What’s behind the dramatic increase in strategic cooperation? One word: China. Against the backdrop of tightening U.S.-India ties, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads to Washington this week for an official state visit — only the third President Joe Biden has hosted since taking office. The bilateral relationship has soared to new heights in recent years, particularly on economic, technological […]

An Iranian and Bangladeshi national was remanded to five day police custody by a local court in Tripura. They were arrested for their suspected link with Pakistani militants. A senior police official said that the police on Wednesday arrested Iranian Yakub Yazdanbakhsh and Bangladeshi national Shahin Mondal at the Aswani market area under Amatoli police station on the outskirts of […]

Four militants were killed along the Line of Control (LoC) at Kala Jungle area of Machil sector in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district in a joint operation of Army and Police. In a tweet, Kashmir Police said that that four militants have been killed in the operation while they were trying to infiltrate in to this side. Police tweeted “In a […]

Militance by separatist insurgents in Jammu, part of India’s Jammu and Kashmir territory, is resurfacing after a gap of 14 years, a former top military officer told VOA June 20. There have been at least six deadly attacks, resulting in the loss of 33 lives, including 10 civilians, since 2021. The first wave of militancy emerged in 1990. Deependra Singh […]

Frustration with the rising threat of terrorism emanating from Afghanistan emerged at a meeting this week of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a defense and economic alliance platform consisting of China, Russia, India, Pakistan and four central Asian nations. Russia and Tajikistan say Afghanistan, which holds an uncertain observer status in the SCO following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, […]

Recent reports suggest that Russia has made limited use of riot control agent as a weapon during its war against Ukraine. If true, what might explain this particular use – and what are the prospects of more widescale deployment of chemical weapons by Moscow? On 2 May 2023, state-controlled Channel 1 reported that Russia has used riot control agent (RCA) […]

The army’s crackdown may appear to have been effective in undermining Imran Khan and dismantling his political party, but the long-term consequences could be serious. Too much time has been spent on ugly political manoeuvres, whereas the focus needs to be on the economy. A failure to address Pakistan’s economic woes could lead to popular unrest and present the army […]

FlashbackOn June 13, 2019, government of Pakistan issued a notification approving the creation of National Development Council [NDC] comprising 13 members under the then Prime Minister Imran Khan, which included the serving army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa. The ‘terms of reference’ assigned to this newly created body were, “set policies and strategies for development; formulated and tailor policies to […]

In recent months, growing tensions in the Taiwan Strait as well as the rapid and coordinated Group of Seven (G7) economic response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have raised questions—in G7 capitals and in Beijing alike—over whether similar measures could be imposed on China in a Taiwan crisis. This report examines the range of plausible economic countermeasures on the table […]

Pakistan’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar visited Torkham crossing point between Pakistan and Afghanistan this week and urged officials to deal with Afghans with respect and care. Pakistan ministry of foreign affairs said on Twitter that Khar also called for the completion of the Integrated Transit Trade Management System (ITTMS) at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. She was […]