China’s positioning with regard to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been in the spotlight in recent weeks, and it is likely to be a central topic of discussion at the China-European Union Summit scheduled to be held this Friday. But for Beijing, which is seeking to mend fences and shore up ties with countries in South Asia, diplomacy closer to […]

Ukraine’s successes in resisting and even turning back an invasion by a numerically superior Russian force has raised expectations in East Asia that smaller nations in the region could conceivably fend off an attack from a large military like China’s. Taiwan, of course, has long struggled with executing such a defense strategy, but since its strategic considerations are in many […]

In April, the Taliban announced a blanket ban on drug production and use in Afghanistan. There are a number of potential reasons for the move, which would cause considerable financial pain to many of the group’s core constituencies, as well as to the Taliban itself. But the timing of the announcement suggests that the ban will not go into effect […]

Strengthening Shariah compliance of Islamic banking industry in line with the best international practices is one of the key pillars of 3rd Strategic Plan for Islamic Banking Industry 2021-25 of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). Under the plan, SBP has been adopting Shariah standards of Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) in a systematic and gradual manner. […]

Summary Post-abrogation of Article 370, India successfully ensured that the internal political rearrangement did not attract negative international attention, despite vocal efforts by Pakistan and Turkey. This waning international support has led militant groups to seek renewed legitimacy and support for their activities. The rhetoric of ‘struggle for resistance’ against ‘occupational forces’ is being aired, as opposed to calls for […]

Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) provide a service many people take for granted. The GNSS applications people use fall into five major categories: location (determining a position), navigation (getting from one location to another), tracking (monitoring movement of people or objects), mapping (creating maps of the world), and timing (calculating time). Generally, a GNSS has a constellation of at least […]

The UN secretary-general’s new deputy special representative (political) for Afghanistan has arrived in Kabul. On 17 June 2022, António Guterres, the UN chief, appointed Markus Potzel of Germany as his new DSR for Afghanistan. A statement from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAM) said Potzel arrived in Kabul on July 3. Potzel brings to the position more than […]

Afghan religious leader Khwaja Sayyad Chishti, also known as Sufi Baba, has been shot dead in India’s Maharashtra state, a media report said on Wednesday. The 35-year-old Muslim community leader from Afghanistan was shot dead by a group of four unidentified attackers in the Yeola town of Nashik district on Tuesday, NDTV quoted police as saying. Motive behind the murder […]

Pakistan on Tuesday said it had arrested a militant who provided technical support for a deadly suicide bomb attack on Chinese teachers at Karachi University in April. A suspected female suicide bomber killed three Chinese teachers, drawing strong condemnation from Beijing, in the first major attack this year against nationals of long-time ally China working in Pakistan. Four people died […]

Mawlavi Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid, Afghanistan’s acting minister of defense, arrived in Qatar on Tuesday for a two day visit. Mujahid is expected to discuss a number of issues with Qatari authorities. This is his first trip abroad after being appointed to the post following the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) takeover in August last year. Mohammad Naeem Wardak, the spokesman […]