Commentary: Informed Opinions on Current Events

Bagram Airbase, US Aid, and Afghanistan’s Strategic-Humanitarian Dilemma

SAT Commentary January 13, 2026

Sources suggest the Taliban has offered immediate access to Bagram Airbase for potential strikes against Iran in exchange for continued U.S. aid. Beyond military leverage, the offer underscores Afghanistan’s acute humanitarian crisis and the Taliban’s reliance on external support, highlighting the complex interplay between strategy, politics, and survival in a fragile state.

Assessing the Escalation of Anti-Taliban Resistance in Afghanistan

SAT Commentary January 12, 2026

Recent operations by NRF and AFF target Taliban bases and urban centers, signaling a growing insurgency and weakening regime control.

The Mainstreaming of Islamophobia

SAT Commentary January 12, 2026

The attack on a Victorian Imam and his wife in Melbourne is not an isolated crime but the logical outcome of a political climate that has normalized Islamophobia. As anti-Muslim rhetoric moves from the fringes into mainstream Western discourse, religious identity is recast as a security threat, creating the conditions for violence and unequal protection under the law.

An analysis of Maulana Sultan’s assassination exposing how ISKP and TTP use coordinated denials, delayed claims, and Afghan sanctuaries to manage terror narratives.

Narrative Management and the ISKP–TTP Ecosystem

SAT Commentary January 11, 2026

The assassination of Maulana Sultan reveals how ISKP and TTP deploy narrative coordination, delayed claims, and interchangeable branding to obscure accountability and sustain regional instability from Afghan soil.

A critical reassessment of Afghan repatriation from Pakistan, weighing human rights advocacy against state sovereignty, security, and legal realities.

Rethinking Afghan Repatriation from Pakistan

SAT Commentary January 10, 2026

Amnesty International’s call to halt Afghan repatriation overlooks the limits of long-term hospitality. For Pakistan, the issue is less about abandoning rights than reasserting sovereign immigration control amid shifting realities in Afghanistan.

Andy Halus’s interview signals a shift in US–Pakistan relations toward minerals, education, and soft power, marking a post-security partnership in 2026.

The New Architecture of US–Pakistan Relations

SAT Commentary January 9, 2026

Andy Halus’s interview signals a strategic shift in US–Pakistan relations from security-centric ties to a multidimensional partnership centered on minerals, education, and soft power. Projects like Reko Diq now stand as the key test of this new architecture.

Extractive Rule and Ethnic Fault Lines in Afghanistan

SAT Commentary January 8, 2026

The halt of gold mining in Badakhshan reveals deeper fault lines in Taliban rule, where centralized extractive ambitions collide with ethnic grievances, local resistance, and fragile investor confidence, particularly involving China.

The Revival of Ethnic Engineering in Northern Afghanistan

SAT Commentary January 7, 2026

The reported TTP attack in Takhar is not an isolated security incident but part of a deeper historical pattern of ethnic engineering in northern Afghanistan. Tracing its roots to 19th-century state-building policies, the article examines how militant proxies, demographic displacement, and settler strategies are once again reshaping Tajik-majority regions under Taliban rule.

Rethinking Pakistan’s Constitutional Changes

SAT Commentary January 6, 2026

The 27th Amendment reforms Pakistan’s judiciary with specialized courts and accountable appointments, reflecting global democratic practices.

Khamenei, the Bazaar, and Protests

SAT Commentary January 3, 2026

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s January 3, 2026 address reflects an Islamic Republic under acute economic and social strain. By validating bazaar grievances while condemning protest tactics, the leadership seeks to divide dissent and preserve regime authority amid a collapsing Rial.

South Asia Times

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