A senior Taliban official has said that they are prepared to take additional steps to reduce tensions with Pakistan if Islamabad makes an initial move, as cross-border clashes continue. “If Pakistan takes one step, we will take two steps forward,” the head of the Taliban’s chief minister’s office, Abdul Wasi, said during a meeting with Richard Lindsay, the UK special […]

A new survey of Southeast Asian opinion leaders shows they prefer China to the United States as a partner, while the region’s biggest geopolitical concern is U.S. global leadership. The United States may have struck a fragile ceasefire deal with Iran, but the war has inflicted damage on U.S. relationships in Asia that were already strained after more than a […]

Despite its long alienation from the world, Pakistan has emerged as an essential mediator in negotiation efforts between the United States and Iran—suddenly a major international player. As the United States and Iran inch toward a peace deal, Pakistan has emerged as an unlikely but indispensable mediator in the negotiations. It has hosted high-level talks in Islamabad and shuttled proposals […]

On March 10, 2026, India’s Union Cabinet approved amendments to Press Note 3, a regulation that mandated government approval on all foreign direct investment (FDI) from countries sharing a land border with India. This amendment raises questions primarily about whether its stated benefits will materialize and if the risks have been adequately weighed. This piece will address the same. On […]

Conspiracy theories abound, but a failed opportunistic attack is likely to be closer to the truth I don’t like conspiracists or conspiracy theories. But if you do, here is a persuasive one: Donald Trump started the war against Iran with the twin aim of damaging the economies of Asia – China in particular – and removing his biggest rivals in […]

Residents of western Kabul say a rise in crime has forced them to take security into their own hands, organizing informal patrols as concerns grow over what they describe as deteriorating conditions. The concerns are especially acute in neighborhoods such as Dasht-e-Barchi, Haji Nabi township or the Omid Sabz housing complex, areas home to large, predominantly Shiite communities. Residents say […]

Pakistani missile strikes in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar province killed at least three people and wounded 45 others on Monday, local sources said, in an escalation of cross-border tensions between Taliban and Pakistan. The strikes targeted areas in Kunar, including Asadabad, the provincial capital. Among the sites hit was the Faculty of Education at Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani University, which sustained damage, […]

Gurudwara violence in the West In a shocking incident marking a disturbing escalation in violence linked to sections of the Sikh diaspora in the West, two Indian men – Rajinder Singh and Gurmit Singh – were shot dead by an unidentified assailant shortly after exiting a warehouse functioning as a gurudwara – Gurudwara Mata Sahib Kaur Ji – following a […]

The launch of the Pakistan–Iran–Central Asia transport corridor opens new opportunities for regional trade, energy cooperation, and the development of alternative logistical routes across Eurasia. The international transport corridor is a collection of main transport systems that connect the parties and enable the international transport of goods and passengers. A new transit corridor originating in southern Pakistan and connecting to […]

In the occupied territory of Ukraine, 6,000 mobile phone base stations operate on Chinese equipment, according to a March report by the Eastern Human Rights Group. Around 80 bank branches in the Donbas sell yuan in cash. The exchange of delegations at the grassroots level and cautious cooperation with Chinese corporations based on “import substitution” are taking place against the […]