On a Saturday morning last month, 31-year-old journalist Abdul Saboor Sirat took a taxi to a ceremony in his home city of Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan for “Afghan Journalists Day.” He joined around 100 people gathered in the basement of a cultural center. But within thirty minutes, the journalists meant to be the event’s guests of honor instead became victims. […]

Abstract: After the historic events leading to the Taliban’s capture of Afghan territory and return to government in the summer of 2021, the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)—better known as the Pakistani Taliban—has begun a trajectory to emulate its allies in Afghanistan. Founded in 2007 as an umbrella movement in Pakistan’s tribal territory uniting the area’s militant Islamist outfits, the TTP later […]

Sirajuddin Haqqani, Interior Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), said on Monday in a meeting that there won’t be an atmosphere of trust unless moral principles become the norm, and that having malicious intent for others is “bad politics”. Haqqani made the remarks in a meeting with Chinese Ambassador Wang Yu in Kabul. During the meeting, Wang said […]

Pakistan’s prime minister has appointed veteran diplomat Asif Khan Durrani as the special envoy for Afghanistan, Islamabad’s foreign ministry said Tuesday in a statement. Durrani, is a highly experienced diplomat who brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his new role. Having served in various key positions within the diplomatic corps, including as Pakistan’s ambassador to several countries, Durrani […]

The G20, a premier forum for international economic cooperation, has become increasingly politicized in recent years, as its agenda has expanded to include more contentious and complex issues, such as climate change, trade disputes, migration, and human rights. This trend has been driven by the rising salience, polarization, and mobilization of actors and issues in the global arena, as well […]

South China Morning Post, in an article entitled, ‘Xi Jinping extends birthday wishes to Chinese-speaking Kazakh president known for standing up to Putin’, said: “Zhu Yongbiao, professor of politics and international relations at the Central Asia research institute at Lanzhou University, said the fact that Tokayev’s birthday coincided with his state visit and the summit could be seen as an […]

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka for Doha on Monday, 22 May on a three-day official visit to attend the Qatar Economic Forum 2023 at the invitation of Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The prime minister will attend the Forum titled “3rd Qatar Economic Forum: A New Global Growth Story” to be held on 23-25 May. The […]

In his farewell speech, outgoing Pakistan army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa admitted that the people of Pakistan had become critical of the army and rightly reasoned that “The main reason for this is the involvement of the army in politics for the last 70 years, which is unconstitutional.” He then went on to say that the Pakistan army had […]

India’s involvement with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is of paramount importance in advancing its interests within the region. India can potentially improve regional connectivity, mitigate security concerns, secure access to energy resources, and counterbalance China’s regional influence by virtue of its membership in the SCO. The convocation of foreign ministers from the eight constituent nations of the SCO in […]

The Pakistan Army in 2023 faces its gravest challenge in the manner of 1971 dismemberment of the Pakistan Nation State due to anarchic violence unleashed eating into the entrails of Pakistan’s very continuance as a Nation State by former PM Imran Khan, constitutionally ousted in April 2022. Reminiscent of the 1971 preceding events then too yet another impulsive Pakistani political […]