On 26 August 2021, shortly after the Taliban conquered Kabul, Abdur Rahman Logari detonated his suicide vest near the Abbey Gate in the city’s airport, killing 170 men, women and children who were trying to flee the country. Two days later, a US drone strike killed an entire Afghan family in the mistaken belief that the target was Logari. Joe […]

Indian national Nikhil Gupta, accused in US for involvement in the attempted murder of a Sikh extremist, has been extradited by the Czech Republic back to US to stand trial. This case has caused considerable tensions in India-US bilateral relations with the Americans alleging involvement of Indian intelligence officials in the plot to kill ‘Sikh For Justice’ Gurupatwant Singh Pannun, […]

Now that the dust has settled with the conclusion of the 2024 parliamentary elections, it is time to take stock of India’s ongoing boundary confrontation with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Notwithstanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s conciliatory statement that India and China must restore peace and tranquillity on their contested boundary, all adversarial relationships, especially involving territorial disputes, hold […]

The Middle Corridor AKA the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, is a multimodal transport corridor connecting China to Europe. At over 4,700 km (and 2,000km shorter than Russia’s Northern Corridor according to the Caspian Policy Center), the Corridor is the shortest route and most sustainable transport corridor, between Europe and Western China. The Corridor received renewed attention after the start of […]

Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities will attend the third round of United Nations-hosted talks in the Qatari capital, a government spokesman said on Sunday. The Taliban government’s participation in the conference of foreign special envoys to Afghanistan had been in doubt after it was not included in the first round and then refused an invitation to the second round in February. “A […]

The rumors were everywhere: A politically connected crony, U Thein Wai, better known as Serge Pun, was called in for questioning. While he was not arrested, the military’s questioning of the CEO of Yoma Bank and eight directors of other subsidiaries under his control is another indicator of just how dire Myanmar’s economic situation is. The 71-year old Sino-Burmese tycoon […]

In the labyrinthine corridors of Indian politics, a palpable tension reverberates through the nation. On one side stands an ardent faction clinging to the vision of a ‘golden era of Bharat,’ while on the other, a burgeoning movement seeks to reclaim the essence of civility and democratic integrity. This division is not merely a political schism; it is a profound […]

Narendra Modi’s disappointing electoral showing could be the catalyst that India needs for a shift away from divisive Hindu nationalism back towards the imperative of economic development. Having set his sights on a supermajority of 370 seats, not even a historic third consecutive term could shake the feeling of disappointment for Modi. His Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stumbled to 240 […]

Hazaras: Intensifying persecution As reported on June 11, the Taliban instructed the Hazara residents of Nowabad, located in the 6th Security District of Ghazni city, the provincial capital of Ghazni, to submit their land ownership documents to the group. The Taliban issued eviction orders, claiming the area had been “usurped” by the residents. On March 6, 2023, the Taliban forced […]

Some of the major anti-Taliban resistance groups active in Afghanistan have condemned Russia’s removal of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA, i.e., the Afghan Taliban) from its terrorist list. Their criticism comes as the U.S.-led international community is slated to hold the third Doha meeting on the future of Afghanistan on June 30-July 1, 2024. In a May 29 statement, […]