Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that all talks held with Taliban authorities have failed to produce results, accusing them of not making serious commitments on Pakistan’s security concerns. Speaking at a public event, Sharif said Islamabad had repeatedly raised concerns about militant groups operating from Afghanistan’s territory, but had received no firm assurances from the Taliban. “All […]

China expressed condolences on Tuesday over an explosion in Kabul that killed one Chinese citizen and wounded five others, and urged the Taliban authorities to take stronger measures to protect Chinese nationals and interests. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular briefing in Beijing that China had made emergency representations to the Taliban, calling for all efforts to […]

China’s embassy in Tajikistan warned on Monday that security conditions along the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border are “extremely dire and complex” following a recent clash. It urged Chinese citizens to leave border areas as soon as possible. In a statement, the embassy advised Chinese nationals and companies operating in border regions of Afghanistan and Tajikistan to closely monitor the security situation, strengthen […]

Democracy, Disorder, and the Battle for Renewal On January 15, 2026, Senior leader Gagan Kumar Thapa was elected President of the Nepali Congress (NC) unopposed during the party’s second Special General Convention (SGC) held at Bhrikutimandap in Kathmandu. The SGC was convened with the backing of over 60 per cent of general convention delegates. Election Committee Coordinator Sitaram KC announced […]

India has decisively entered a phase of problematic communal politics that is steadily limiting its rational and intellectual foundations. The consequences are visible not only in electoral outcomes but also in the cultural and educational regression that accompanies this shift. The systematic delegitimisation of Urdu, falsely portrayed as a non-Indian or alien language, exemplifies this. Such politics is not merely […]

Eight soldiers from the Indian Army were injured during an extended gunfight with suspected militants in Kishtwar district, Jammu and Kashmir. The encounter began during a search operation by the Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police, targeting militants linked to the Jaish-e-Mohammad group. Kishtwar Encounter: Eight Indian Army soldiers were injured Sunday in a prolonged gunfight with suspected militants in […]

India’s foreign ministry said on Saturday that the Taliban-appointed diplomat has assumed duties as chargé d’affaires at Afghanistan’s embassy in New Delhi. Foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the appointment followed India’s decision to upgrade its technical mission in Kabul after a visit to India by Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. “As you are aware, when the Afghan foreign […]

For Saudi Arabia, the surprise mutual defense pact signed last week with Pakistan during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Riyadh is a double deterrence tool. The Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement (SMDA) “states that any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both”, and “aims to develop aspects of defense cooperation between the two countries and strengthen […]

Brazil’s decision to allow a Chinese military hospital ship to dock in Rio de Janeiro could provide a case study of how Beijing is expanding its naval presence in the Western Hemisphere. It also demonstrates how regional powers are dealing with the pressures arising from the intensifying competition between the United States and China. This past fall, China requested authorization […]

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday that Islamabad has “complete evidence” of close ties between the Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan (TTA) and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). “There is a close relationship between the TTP and the TTA. You say there is no link, but we have complete evidence,” Sharif told a meeting of religious scholars. “All kinds of facilities are […]