Less than two weeks after the May 9 protests in which military assets and facilities in Pakistan were targeted by incensed mobs, Pakistan army’s media wing Inter Services Public Relations [ISPR] issued a press release stating that army chief Gen Syed Asim Munir had said that “legal process of trial against planners, instigators, abettors and perpetrators involved in 9 May […]

In April 2022, less than a year after it took power in Kabul, the Taliban announced it would prohibit the cultivation, production, trafficking, trade and consumption of all narcotics in Afghanistan. At the time, many observers were skeptical of both the group’s sincerity, due to the revenues it had long generated from the drugs industry, and its ability to enforce […]

A greater proportion of Muslims migrate from India as compared to Hindus. Art 14 and other human rights institutions tell us why. Only 15% of India’s population is Muslim but 33% of all India-born migrants in the world are Muslims. About 80% of the people in India are Hindus, but Hindus are only 41% of emigrants from India, according to […]

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s visit to India is long overdue and timely, in elevating a new way forward of a strengthened Kuala Lumpur-New Delhi ties, which forms one of the most strategic and critical bilateral relationships in the region for both economic and geopolitical domains. Anwar’s three-day visit is also a chance to reset Malaysia’s relations with India, following […]

The recent statement by the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dismissing the remarks made by Pakistan’s envoy about the potential for a 9/11-style attack originating from Afghanistan, has sparked widespread debate. The Ministry’s assertion that such a threat is more likely to originate from Pakistan rather than Afghanistan is not only misleading but also overlooks the harsh realities on the […]

The Communist Party of China is officially atheist but China’s premier, Li Qiang, recently had a “come to Jesus” meeting with Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif. China is frustrated by Pakistan’s inability to protect Chinese workers on the $62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a key part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Aside from killing Chinese citizens, the […]

The continued pricing dispute over the Power of Siberia II gas pipeline might lead to Russia prioritizing its new gas MoUs with Iran and Azerbaijan to pioneer a southern-directed pipeline for facilitating Russian-Iranian gas swaps with India. The South China Morning Post reported earlier this week that “Future murky for Russia-China pipeline as Mongolia omits project from long-term plan” after […]

According to recent reports, Pakistan has increased tariff taxes on Afghan fruits from 15,000 to 60,000 PKR per ton, an increase sixfold this time. Meanwhile, in another move, Pakistan has not allowed Afghanistan’s 300 trucks loaded with Afghan fruits and vegetables between Afghanistan-Pakistan ports due to the absence of a temporary permit to enter Pakistan, a document to be issued […]

As the Taliban celebrated three years of its reign in power, many scholars still ponder on how the group rose to take the seat at Kabul; some still jittered from the memories of evacuation on the dawn of 15 August 2021. The group undoubtedly had favourable factors behind their successful takeover, but the significance of Qatar cannot simply be ignored […]

On August 11, a high official in the Bangladesh police resigned, noting the force has transformed into a “public enemy.” In his resignation letter, Md Moniruzzaman, an additional deputy inspector general with the Tourist Police in Khulna-Barisal, said, “Over the past 10 years, I was compelled to carry out illegal orders from ministers linked to the Awami League (AL) government.” […]