Category: Pakistan

Muttaqi urges Pakistan’s new govt to strengthen ties with IEA

Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said in a meeting with Pakistan’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani, that the new government of Islamabad should take constructive steps to strengthen relations with the Islamic Emirate. Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal, the deputy spokesperson for the foreign ministry said on X that at the meeting, political and economic issues were discussed between the […]

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Pakistan: Tribal Elders Soft Targets – Analysis

On March 2, 2024, two Tribal elders of the Bugti tribe, identified as Dost Mahammad Notani and Bahar Khan Notani, sustained injuries when they were targeted in a bomb attack in the Dera Bugti District of Balochistan. Both the elders were close aides of Chief Minister of Balochistan, Sarfaraz Bugti, who was newly sworn in on March 2. On February […]

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The Indo-Pak Military Rivalry Is Expanding Into The South Caucasus

To be frank, what’s happening is that Russia is being squeezed out of the South Caucasus as a result of the West’s plot to place Armenia under its “sphere of influence”, and it was this regional strategic recalibration that opened the doors for the Indo-Pak military rivalry to expand to the South Caucasus. Business Insider cited unconfirmed Azeri and Pakistani […]

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Shehbaz Sharif wins Pakistan’s top job for second time

Shehbaz Sharif, returning as Pakistan’s prime minister for a second time on Sunday when his brother declined a fourth term, has played a crucial role holding together a disparate coalition for 16 months after rival Imran Khan was ousted. Sharif, 72, won a parliamentary vote for premier, resuming the role he had held until August when parliament was dissolved ahead […]

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Looking Ahead In 2024 – The Taliban Factor In The Afghanistan-Pakistan Region

Introduction As the year 2024 began, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (the Movement of the Pakistani Taliban, TTP) appeared intent at creating – militarily, ideologically, strategically – a mini emirate in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the province now incorporating South and North Waziristan and other tribal districts, the TTP’s traditional strongholds. Whereas, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA, i.e., the Afghan Taliban), the […]

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Pakistan: Unstable Political Environment – OpEd

In the tumultuous landscape of global politics, Pakistan finds itself at a crucial crossroads, grappling with the challenges of an unstable political environment. As the nation charts its course forward, it faces a myriad of complexities that demand careful consideration and strategic decisions for a sustainable future. One of the key factors influencing Pakistan’s near future is the internal political […]

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Pakistan Elections: An Explainer – Analysis

None of the three main political parties in Pakistan were able to secure a majority in parliament following the 8 February election. Of the 266 contestable National Assembly (NA) seats, independent candidates backed by Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won 93. Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N) and Bhutto-Zardari’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) secured 75 and 54 seats, respectively. […]

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Pakistan: What Next after the Rigged National Elections?

The Nation Becomes Victim of Futile Elections A nation already at the edge of socioeconomic and crises of moral and political integrity becomes victim of authoritarian tyranny, political sinisterism and enduring pains, horrors and global degradation because of the fallacy of national elections being rigged by those very officials supposed to be responsible for a fair and free ballot box […]

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Pakistan’s Majority Defies Its Military Establishment – Analysis

On 8 February 2024, millions of Pakistanis emphatically responded through the vote in the general elections to months of repression and the systematic persecution of former prime minister Imran Khan and his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), turning out to vote against the country’s powerful military establishment. The majority of Pakistan’s nearly 60 million voters delivered a stinging rebuke to the […]

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The people’s Prime Minister: Imran Khan’s triumph against the odds

Despite facing the collective opposition of Washington and its local allies, Pakistan’s incarcerated, charismatic leader has scored a stunning electoral victory against his detractors – though the military still holds the power play. Imran Khan, Pakistan’s jailed 71-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician, surprised the US and its allies in Islamabad with his party’s stunning victory in the 8 February parliamentary elections. Locked […]

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