China, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are all near neighbours in the region. All four can share common regional ties both in terms of their geographical proximity, development journey and through more recent ties through membership of the regional trade bloc. Sri Lanka differs in that it is an island economy and has been utilizing this in terms of developing […]

The nuclear capability of Pakistan is purely security based and depends upon the changing technological developments in the region. Pakistan maintains a posture of credible minimum deterrence and ensures strategic stability in the region. However, India continually pushes Pakistan towards arms race, by the development and induction of new aggressive technology, and incorporation of offensive doctrines. The proliferation of supersonic […]

Geographically, the neighbourhood is typically a country’s first point of diplomacy. India’s relationship with its neighbouring countries (NCs)—Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka—has similarly been key to its foreign policy. This is certainly true of the past decade (2010-2020), especially since 2014, when the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government first enunciated its ‘Neighbourhood First’ Policy (NFP), […]

The Iran-China 25-Year Cooperation Programme, signed in March in Tehran, was paid little attention by the mainstream media. The vague and broad text of the leaked draft agreement from the year prior and the absence of attention made it look like every other agreement for cultural cooperation between two countries. However, more careful analysis showed that this act gave tremendous […]

Russia test-fired around 10 new Tsirkon (Zircon) hypersonic cruise missiles from a frigate and two more from a submarine, Interfax news agency said on Friday citing northern fleet. Russian President Vladimir Putin has lauded the weapon as part of a new generation of unrivalled arms systems. Putin has called a missile test, conducted last week, “a big event in the […]

Afghanistan and Pakistan have negotiated a Double Taxation Agreement (DTA) which will help strengthen existing economic and trade ties. The tax treaty was agreed to during negotiations between officials from the Afghan Ministry of Finance and Pakistan’s Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials in Islamabad but still needs to be finalized. The Afghan ministry of finance said the main purpose […]

At least four people were killed and 15 others wounded in a blast in the center of Balochistan in Quetta city of Pakistan, local media outlets reported. Pakistani Dawn News agency reported that the explosion took place close to a college at the Jinnah Road area of the city on Thursday night. The blast was triggered by a remote-controlled device, […]

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health said 90 percent of foreign aid to the health sector has been cut, which has resulted in serious challenges. Addressing a press conference on Saturday in Kabul, Abdul Bari Omar, the deputy minister of health, said that despite the challenges, health centers are open across the country. “They (foreign organizations) skip all their commitments, a […]

Afghan and Chinese officials have met virtually for their first China-Afghanistan liaison mechanism meeting, at a working level, for humanitarian assistance and economic reconstruction, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said Sunday. Hafiz Zia Ahmad, a Deputy Spokesman for MoFA, stated that the meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministries of Finance, Trade, Mines, and the Afghan Red Crescent […]

Pakistani security forces raided two militant hideouts in a former Taliban stronghold near Afghanistan, triggering shootings that killed four soldiers and two insurgents, the military said Friday. The first raid was carried our in the Tank district in the northwest, killing two militants, the statement said. The other strike was carried out in the North Waziristan district, capturing a militant […]