Category: South East Asia

Islamophobia And Pakistan – OpEd

It’s an established fact that Pakistani speakers at the United Nations General Assembly [UNGA] repeatedly serve the same old wine brewed by infusing the Kashmir issue with the Palestine problem with a generous sprinkling of institutionalised persecution of Muslims in India with Islamophobia every year. Consequently, people with little appetite or patience for listening to a litany of repetitive remonstrations […]

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Securing The China-Myanmar Economic Corridor: Navigating Conflicts And Public Scepticism – Analysis

On 26 December 2023, the State Administration Council (SAC) military regime in Myanmar inked with China an addendum to the concession agreement for the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and its deep-sea port.[1] This deep-sea port, coupled with the SEZ, is a critical component of the ambitious China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC). This corridor is strategically designed to provide quick sea […]

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The China-US Geopolitical Rivalry And Myanmar’s Civil War – Analysis

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Naypyidaw to meet junta boss Min Aung Hlaing in August has rocked Myanmar’s political landscape. Two days after Wang’s visit to the Myanmar capital, officials from the US State Department held talks with leaders of the shadow National Unity Government and “K3C”, pledging full support for Myanmar’s revolution and the restoration of democracy. […]

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‘Terrorist attack’ near Karachi airport kills two Chinese nationals, embassy says

Two Chinese nationals were killed in an explosion near the international airport of the southern Pakistani city of Karachi on Sunday night, the Chinese embassy in Pakistan said, in what it described as a “terrorist attack”. In a statement emailed to journalists, separatist militant group Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed the explosion was an attack carried out by them using […]

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Taliban profit as flights diverted around Middle East crisis fill up Afghan airspace

Flying through Afghan airspace is proving to be the safest option for international airlines, with Iran’s missile bombardment of Israel causing a noticeable shift in flight patterns The number of international flights passing through Taliban-controlled Afghan airspace reached a record high this week in the aftermath of Iran’s missile attack against Israel. On Thursday, a record 191 flights passed over […]

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Reclaiming the Promise of Nuclear Power in India

Nuclear power represents an unfulfilled promise in India. Yet the ambition to become a developed economy by 2047 and achieve net zero emissions by 2070 will require large investments in nuclear energy—which in turn demand bold reforms in India’s nuclear estate and greater foreign participation in its nuclear industry. Introduction Ever since its independence in 1947, India has obsessively pursued […]

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All Eyes On Balochistan – Two Years Since The Islamic Republic Of Iran Killed Khudanoor Lajai

Khudanoor Lajai, a brilliant young Baloch man killed by the Iranian regime, is one of the symbols of the uprising against the Islamic Republic of Iran. On September 30, 2022, Lajai joined the Zahedan protests against the Islamic regime that resulted in the “Bloody Friday.”[1] A day later he quarreled with IRGC personnel and was shot at close range. Family […]

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Iran to deport 2 million Afghan nationals this year

Iran has stepped up efforts to deport Afghan migrants and said that by the end of March next year, two million undocumented migrants will be “expelled” from the country. According to Iranian media reports, Ahmad Reza Radan, the commander-in-chief of Iran’s law enforcement, stated that “over 750,000 illegal migrants” have already been deported from Iran, and this number will total […]

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Is Pakistan set for new Khan vs government showdown after PTI arrests?

Will the arrest of several PTI parliamentarians and leaders a day after holding a rally to demand ex-PM Imran Khan’s release worsen the political conflict? The arrest of several legislators and leaders of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party in overnight police raids could trigger yet another showdown between the opposition and the government, analysts have said. The politicians […]

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Pakistan’s New Counterterrorism Operation Was Likely Triggered By Chinese Concerns About CPEC

The lackluster joint statement that followed the Pakistani premier’s visit to China suggested that the People’s Republic is souring on his country due to its inability to protect Chinese workers there who are helping develop CPEC projects. Pakistan recently announced the start of its new counterterrorist operation codenamed “Azm-e-Istehkam”, which came as a long-overdue response to dozens of cross-border attacks […]

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