On the night of February 5, in Khuzdar district of Pakistan’s Balochistan province, a group of armed men led by Zahoor Jamalzai forcibly entered Asma Jattak’s home and harassed her family before abducting her. Zahoor is the brother of the nahib (tribal secretary/assistant) to the sardar (tribal chief) and Balochistan’sContinue Reading
Last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Pakistan to strengthen bilateral cooperation. During the 7th session of the Pakistan-Turkiye High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, both countries signed 24 agreements and memoranda of understanding (MOUs). Overall, the visit continued existing trends of strengthening cooperation between the two countries, especially in theContinue Reading
Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan, the largest and most resource-rich part of the country, remains under military control, facing human rights abuses and a media blackout. Despite its strategic importance, Balochistan’s local population is marginalized, fueling anger over enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, economic exploitation, and what many describe as aContinue Reading
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur recently said that a provincial Jirga, comprising tribal elders, has been formed to hold talks with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan to discuss security and trade issues. However, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led KP government’s initiative has come under fire from the PakistanContinue Reading
In the aftermath of Bangladesh’s political upheaval, Nobel laureate economist Dr. Muhammad Yunus, now the chief adviser to the interim government, has publicly expressed interest in reinvigorating the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) on a number of occasions. Yunus has expressed his intention to take steps to reviveContinue Reading
Pakistan faces a range of internal and external security challenges. While there has been significant concern regarding the ongoing law-and-order situation due to continuous terrorist attacks, the country also grapples with an internal security issue: banditry (known locally as dacoity). Bandit rule, or Daku Raj, is particularly notorious in northernContinue Reading
At a time when Pakistan is facing major economic and diplomatic challenges, Saudi Arabia has emerged as a reliable partner. From making major investments in the country’s mineral and energy sectors to offering diplomatic support, the Kingdom has solidified its ties with Islamabad. However, as the relationship between the twoContinue Reading
Balochistan, Pakistan’s southwestern province, has long been riven by strife. The province is Pakistan’s poorest, yet it is home to many of the country’s national resources – a contradiction not lost on the native Baloch people, who see a tendency by the country’s leaders to exploit their homeland. Unaddressed BalochContinue Reading
The Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021 was a watershed moment for various jihadist groups in South and Central Asia. It provided many of them with a victory template. Pakistani militant networks were particularly reenergized by this development. Among other things, the Taliban’s organizational and battlefield discipline,Continue Reading
Last week, Pakistan’s port city of Gwadar, which is best known as the gateway of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, was transformed into a book lover’s paradise. It hosted the Gwadar Book Festival, organized by a local organization, the Rural Community Development Council. The vibrant festival draw hundreds of writers, activists,Continue Reading
