As China’s influence expands and its assertiveness increases in Southeast Asia, regional powers, particularly Japan, encounter growing pressure to establish a robust collective security framework. Some scholars and policymakers propose the creation of an “Asian NATO” to counterbalance perceived threats from China and to uphold regional peace and stability. However, while China’s military presence and expansionist policies indeed present challenges […]

In the complex socio-political landscape of Pakistan, the Jirga system has long been an integral part of conflict resolution, especially in the tribal regions of the Pashtun belt. This traditional assembly, which brings together elders and community members to mediate disputes and administer justice, has served as a peaceful mechanism for addressing issues within these communities. The Pakistani government, recognizing […]

It’s an established fact that Pakistani speakers at the United Nations General Assembly [UNGA] repeatedly serve the same old wine brewed by infusing the Kashmir issue with the Palestine problem with a generous sprinkling of institutionalised persecution of Muslims in India with Islamophobia every year. Consequently, people with little appetite or patience for listening to a litany of repetitive remonstrations […]

On 26 December 2023, the State Administration Council (SAC) military regime in Myanmar inked with China an addendum to the concession agreement for the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and its deep-sea port.[1] This deep-sea port, coupled with the SEZ, is a critical component of the ambitious China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC). This corridor is strategically designed to provide quick sea […]

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Naypyidaw to meet junta boss Min Aung Hlaing in August has rocked Myanmar’s political landscape. Two days after Wang’s visit to the Myanmar capital, officials from the US State Department held talks with leaders of the shadow National Unity Government and “K3C”, pledging full support for Myanmar’s revolution and the restoration of democracy. […]

Two Chinese nationals were killed in an explosion near the international airport of the southern Pakistani city of Karachi on Sunday night, the Chinese embassy in Pakistan said, in what it described as a “terrorist attack”. In a statement emailed to journalists, separatist militant group Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed the explosion was an attack carried out by them using […]

Flying through Afghan airspace is proving to be the safest option for international airlines, with Iran’s missile bombardment of Israel causing a noticeable shift in flight patterns The number of international flights passing through Taliban-controlled Afghan airspace reached a record high this week in the aftermath of Iran’s missile attack against Israel. On Thursday, a record 191 flights passed over […]

Nuclear power represents an unfulfilled promise in India. Yet the ambition to become a developed economy by 2047 and achieve net zero emissions by 2070 will require large investments in nuclear energy—which in turn demand bold reforms in India’s nuclear estate and greater foreign participation in its nuclear industry. Introduction Ever since its independence in 1947, India has obsessively pursued […]

Khudanoor Lajai, a brilliant young Baloch man killed by the Iranian regime, is one of the symbols of the uprising against the Islamic Republic of Iran. On September 30, 2022, Lajai joined the Zahedan protests against the Islamic regime that resulted in the “Bloody Friday.”[1] A day later he quarreled with IRGC personnel and was shot at close range. Family […]

Iran has stepped up efforts to deport Afghan migrants and said that by the end of March next year, two million undocumented migrants will be “expelled” from the country. According to Iranian media reports, Ahmad Reza Radan, the commander-in-chief of Iran’s law enforcement, stated that “over 750,000 illegal migrants” have already been deported from Iran, and this number will total […]