Palestine issue and Pompeo’s Israel Visiton May 16, 2020The seven-decade-long Palestine-Israel dispute started in 1948 when the Arab-Israel war divided the land into three parts: The West Bank, Gaza Strip, and the State of Israel. Every American administration in the White House has supported Israel but in December 2017, Trump crossed the threshold that his predecessors were refraining from: recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s […]
Afghanistan: two possible future scenarioson May 12, 2020The Afghan land is in trouble and war since President Sardar Daoud staged a bloodless coup against his cousin, King Zahir Shah, in 1973 during the latter’s visit to Italy. Daoud’s tilt towards the Soviets and his pro-communist policies resented the masses and political leadership provided for the struggle against his power. Although he was […]
President Ghani: between the devil and the blue deep seaon April 30, 2020Exactly five years before in April 2015, I wrote an article titled ‘Ghani, in quest of peace’ when President Ghani was really in search of peace with the Taliban to overcome the labyrinthine security situation in the country. He had offered the governorship of three southern provinces: Nimruz, Helmand, and Kandahar to the Taliban in […]
US-Taliban peace deal: what next?on March 2, 2020Finally, the US and Taliban has signed a peace deal after the 18 months long negotiations in the Qatari capital Doha. The US will start withdrawing its troops within the hundred days of the deal and will have to complete it within 14 months. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on the occasion of […]
The post-US withdrawal scenarioon February 19, 2019The situation in Afghanistan after four decades of war and chaos and is likely to enter into a new phase after the United States’ (US) withdrawal and the peace deal between the US, Taliban, and the Afghan government. On various grounds, questions are arising about the future set-up in Afghanistan that it might plunge into […]
Politics on borderlandon September 5, 2016The borderland between Pakistan and Afghanistan, due to its strategic importance, has been historically vital for all the powers that retained authority over there. Being a focal point of the great game, this area was utilised by the British to vie with Russia. Later, it jeopardised the relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan after the independence […]
Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US IIon July 28, 2016Officials of the US administrations during the tenures of George W Bush and Barack Obama clearly stated that their relations with Pakistan were limited to cooperation in the fight against terrorism. However, with India the US relations were based on long-term cooperation in the areas of trade, commerce, defence, and high-technology exchange. The peak-point in […]
Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US Ion July 27, 2016The relationship between Pakistan and the United States since 9/11 has seen insurmountable mistrust, and steep ups and downs. The West in general and the United States in particular have been trying to present Pakistan as a hypocrite and double-dealer in the war against terror. The huge sacrifices and human and material looses borne by […]
Emerging scenarioson June 13, 2016Will the transition of the Taliban and the Afghan government’s peace agreement made with Hizb-e-Islami in Afghanistan may help reduce the unity government’s frustration? The two-year term of the political agreement brokered by the US Secretary of State John Kerry between Dr Ashraf Ghani and Dr Abdullah Abdullah on September 21, 2014 to settle the […]
The crux of the Indo-Pak sour tieson September 1, 2015With border skirmishes escalating, the blame game is on. Indian hostility is remarkable and the statements from both sides have kept the pot boiling. One should not be optimistic about cordial Pak-India ties in the presence of India’s biased policy of non-acceptance towards Pakistan. Indo-Pak ties had changed for the better when Prime Minister Nawaz […]