Who has the constitutional authority to decide when childhood ends in Pakistan? That question lies at the heart of one of the country’s most significant constitutional challenges, now before the Federal Shariat Court. Yet from its inception, the legislation contained an important limitation. Although it criminalised the conduct of those responsible for child marriages, it did not expressly declare such […]

Four Taliban cabinet ministers have visited India over the past nine months, highlighting growing engagement between New Delhi and the Taliban as their relations with neighboring Pakistan remain strained. The latest visit came last week, when Ataullah Omari, the Taliban’s acting minister of agriculture, traveled to New Delhi at the head of a delegation. His trip follows earlier visits by […]

Many jihadists, building on the Palestinian model, increasingly see Kashmir as prime land to conquer: the next great cause for global jihad. Pakistan has actively enabled and amplified this jihadist narrative by positioning itself as the foremost protector of Muslims, effectively asserting ownership over Kashmir. In June 2026, Pakistani paramilitary forces opened fire on protesters in… Kashmir. The protesters were […]

Pakistan carried out airstrikes overnight in eastern Afghanistan, Islamabad said on Monday, adding its operations had targeted militants as the Afghan government reported dozens of civilian casualties. Pakistan’s information minister said the operations killed 25 militants and were aimed at a group that it blames for a deadly weekend attack in Karachi, though Afghan authorities have repeatedly denied their territory […]

Pakistan’s defense minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, has accused the Taliban and India of supporting militant violence inside Pakistan, linking both to recent attacks in the country’s northwest. In a statement following recent violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Asif called for a united and decisive campaign against militancy and said Pakistan faced threats from both external and internal actors. “After last […]

The common denominator is that these benefits could empower Pakistan to truly become a regional power to be reckoned with if it successfully expands its influence in Central and West Asia. The Iranian-US memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ending the Third Gulf War – which was analyzed here, here, and here – wouldn’t have been possible without Pakistani mediation. For […]

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said Thursday that Pakistan airstrikes carried out in eastern Afghanistan killed 13 civilians and wounded 10 others, most of them women and children, marking the latest escalation in tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban. In a statement, UNAMA said the casualties have been occurred in airstrikes conducted during the night of June 9-10 […]

The UN humanitarian agency has expressed concern over a worsening human rights situation in Afghanistan, citing new restrictions on women and girls, violence against Herat protesters and civilian casualties from recent Pakistan cross-border airstrikes. In an update released Thursday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said it was alarmed by reports of increasing restrictions imposed on […]

In diplomatic history, the naming of a process matters because it transforms geography into political infrastructure. Geneva, Oslo and Doha became more than venues; they evolved into recognised architectures through which negotiations acquired continuity, legitimacy and memory. Islamabad’s attempt to attach its name to US–Iran engagement suggests a similar strategic calculation. Pakistan has attempted to institutionalise itself as a necessary […]

On the early morning of June 10, 2026, Pakistani military aircraft launched a series of cross-border airstrikes, targeting civilian and residential areas in the eastern Afghan provinces of Khost, Kunar, and Paktika. According to the Taliban Government’s chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, the strikes killed at least 13 people – including 11 children, one woman, and an elderly man – while […]