Taliban regime calls others American and Zionist agents, but who is pocketing billions in foreign dollars?
The Taliban regime never tires of branding its critics, Pakistan included, as American and Zionist agents. Yet the money trail tells a very different story. A report by the Kabul Institute, an Afghan-led body that set out to expose gaps in aid transparency, has instead laid bare the staggering scale of foreign dollars pouring into […]
Where each side stands on stopping the Iran war from restarting
Tehran (26 Oct): Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, described the talks as “very good”. “I feel that a new atmosphere is emerging in the region,” he told Iranian state television, adding that regional security “should be achieved by the countries themselves”. Riyadh (26 Oct): The Saudi Foreign Ministry said the purpose […]
Unlegislated, Unbuilt, and Unplanned: Confronting Pakistan’s E-Waste Governance Vacuum
In a workshop in Karachi’s Shershah scrap market, a man burns insulated copper wire over an open flame. The smoke carries lead, cadmium, and dioxins into the air around him. He has no protective equipment. He does this because it is the only way he knows to recover the metal value from a discarded phone […]
Israel votes today
Bottom line Benjamin Netanyahu is unlikely to secure a majority, but it would be a mistake to write him off. A hung Knesset remains the most probable result. Even if he goes, Israel’s Iran policy would barely shift. What would change is the tone, both in dealings with Europe and on the occupied West Bank. […]
Missing Persons in Pakistan: A Human Rights Issue Turned into a Battle for State Legitimacy
The post-9/11 period in Pakistan’s political history is an era when the country’s foreign and security policies increasingly came under western influence. The Musharraf government aligned Pakistan with the US-led war against terror. This led to deepening of security cooperation and engagement with international organizations. This was not simply a government-to-government engagement. Islamabad was flooded […]
Taliban-al Qaeda Hybrid Regime of Afghanistan
Afghanistan is no longer under a Taliban government but a Taliban-Al Qaeda hybrid regime that has transformed the country into a major hub of terrorism. Nearly every Muslim terrorist organization in the world now has a presence in Afghanistan, and an organized network has been established in which Al-Qaeda, acting as both mentor and umbrella […]
Thwarting ISKP Cross Border Expansion
The Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) continues to utilize eastern and southern Afghanistan, specifically Kunar, Nangarhar, and Helmand provinces—as primary operational hubs and staging grounds for regional terror proliferation. Following the collapse of Daesh strongholds in Syria and Iraq, experienced foreign fighters shifted to Afghanistan, reinforcing ISKP’s command structures and expanding its sanctuary. This threat […]
Pakistan’s Economic Recovery Deserves Recognition, Not Reduction to a Political Label
The Financial Times asks whether Pakistan’s “military government” can make the economy grow. The article’s own evidence answers that question: the economy is already recovering. Pakistan is back in international capital markets, reserves have been rebuilt, inflation has fallen sharply from its 2023 peak, and investors are lining up to buy Pakistani debt. A headline […]
Missing Persons; Separating Facts from Fiction
Pakistan’s debate on missing persons often begins with an accusation and ends before the evidence is examined. The anguish of families deserves a compassionate response. So does the work of institutions investigating complaints, tracing individuals and assisting dependants. A fair assessment must recognise what the state has achieved while identifying what remains unresolved. The available […]