Since the beginning of 2023, Pakistani politicians have repeatedly asserted that a ‘deal’ with the IMF is anywhere from days to weeks away. However, earlier this week, the IMF rejected Pakistan’s request for a loan, as per Pakistani media reports[1]. Herein lies an open secret. Pakistan is close to defaulting on its international loans, with official forex reserves of $4.09 […]

According to a Reuters report, Pakistan has paid for its first government to government import of discounted Russian crude in Chinese currency. It is a significant shift in its US dollar dominated export payments policy. Discounted crude offers respite as Pakistan faces an acute balance of payments crisis, risking a default on its debt obligations. The foreign exchange reserves held […]

The word ‘ally’ despite its length and extrinsic appearance, is disproportionately more involved, tightly knit and cannot be indicative of the growing relationship between India and the U.S. This understanding is even more imperative ahead of the Modi-Biden meet in Washington D.C., where Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi will be on an official state visit. Given the growing influence […]

Author Brahma Chelani, a professor of strategic studies at the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi and a former adviser to India’s National Security Council said in an article ‘Uneven U.S. treatment of Bangladesh and Pakistan makes little sense’ published n the Nikkei Asia published on June 12 that the USA has adopted a double standard policy towards Bangladesh. […]

Attacks by TTP have been rising since peace talks with government broke down in November Three Pakistani soldiers were killed in a gun battle with Taliban militants near the Afghan-Pakistan border on Saturday, the latest violent incident in the restive, semi-mountainous frontier region. Pakistan’s army has been battling an escalating number of attacks from Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or the Pakistani Taliban […]

The history of the Islamization of indigenous non-Muslim populations of Kashmir is similar to that of the Middle East and North Africa: native non-Muslim peoples were first conquered by Islamic armies and then subjected to discrimination and persecution, which led to either death, conversion to Islam or departure/flight. Due to killings and forced conversions, there are no Hindus remaining in […]

The history of the Islamization of indigenous non-Muslim populations of Kashmir is similar to that of the Middle East and North Africa: native non-Muslim peoples were first conquered by Islamic armies and then subjected to discrimination and persecution, which led to either death, conversion to Islam or departure/flight. Due to killings and forced conversions, there are no Hindus remaining in […]

The first consignment carrying Russian liquified petroleum gas (LPG) reached Pakistan on Tuesday, a day after the South Asian country received the first shipment of Russian crude oil, Pakistan media reported. A convoy of ten trucks carrying the Russian gas entered Pakistan via Torkham border, media reports stated. The first consignment went via rail to Uzbekistan and then into Afghanistan […]

Marking 10 years since the inception of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a ‘flagship’ project under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Foreign Ministers of Beijing and Islamabad, along with the acting Foreign Minister of the Taliban-ruled Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, ‘reaffirmed’ their commitment to ‘further the trilateral cooperation under the BRI and to […]

A Challenge to Pakistan’s Military May Only Strengthen the Generals Pakistan is adrift in a sea of troubles. Its economy is in a tailspin. GDP growth in the past year shriveled to only 0.29 percent. Annual inflation has soared to 36 percent, and annual inflation in food prices stands at a whopping 48 percent. The country faces a balance-of-payments crisis, […]