The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed volatility during the week ended on April 07, 2023 owing to economic uncertainty, further exacerbated by political tension that persisted within the country. However, the market showed some resistance, and moved into positive territory come Wednesday when the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) hiked rates by lesser than expectations, by 100bps to 21%, contrary […]

1.15 million Rohingya who have fled Myanmar’s Rakhine State now exceed 1.45 million. This is an official account. Locals say the actual number will be much higher. Cox’s Bazar is now a changed township due to the large number of Rohingya refugees. As days go by, the number of Rohingyas is increasing more than the local population. If this continues, […]

Bangladesh, India and Japan are going to hold an event in Tripura of India on April 11-12 on connectivity initiatives to harness the commercial potential of the region. Asian Confluence, a think tank from North East India, is organising the meeting in collaboration with India’s Ministry of External Affairs, according to India-based news outlets. Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs […]

No easy off-ramps are available to resolve the power struggle between Pakistan’s ruling coalition and opposition leader and former Prime Minister, Imran Khan. In March, security forces and Khan supporters violently clashed over government attempts to force him to appear in court. The power struggle constrains Pakistani leaders from tackling the country’s worsening economic difficulties, prompting many Pakistanis to move […]

The recent search for Amritpal Singh, a self-styled Sikh preacher in Punjab who has been declared a “fugitive” by India’s police following his escape after a car chase earlier this month, has raised the specter of militant violence again in the province. Throughout the 1980s, the cause for an independent Sikh homeland – Khalistan or “land of the pure” – […]

In the West, the existence of a “deep state” remains a contentious issue. Many activists and political outcasts have referred to it, even targeted it, while mainstream media outlets have rushed to condemn the concept as a conspiracy theory. Even so, many in Britain, for example, still refer to the “Establishment”. And the late US President John F. Kennedy famously […]

Afghanistan is seeking to develop its political and economic relations with Russia, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said. Russian Ambassador Dmitry Zhirnov on Wednesday met with Amir Khan Muttaqi and discussed political, security and economic cooperation between Afghanistan and Russia, according to Hafiz Zia Ahmad, deputy spokesperson for the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Muttaqi added that the security situation in […]

India continues to be wary about military alliances despite having multiple international military cooperation projects The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), comprising countries from Europe and North America, has informally sought a partnership with India in an expanded effort to contain Russia and China. Apart from 32 full members (including Finland), NATO has 40 partners around the world in Asia, […]

An Indian Supreme Court ruling coupled with calls by Indian Muslims for an end to sustained Islamophobic attacks on the world’s largest Muslim minority put Hindu nationalists on the spot. The ruling and calls increase pressure to counter what amounts to a campaign against Muslims on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government as well as his ruling Bharatiya Janata […]

If nuclear war does break out between India and Pakistan, they will only have themselves to blame. Since the early 1970s they have been walking along the unmarked path that leads to nuclear holocaust and enough people both within and without have told them how to turn back. Even today if Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Prime Minister Narendra Modi […]