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South Asia

Disinformation in Pakistan exploits social media to manipulate perception, undermine the judiciary, and destabilize governance.

Disinformation, Digital Propaganda, and the Erosion of the Rule of Law

SAT Commentary January 20, 2026

While online narratives often claim to expose corruption or political repression, coordinated digital propaganda masks a strategic effort to delegitimize state institutions. This commentary examines the interplay of monetized disinformation, coordinated amplification, and selective framing, revealing how Pakistan’s digital ecosystem substitutes outrage for evidence and destabilizes governance.

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Durand Line shifts from frontier to hard border, reshaping jihadist networks, militancy, and Pakistan-Afghanistan’s security landscape.

Militancy, Borderization, and the Politics of a Frontier

SAT Editorial Desk January 15, 2026

The Durand Line’s transformation from a porous frontier to a fenced border is altering militant strategies, funding, and regional security. Jihadist networks like TTP and IS-K are adapting to these changes while local populations face social and economic pressures.

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

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.

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Pakistan’s shift from arms importer to defense exporter reveals how indigenous military industry has become central to sovereignty in a fragmented global order.

Pakistan’s Defense Industrial Breakout

SAT Editorial Desk January 11, 2026

As the liberal international order fragments, Pakistan has executed a decisive shift from defense dependency to indigenous production. Through exports, combat validation, and joint industrialization, Islamabad is redefining sovereignty as an industrial and diplomatic asset.

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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.

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The New Dutch Disease

The New Dutch Disease

SAT Editorial Desk January 8, 2026

The Dutch Disease has evolved. In today’s Global South, it is no longer driven only by oil and gas but by aid, remittances, and strategic rents that create fragile, consumption-led economies while eroding state capacity, productivity, and social trust.

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The Revival of Ethnic Engineering in Northern Afghanistan

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.

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