Pakistan’s top civilian and military leadership has decided to launch a new multi-faceted nationwide counterterrorism campaign amid the country’s deteriorating security situation. A high-powered meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif gave the go ahead for operation “Azm-e-Istehkam,” or Resolve for Stability, to “combat the menaces of extremism and terrorism in a comprehensive and decisive manner,” said a statement issued […]

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved a re-invigorated and re-energised national counter-terrorism campaign. Sharif made the decision while chairing a meeting of the Central Apex Committee on National Action Plan, which decided that operation “Azm-e-Istehkam” (resolve to stability) would integrate multiple lines of efforts to combat the menaces of extremism and terrorism comprehensively and decisively, the Prime Minister’s office […]

Pakistan insists it has stayed neutral on Russia’s war on Ukraine. But it now faces a difficult choice. Days before Switzerland hosts a global summit aimed at thrashing out a path towards peace in Ukraine, Pakistan is trapped in a quandary – should it attend? Pakistan has maintained a neutral stance on Russia’s war on Ukraine, and many analysts believe […]

Pakistani authorities said Sunday that a bomb blast targeted a military convoy in a militancy-hit northwestern region, killing at least seven soldiers. The bombing in Lucky Marwat district was followed by a militant gunfire attack, and an army captain was among the slain soldiers, a security official told VOA on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak […]

Pakistan-Afghan relations are complicated and multidimensional, due to historical grievances, geopolitical realities, and volatile security concerns. Adding to the complication is India’s growing participation in Afghanistan, which Pakistan sees as a geopolitical manoeuvre to weaken its regional power. This article examines the complexities of Pakistan-Afghan relations, focusing on India’s consistent engagement in Afghanistan with the repercussions for Pakistan. Historical Context […]

On June 2, 2024, Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (JI), the largest religious organization in South Asia, organized a “Gaza Million March,” which was one of the largest anti-Israel rallies in Pakistan. The stated goal of the march was to support “the resistance movement Hamas” and “the inhabitants of Palestine” and to condemn the Israeli bombing on Rafah.[1] The rally was part of […]

Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman, chief of Pakistan’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) political party, on Sunday criticized the government of Pakistan for blaming Afghanistan over attacks. Speaking at a rally in Punjab province, Rehman pointed out the irony of the government of Afghanistan being questioned over terrorism within Pakistan, and asked, “If terrorists are infiltrating from across the Afghanistan border, then where are you […]

On May 17, 2024, a pro-Afghan Taliban media outlet published a Pashtu-language article saying that terror attacks carried out by the Islamic State (ISIS) in Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, and elsewhere are planned by terrorists based outside Afghanistan and in areas under American control. The article, titled “Why Does America Conduct Systematic Propaganda For ISIS?” was published by the website of […]

The Ministry of Energy of Kyrgyzstan plans to start electricity exports through Afghanistan to Pakistan under the CASA-1000 project next year. The $1.2bn CASA-1000 regional power project is designed to interconnect the power grids of the four participating countries, allowing for hydro power-generated electricity to be exported from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Based on Kyrgyzstan’s plan, about […]

J&K: Opportunity at Hand On May 18, 2024, a former Sarpanch (head of panchayat, village level self-government institution) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker, Ajaz Ahmad Sheikh, was shot dead by terrorists at Herpora village in the Shopian District of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). On the same day, a tourist couple, identified as Farah Khan and Tabrez Khan of Jaipur, […]