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, […]

The British directly ruled the subcontinent for nine long decades, all the way from 1857 till 1947. Their colonial rule ended in 1947 with the partition of the Subcontinent into two sovereign nation states: Pakistan and India. Even though it has been seventy-five years since the colonial rule ended, it has left a significant influence over the indigenous and systematic […]

Coverage of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has disappeared from all mainstream news channels in the country after the media regulator asked networks to block out people involved in rioting last month, a Reuters survey showed on Monday. A directive, seen by Reuters, was put out by the regulator last week referring to violent protests in Pakistan last month […]

Recognition of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) would be a decision that five permanent members of the UN Security Council would make, Asif Ali Durrani, Pakistan’s new special envoy for Afghanistan, said. “I think it would be a decision by the major countries, especially P 5. They are looking towards that. If the permanent five members of the Security […]

Security issues are complicating Iran’s relations with Pakistan, and there has also been violence on the Iran-Afghanistan border recently. There was another deadly attack on Iran’s border with Pakistan on Thursday, further complicating both countries’ efforts to improve relations. The Pakistani military said unspecified “terrorists” attacked security forces in the Kech district in southwestern Baluchistan province, near the border with […]

Populism, driven by religious sentiments has been the centerpiece of cult politics in Pakistan. Pakistan came into being on the premise of Two-Nation Theory that clearly stipulated that Muslims were a nation separate and distinct from the rest of the world and that the purpose of Pakistan was to help Muslims live their lives in an Islamic way. This Islamic […]

Pakistan has been facing crisis over crisis in socioeconomic, political, and institutional fields. The pertinent reasons for these crises have been dearth of leadership from state to party and organizational and institutional levels. Every head of the private and public sector organizations including leadership on national level cannot be spared from their respective responsibilities. This dilemma has led the country […]