However, history demonstrates that some of the most significant achievements in international relations have been catalysed by diplomatic […]
From Awareness to Action
History bears eloquent testimony to the immutable truth that no enemy-whether marching openly with banners flying or striking from the shadows with deceit-can ever be mastered without the full and harmonious support of every pillar of the state. Should even a single unit falter or withhold its strength, the grand design for victory collapses. From […]
Devil Exposed: How BLA Exploits Women and Youth?
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has definitively stripped away any remaining pretence of being a legitimate political resistance movement. Long masquerading as an indigenous campaign fighting for local rights, it has evolved into a highly manipulative terrorist enterprise. To sustain its violent campaign, the group now relies heavily on a deeply concerning strategy: the systematic […]
Pakistan’s Ports and the New Economics of Regional Conflict
Geopolitical crises often create economic losers and strategic winners. While most countries view regional conflicts primarily through the lens of security threats, some states are able to identify and exploit the commercial opportunities that emerge from shifting trade patterns. The ongoing instability in the Middle East presents such a moment for Pakistan. For decades, Pakistan’s […]
How Venture Capital Learned to Survive Pakistan’s Fragile Economy
In 2021, money seemed to fall from the sky. Pakistani startups raised a record $347 million across 82 deals, with the grocery-delivery company Airlift alone pulling in an $85 million round – at the time the largest in the country’s history. The mood was euphoric. Incubators multiplied, co-working spaces filled up, and a generation of […]