Category: Pakistan

Afghanistan Embassy in Islamabad urges Pakistan to reopen Torkham crossing

Sardar Ahmed Shakib, acting Afghan ambassador in Islamabad, on Friday called on the government of Pakistan to reopen the Torkham crossing as soon as possible. In a meeting with Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Asif Durrani, the Afghan envoy said that closing the Torkham gate is detrimental to both countries. He added that travelers and traders stuck in Torkham are […]

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Pakistan denies Afghanistan’s involvement in Chitral attack

Pakistan’s Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani said on Friday that the Chitral terrorist attack is an “isolated” incident and it does not appear to have been authorized by the Afghan authorities. Talking to reporters informally after briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Jilani said that Pakistan has taken up the issue of rising terrorist attacks in the […]

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Clashes leave 16 dead along Afghanistan-Pakistan border

Pakistan claims a “large group of terrorists” stormed security outposts close to the Afghanistan border in northern Pakistan on Wednesday, prompting fierce clashes. Four Pakistani soldiers were killed and 12 assailants died in the clashes at two separate outposts in the Kalash border valley, according to Pakistani officials. The clashes took place when “a large group of terrorists equipped with […]

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Afghan and Pakistani forces clash at Torkham, crossing closed

Afghan and Pakistani forces clashed at Torkham border crossing on Wednesday, leading to the closure of the crossing, an Afghan official said. Arafat Muhajir, representative of the provincial directorate of information and culture in Torkham, said the clash began after Pakistani forces started establishing a post on Afghan soil. He said the first shot was fired by Pakistani forces. Abdul […]

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Pakistan On A Knife’s Edge – Analysis

Pakistan is in a death spiral. It is like a terminally ill patient whose hopes rise fleetingly when some health parameter shows a tiny improvement, only to be dashed by the reality that the body is heading for a multi-organ, or in Pakistan’s case, a multi-institutional, failure. Everything that can go wrong, is going wrong. The state is floundering and […]

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Pakistan: Fidayeen Rampage – Analysis

On August 31, 2023, at least nine soldiers were killed and another 20 sustained injuries, when a suicide bomber riding a motorcycle blew himself up, targeting a military convoy in Mali Khel area of Bannu District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The Hafiz Gul Bahadur faction of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) said that an affiliated cell of the group, Sufyan Karawan, carried […]

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Pakistan: Supreme Court Takes Notice Of Child Marriage And Forced Conversions – OpEd

Leading minority rights advocates have welcomed the recent decision by the Supreme Court of Pakistan to address the critical issues surrounding child marriages and forced conversions of religious minority girls within the country. This development signifies a pivotal step in addressing the longstanding concerns of religious minority communities, including Christians and Hindus, who have endured the harrowing consequences of forced […]

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Pakistan: CPEC Security Needs Attention – OpEd

On August 13, a convoy carrying Chinese engineers came under attack in Gwadar. The incident took place near Gwadar Port in Baluchistan. The Baluchistan Liberation Army – a separatist group operating in the province – claimed responsibility for the attack. While the incident caused no casualties on the Chinese side, the attack raised questions over the security of the China-Pakistan […]

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Pakistan Army Versus Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan: All-Out War Or ‘No Contest’? – OpEd

On July 14, Pakistan army’s media wing Inter Services Public Relations [ISPR] released a rather stern statement that read, “The Armed Forces of Pakistan have serious concerns on the safe havens and liberty of action available to TTP in Afghanistan.” Alleging that “The involvement of Afghan nationals in acts of terrorism in Pakistan is another important concern that needs to […]

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Pakistan: Suicide Bomber Attacks Security Convoy In Northwest, Killing Nine Soldiers

At least nine Pakistani soldiers have been killed and 20 more injured in a suicide attack that targeted a security convoy in northwestern Pakistan. The attack on August 31 was carried out by a suicide bomber riding a motorcycle, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations Agency (ISPR) said in a statement.

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