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  • 23 Aug 2024
    • Pakistan

    Why is Imran Khan running for chancellor of University of Oxford?

    Syed Fazl-e-Haider
    The former international cricketer is determined to play until the last ball of his political innings.
  • 14 May 2024
    • Afghanistan
    • Pakistan
    • Sex and Gender

    Targeting girls education: Pakistan’s tribal areas suffer under Taliban influence 

    Syed Fazl-e-Haider
    Schools are the best weapon against extremism, that’s why the militants fear them.
  • 5 Apr 2024
    • Afghanistan
    • China
    • Pakistan
    • Terrorism
    • Iran

    Pakistan: The dangerous reality of working on China’s megaprojects

    Syed Fazl-e-Haider
    A spate of deadly insurgent attacks on Chinese nationals sends a message about vulnerability.
  • 12 Mar 2024
    • Bangladesh
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Pakistan

    Democracy is struggling in South Asia

    Saira Bano
    Good governance is essential to managing regional challenges.
  • 28 Feb 2024
    • Pakistan
    • Technology

    Pakistan pulls the data plug

    Adnan Aamir
    Online censorship in the wake of extraordinary elections is the latest challenge to cost the country.
  • 5 Feb 2024
    • Pakistan
    • United States

    Pakistan elections: Conspiracy theories, plots, and sidelines

    Syed Fazl-e-Haider
    A decades-long jail sentence is only one of former PM Imran Khan’s woes as Pakistanis head to the polls this week.
  • 5 Jan 2024
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Pakistan
    • Sustainability

    Multilateral cooperation can improve South Asia’s water woes

    Genevieve Donnellon-May
    Transparency will help foster trust, which can lead to a common river management framework for the benefit of all.
  • 5 Dec 2023
    • Bangladesh
    • India
    • Pakistan
    • Australia
    • United States

    “Egregious stupidity”: The story of when Australia split with Kissinger over South Asia

    Ric Smith
    On Kissinger’s final report card, his handling of India, Pakistan and the emergence of Bangladesh scores badly.
  • 9 Oct 2023
    • Afghanistan
    • Pakistan

    Pakistan intends to deport 1.7 million Afghans

    Adnan Aamir
    Will global condemnation and financial default force Islamabad’s hand on refugees fleeing the Taliban regime?
  • 27 Sep 2023
    • Afghanistan
    • China
    • Pakistan
    • Human rights

    The Kalash are under threat from Pakistani Taliban

    Adnan Aamir
    A remote and persecuted religious minority is an easy target for militants set on gaining territory by any means.
  • 21 Sep 2023
    • Pakistan
    • Human rights

    Pakistan at a crossroads on blasphemy

    Syed Fazl-e-Haider
    Draconian interpretations of Islamabad’s laws violate human rights and are stoking violent religious extremism.
  • 4 Aug 2023
    • Bangladesh
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Pakistan
    • Australia and Asia

    What four upcoming elections in South Asia mean for Australia

    David Brewster
    With significant strategic equities at play, Canberra will need more regional engagement than ever before.
  • 1 Aug 2023
    • China – Belt and Road Initiative
    • China
    • Pakistan

    China’s big gamble in Pakistan: A 10-year scorecard for CPEC

    Syed Fazl-e-Haider
    The monster project for the Belt and Road Initiative has a deeply troubled beginning.
  • 22 Jun 2023
    • Pakistan

    Why the Pakistan crisis spells trouble for our region

    David Brewster
    Political and economic upheaval, and a growing list of creditors, mean Islamabad has few friends to call on.
  • 10 May 2023
    • Pakistan
    • Russia
    • Energy

    Pakistan’s gamble with Russian oil

    Adnan Aamir
    Any deal will be hindered by US sanctions, refining challenges, transportation costs, and payment concerns.
  • 28 Mar 2023
    • China
    • Pakistan
    • Iran
    • Saudi Arabia

    China trumpets the Saudi-Iran deal, yet much credit goes to Pakistan 

    Syed Fazl-e-Haider
    A little-heralded meeting in Islamabad set the stage for two arch rivals to set aside differences.
  • 28 Mar 2023
    • Afghanistan
    • China
    • India
    • Pakistan

    India’s delicate dance with the Taliban

    Henry Storey
    With Afghanistan’s China pivot proving disappointing, the Islamist group is reprising its relationship with New Delhi.
  • 14 Oct 2022
    • Afghanistan
    • Pakistan
    • Terrorism
    • Human rights

    Enemies of education are back in Malala’s hometown? 

