TTP – Threat to Pakistan and Beyond on February 22, 2023As Pakistan struggles with a major economic crisis and an ever-turbulent political scene, the growing threat posed by Tehrik Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is yet another challenge for the stressed homeland. The latest suicidal attacks in Peshawar and Karachi were the deadliest since Afghan Taliban took over Afghanistan. The lethality and the ability of the attackers […]
Afghanistan: Proxy Conflicts on September 22, 2021The proxy warfare includes external support for a faction engaged in a civil war, national liberation movement, or assistance to a national revolt against foreign occupation. Proxy wars remain one of the major categories of conflicts that contribute to humanitarian crises around the world. Iran and Pakistan may be happy to have the US troops […]
India and Russia—Less Useful to Each Other on September 15, 2021Gone are the days when even a child in India, if asked about India’s best friend, would have blurted out, “Russia.” The old ties between New Delhi and Moscow have become the geopolitical equivalent of a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. Today, Modi has drawn India more closely than ever to […]
Kashmir – Spillover beyond Afghanistan on September 8, 2021The dramatic swift victory of the Taliban in Afghanistan defied all prior analyses of the Afghanistan peace process. It has rekindled apprehensions about the possible spillover beyond Afghanistan borders. As news about the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul streamed on screens, a wave of jubilation swept through the Kashmir Valley. Kashmiris are gripped by a sense […]
Afghanistan: it is Minerals, Stupid on September 2, 2021Whatever the other reasons for war may be, there is always an economic motive underlying most conflicts, even if the stated aim of the war shared to the public is something nobler. Afghanistan, the graveyard of empires, is a rich cradle of mineral and natural resources, including copper, lithium, rare earths, gold and crude oil pegged […]
India’s Taliban Dilemma on August 24, 2021India is scrambling to get on the good side of the Taliban after decades of backing up the previous Afghan regime. There is substantial fear in New Delhi that the return of the Taliban to power means the return of Pakistan-supported administration. The sudden fall of Kabul accelerates a fundamental realignment with Pakistan that was […]
Afghanistan Imbroglio on August 18, 2021The government of Ashraf Ghani in Kabul crumbled sooner than expected. The departure of the very forces that temporarily expelled both the Taliban and Al-Qaeda 20 years ago has come as a massive morale boost to anti-Western Jihadists all over the world. The withdrawal of US troops will affect Pakistan greater than any other country […]
Pakistan at Crossroads on August 10, 2021Pakistan has always been at crossroads. At one end of the political spectrum, the country sits at a critical crossroads of global terrorism, while on the other end, its rivalry with the regional hegemon India has caused a plethora of issues. Historically, the US-Pakistan relations have largely followed a clientelistic pattern. The patron needed a […]
Who Lost the War in Afghanistan? on August 3, 2021USA, by no means, is the first superpower to get bogged down in chaos and violence in Afghanistan, dubbed as “the graveyard of empires” for good reason. A serious political debate that who has lost the war in Afghanistan will go on for a long time. There ought to be a far more serious effort […]
Urbanisation or Mushrooming Slums on July 27, 2021Human civilisation has been changing the Earthsince forever with no heed to its detrimental impacts. Urbanisation, deforestation and dam construction alter water cycles and wind patterns; occasionally triggering droughts, even creating deserts. Since Pakistan’s population growing by over two per cent every year, many Pakistanis are flocking to big cities and towns, way faster than […]