Themes Archives - Page 2 of 29

Pakistan’s engagement with the Gaza Board reflects a realist-humanitarian strategy that prioritizes influence, outcomes, and Palestinian rights over symbolic disengagement or diplomatic isolation.

Pakistan, Gaza, and the Case for Realist-Humanitarian Diplomacy

SAT Commentary January 28, 2026

As Gaza endures a prolonged humanitarian catastrophe, Pakistan’s decision to engage with the Board of Peace reflects a calculated shift from symbolic diplomacy to realist-humanitarianism. Rather than retreating into moral posturing, Islamabad has chosen presence as leverage, seeking to shape aid delivery, protect Palestinian priorities, and influence outcomes from within imperfect multilateral structures.

The EU–India FTA reveals a deep structural asymmetry, exposing Indian industry to European dominance while reinforcing dependency through tariffs, CBAM, and non-tariff barriers.

The Asymmetry at the Heart of the EU–India FTA

SAT Commentary January 28, 2026

Presented as a landmark of global economic integration, the EU–India Free Trade Agreement masks a deeply unequal structure. While India dismantles protective tariffs central to its industrial base, European firms retain advantages through subsidies, non-tariff barriers, and green protectionism. Rather than enabling industrial upgrading, the deal risks locking India into a dependent trade pattern, importing high-value capital goods while exporting low-value products, undermining the very logic of Make in India.

Governing by Faith and Fear: Inside India’s Bureaucratic Transformation

SAT Editorial Desk January 26, 2026

Once imagined as a neutral steel frame, India’s bureaucracy is undergoing a profound mutation. As faith becomes an instrument of alignment and fear a tool of discipline, the administrative state is drifting from constitutional neutrality toward ideological enforcement, with lasting consequences for democracy, governance, and state capacity.

The Taliban’s new criminal code entrenches a tiered justice system, privileging clerics and elites while harshly punishing the poor.

Afghanistan’s New Tiered Justice System

SAT Editorial Desk January 25, 2026

The Taliban’s new Criminal Procedure Code formalizes a four-tiered justice system that shields clerics and elites while subjecting ordinary Afghans to imprisonment and public flogging. By codifying social hierarchy into law, the regime violates international human rights norms and subverts Islam’s foundational promise of equality before the law, turning justice into an instrument of control rather than accountability.

Pakistan’s decision to join Gaza’s Board of Peace exposes a stark dilemma: strategic engagement to influence outcomes, or moral complicity in a managed peace that sidelines Palestinians.

Realpolitik or Moral Complicity? Pakistan and Gaza’s Board of Peace

SAT Editorial Desk January 22, 2026

Pakistan’s entry into Gaza’s Board of Peace marks a historic departure from its traditional Palestinian policy. As Islamabad navigates an extra-legal, US-led governance framework that excludes Hamas and sidelines sovereignty, the question looms large: is participation a tool of influence, or an act of moral complicity?

EU–Pakistan Business Forum 2026

SAT Commentary January 20, 2026

The EU–Pakistan Business Forum 2026 marks a strategic pivot toward diversified, ESG-driven investment, de-risked finance, and regulatory alignment beyond GSP+ trade ties.

Afghanistan’s post-2021 economy has shifted toward informality, coercive revenue, and regional trade, shaped by isolation, sanctions, and political risk.

Afghanistan’s Post-2021 Economic Model

SAT Editorial Desk January 20, 2026

Afghanistan’s post-2021 economic model reflects a sharp break from the aid-backed past, defined by informality, fiscal fragility, and regional economic isolation under Taliban rule.

As instability spreads from Afghanistan’s north, Tajikistan faces renewed militant pressure, exposing the limits of regional security guarantees and Taliban governance.

The Return of Insurgency in Central Asia

SAT Editorial Desk January 19, 2026

A series of cross-border incidents along the Afghanistan–Tajikistan frontier has raised fears of a renewed insurgent threat in Central Asia. As militant networks regroup in northern Afghanistan, regional governments are questioning long-held assumptions about Taliban governance, Russian security guarantees and the durability of the post-Soviet order.

Is an Islamic NATO emerging? Pakistan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia explore a trilateral defense pact reshaping Middle East and South Asian security.

Toward an Islamic NATO?

SAT Editorial Desk January 18, 2026

In a rapidly fragmenting global order, Pakistan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia are exploring a trilateral defense arrangement that could redefine regional security architectures. Often dubbed an Islamic NATO, the proposed pact reflects a broader shift by middle powers toward strategic autonomy as US security guarantees wane. This convergence signals the merging of Middle Eastern and South Asian strategic theaters into a single geopolitical map.

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.

South Asia Times

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