South Asia

May, 2023

  • 25 May

    Explainer: A Historical Trail of Pakistan’s Powerful Military Enterprise

    akistan’s former military chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa declared at the end of his tenure the military would no longer meddle in politics. However, the recent arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan – once seen as the “army’s blue-eyed boy” – and the army’s intention to prosecute civilian protesters under military laws proves the men in uniform are still …

April, 2023

  • 30 April

    What Would it Take to Recognize the Taliban?

    ince the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, speculation has been rife over whether the group would achieve the global recognition that has long eluded it. Early on, analysts predicted that in a quest for legitimacy, a reformed Taliban, whose rhetoric promised a modern and moderate approach to governance, would honor basic human rights and prevent Afghanistan from again becoming …

March, 2023

  • 31 March

    Explaining the Resurgence of Terrorist Violence in Pakistan

    s Pakistan reliving the scary specter of 2013? It may be — the last quarter of 2022 set the tone for the ensuing months, with December ending off the year as the deadliest month for Pakistan’s security forces in over a decade. Around 282 military and police personnel were among the 973 total fatalities in 2022. At the center of …

  • 14 March

    Confronting Climate Change — and the Taliban — in Afghanistan

    his past December, a fleet of colorful swan-shaped boats lined the muddy banks of Qargha Lake, a reservoir on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan. The boats’ owner, 50-year-old Shah Maqsoud Habibi, said his business has vanished, along with much of the lake, a once popular weekend destination for war weary Afghans. Over the past few years, a series of droughts …

January, 2023

  • 25 January

    Pakistan’s Forgotten Citizens and the Reality of 1971 Massacres

    ifty-one years ago Pakistan split into two parts within 24 years of its existence. The tragedy of the Fall of Dacca in 1971 is still fresh in sensitive hearts. Unfortunately, in Pakistan even today the discussion goes only on regarding who was responsible for this debacle – the Army or the politicians? Pakistanis are so engrossed in their own internal …

  • 12 January

    Afghanistan’s Taliban Reportedly Have Control of US Biometric Devices

    n the wake of the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul and the ouster of the Afghan national government in August 2021, alarming reports indicated that the insurgents had potentially accessed biometric data collected by the U.S. to track Afghans, including people who worked for U.S. and coalition forces. Afghans who once supported the U.S. have been attempting to hide or destroy …

December, 2022

  • 23 December

    Pakistan’s Sherry Rehman: A Leader for Climate Justice

    Recently, we saw Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman emerge as a strong proponent for climate justice. The UN Climate Change Conference COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, saw her as a vocal advocate standing for Pakistan. Calling other countries to rethink their lifestyles, highlighting the vulnerable position of Pakistan and its inability in tolerating this dystopia, she defended her stance well. …

  • 20 December

    Resurge in Violence: Return of Proxy Terrorism to Pakistan?

    akistan has witnessed a sudden increase in terrorist attacks. Imtiaz Gul analyzes the motives and the support TTP may be receiving in its latest bloody campaign. Courtesy: Matrix Media Youtube channel    

November, 2022

  • 28 November

    The Anarchist is Out and a General is In: What Next for Pakistan?

    Pakistan cannot complete its political reset, and consequently an economic reset, without upholding the law and the constitution. It will have to start by restraining sections of the GHQ from its assertive political role.

August, 2022

  • 28 August

    Pakistan Reeling under Devastating Floods, Massive Death and Destruction

    Almost a thousand people are dead and the country's economy received damage to the tune of $4 billion.