    Syed Fazl-e-Haider
    Fresh attacks by the Pakistani Taliban mark an alarming regression in the decade-long progress made in the region.
  • 6 Sep 2022
    • Pakistan

    The strange case of a missing Bentley and sinking corruption in Pakistan

    Syed Fazl-e-Haider
    As the country struggles with the aftermath of devastating floods, an alleged international heist adds to local anger.
  • 27 Jul 2022
    • Sri Lanka
    • Pakistan
    • IMF

    Is Pakistan heeding the warning signs from Sri Lanka?

    Syed Fazl-e-Haider
    Surging prices, shortages, growing debt, a teetering economy. Familiar ingredients point to trouble ahead.
  • 27 Jun 2022
    • Pakistan
    • Afghanistan
    • India

    India-Pakistan: regional rivalries still rule in Afghanistan

    Syed Fazl-e-Haider
    The visit of an Indian delegation for talks with the Taliban in Kabul has raised eyebrows in neighbouring Pakistan.
  • 16 May 2022
    • China
    • India
    • Pakistan

    Pakistani separatists turn their sights on China

    Syed Fazl-e-Haider
    A Balochistan independence group has ordered Beijing to quit its interests in the region … to no effect.
  • 2 May 2022
    • Afghanistan
    • Pakistan

    Drones do the talking in Pakistan’s anti-terror offensive

    Syed Fazl-e-Haider
    Islamabad is tired of waiting for Afghanistan’s Taliban to control the TTP who have found safe haven across the border.
  • 22 Apr 2022
    • China
    • India
    • Pakistan
    • Russia
    • Ukraine

    India-Russia: A friend in need

    Christopher Snedden 
    New Delhi’s reluctance to speak out on Ukraine is also influenced by own ambition in the disputed Kashmir region.
  • 4 Mar 2022
    • Defence & Security
    • Global Economy
    • China
    • India
    • Pakistan
    • Australia
    • European Union
    • Russia
    • Ukraine

    Back in the USSR – surprises in the Russia-Ukraine conflict

    Tim Harcourt
    It’d be funny, if it wasn’t so deadly serious.
  • 23 Dec 2021
    • Chinese Trade
    • Pakistan

    Pakistan and China: An unhappy union in Gwadar

    Adnan Aamir
    Protests against Beijing’s strategic investments in Balochistan are only the latest in a long line of grievances.
  • 2 Nov 2021
    • India
    • Pakistan

    Sport between India and Pakistan is not just that

    Jitendra Nath Misra
    Players – or countries – can send a message in victory and defeat.
  • 17 Sep 2021
    • China's Military
    • China
    • Iran
    • Pakistan
    • Russia

    China – a lonely superpower

    Henry Storey
    Despite many countries having issues with the West, China has few obvious alliance candidates.
  • 18 Aug 2021
    • Afghanistan War
    • Afghanistan
    • India
    • Pakistan

    Afghanistan’s collapse shifts strategic dynamics in South Asia

    Stuti Bhatnagar
    If the Taliban’s return is seen a plus for Pakistan, India appears to be the loser.
  • 13 Aug 2021
    • Pakistan
    • Bangladesh

    Mango diplomacy is more than low-hanging fruit in South Asian politics

    Mubashar Hasan , Zahid Shahab Ahmed
    Bangladesh has used a national icon to signal a fresh appetite for improved ties with Pakistan – just as China looms.
  • 5 Aug 2021
    • Afghanistan War
    • Afghanistan
    • Pakistan

    Is Pakistan fuelling a Taliban takeover?

    Hussain Nadim
    The Afghan government points a finger at Pakistan in a tactic to divert attention from its own colossal failures.
  • 26 Jul 2021
    • Afghanistan
    • India
    • Pakistan

    Another proxy war in Afghanistan?

