“Most countries have an army, but Pakistan’s army has a country.” Pakistan has had a near continuous military dominance of both serving and retired General officers being co-opted into its bureaucracy by lateral induction. General Musharraf brought in officers at every level. Imran Khan Government appears to have beaten all earlier records in filling civilian posts with military officers into […]

Islamic fundamentalism and violence is on the rise in Bangladesh. Anti-France protests, violent protests during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit and communal violence in Comilla all demonstrate the influence Islamist radicals have, particularly Hefazat-e-Islam. The rise of hardline Islamic forces poses a challenge to the Bangladeshi government on whether it will protect its secular principles or continue its patronage […]

The U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice Program has offered a new $10 million bounty for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the leader of the Islamic State Khorasan Province. Sanaullah Ghafar, the emir of the Islamic State Khorasan Province who is also known as Shahab al-Muhajir, is described by Rewards for Justice as “an experienced military leader […]

Afghanistan has undergone a dramatic transformation in half a year of Taliban rule. The country feels safer, less violent than it has in decades, but the once aid-fueled economy is barreling toward collapse. Tens of thousands of Afghans have fled or have been evacuated, including large numbers of educated elites. They either fear for their economic future or lack of […]

Despite lingering concerns among some officials in Washington that Afghanistan is on its way to once again becoming a terrorist haven, recent U.S. defense and intelligence assessments seem to indicate that at least for now, groups like Islamic State and al-Qaida are not ready to use the country as a launch pad for attacks against the West.

Altaf Hussain, a once feared politician who controlled Karachi for decades from his home in north London, was acquitted by a jury of encouraging acts of terrorism after making fiery speeches to followers in Pakistan’s turbulent financial capital. The verdict was reached by a majority decision in London on Tuesday. Prosecution lawyers played jurors guttural over-the-phone broadcasts made by 68-year-old […]

What happened? The Lebanese lira’s value continued to diminish, reaching a record low and prompting the central bank to announce a new initiative aimed at currency stabilisation. Shiite parties Hizbollah and Amal ended their months-long boycott of cabinet meetings. Why does it matter? Lebanon’s economic crisis continued to worsen with critically low foreign reserves. The end of the boycott by […]

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan and Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi discussed ways for closer cooperation between the two neighbors in various fields, particularly trade. The Iranian interior minister met with the Pakistani prime minister in Islamabad on Monday. In the meeting, also attended by Pakistan’s interior minister and the Iranian ambassador to Islamabad, the parties stressed the need to […]

No Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)-linked fatality was recorded through 2021. A single LTTE-linked fatality was recorded on July 8, 2020, when a former LTTE ‘intelligence agent,’ Thangarasa Thevanesan (43), sustained burn injuries when a crude bomb exploded accidentally in his house located at the Puliyadi Junction in Kilinochchi District of Northern Province on July 3, and later succumbed […]

On February 9, 2022, a 20-year-old youth, identified as Pranayaranjan Kanhar, was killed when he accidently stepped on an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), reportedly planted by Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres at Kiamunda village under Phiringia Police Station limits in the Kandhamal District. On February 8, 2022, Maoists set ablaze two construction vehicles near the Kiamunda village in Kandhamal […]