    Aarti Betigeri
    India and Pakistan both have deep ties to Afghanistan and as US troops withdraw, a fresh conflict may fill the void.
  • 3 Jun 2021
    • Pakistan
    • Saudi Arabia

    Saudi Arabia wins back Pakistan

    Adnan Aamir
    Islamabad mistakenly tried to strong-arm Riyadh from a position of weakness.
  • 4 May 2021
    • Terrorism
    • China
    • Pakistan

    Pakistani Taliban turn on China

    Adnan Aamir
    Any friend of the government in Islamabad appears to be an enemy of the terrorist group.
  • 27 Apr 2021
    • Pakistan

    Pakistan’s extremist dilemma

    Syed Fazl-e-Haider
    The government banned a right-wing religious group, then gave in to its demands. Which way does it go now?
  • 16 Apr 2021
    • China
    • India
    • Pakistan
    • Russia

    Russia’s Asia diplomacy

    Anita Inder Singh
    Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s visits to Beijing, New Delhi and Islamabad showed Moscow still has clout in the region.
  • 14 Dec 2020
    • Pakistan

    A dilemma for Pakistan as UAE cuts off work visas

    Adnan Aamir
    A vital source of employment and income has been severed after Pakistan ran afoul of its powerful benefactors.
  • 15 Oct 2020
    • Pakistan
    • Technology

    Pakistan gets on the TikTok ban wagon

    Syed Fazl-e-Haider
    For very different reasons, the South Asian country follows rival India in blocking the China-based app.
  • 25 Sep 2020
    • Afghanistan
    • Pakistan

    Intra-Afghan talks and future of Pakistan-Taliban relations

    Abdul Basit
    Long regarded as the not-so-invisible hand behind the Taliban, Pakistan has steadily lost its influence over the group.
  • 11 Sep 2020
    • Afghanistan
    • Pakistan

    For real peace, Afghanistan needs a Plan B

    Nishank Motwani
    A US exit opens the way to complete takeover by the Taliban, precisely what they – and Pakistan – have long wished for.
  • 24 Aug 2020
    • China
    • India
    • Pakistan

    Kashmir, a year on from the change

    Roshni Kapur
    Revoking special status hasn’t resolved militancy or improved the local economy – both supposed goals of the move.
  • 19 Aug 2020
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • China
    • Pakistan
    • Saudi Arabia
    • Türkiye
    • Malaysia

    As Pakistan and Saudi Arabia drift apart, China moves in

    Syed Fazl-e-Haider
    A growing schism between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan points to new alliances in the Muslim world.
  • 14 Jul 2020
    • China
    • Pakistan

    Obstacles remain for Pakistan dam backed by China

    Adnan Aamir
    The Diamer-Bhasha dam project faces high costs, territorial disputes and community opposition.
  • 30 Jun 2020
    • China
    • Pakistan
    • Coronavirus
    • China – Belt and Road Initiative

    China’s pipeline dream in Pakistan

    Rahul Jaybhay
    The plan to transport oil across the Himalayas is a logistical nightmare. Post-Covid economics will make it even harder.
  • 10 Jun 2020
    • Afghanistan
    • Pakistan

    The key to peace in Afghanistan? Eliminate Taliban sanctuaries

    Farkhondeh Akbari , Timor Sharan
    Unless Pakistan’s support to the Afghan insurgency is shut down, there is no chance of a lasting Afghan peace.
  • 1 May 2020
    • China
    • Pakistan

    Gwadar Port: New Dubai or pie in the sky?

    Adnan Aamir
    For all its ambition, Pakistan’s flagship BRI project has all the makings of a flop.
  • 10 Apr 2020
    • India
    • Pakistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Coronavirus

    Why South Asia may come out of Covid-19 crisis better than many expect

    David Brewster
    A younger demographic and less social reliance on the state could see local nations seeking advantage amid the changes.
  • 18 Feb 2020
    • India
    • Pakistan

    Minority rights are suddenly the new turf for India-Pakistan rivalry

    Grant Wyeth
    Handing back a Hindu temple in Balochistan appears a deliberate contrast with fears over treatment of Muslims in India.
  • 31 Jan 2020
    • Afghanistan
    • China
    • Pakistan

    Afghan transit a game changer for Gwadar port

    Adnan Aamir
    The Chinese-run port in Pakistan, a vital part of the belt-and-road plan, may have found a path to success.
  • 25 Nov 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australia
    • Pakistan

    Stepping up in the Pacific at the expense of Pakistani women and girls

    Stephen Howes
    Cutting aid has a cost – and Australia should be embarrassed to take aid from other countries to give it to the Pacific.
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