CPEC 2.0: Assessing the Shift from Infrastructure to Industry
CPEC 1.0 was visible in Pakistan’s landscape. roads were built, power plants came online and connectivity infrastructure expanded all over the country. CPEC 2.0 presents a different and more difficult test as its success will not be measured primarily by kilometres of roads constructed or megawatts added to the national grid, but by what Pakistan […]
State-Society Relation: When Institutional Immaturity Turns Society against the State
A society does not remain stagnant and immature. As education grows, information is available, economic and social relationships are growing in number, and citizens are becoming more aware of their rights, expectations and dignity, society calls for something more from the state: fairness, accountability, representation and equal treatment. This is not an example of disorganization. […]
Taliban Regime Deploys Fresh Forces Toward Nasi as Badakhshan Tensions Escalate
The Taliban regime has sent additional forces from Shaki toward Nasi district in Badakhshan, according to reports circulating on social media, deepening a confrontation with fighters loyal to commander Juma Khan Fatah that has been building for weeks. The deployment, reportedly including twenty heavily armed Rangers from southern Afghanistan, arrives even as local Taliban figures […]
Takhar Gold Conflict Exposes Taliban Regime’s Dangerous Resource Politics
A rocket attack on a Chinese mining company in Chenarak Valley, Chah Ab district of Takhar, killing one Chinese national and injuring two others, has exposed a deeper problem than the immediate security threat. The incident highlights how Afghanistan’s mineral wealth is becoming increasingly entangled with armed competition, contested land and opaque power structures under […]
Five Years After Kabul: What Would a Sustainable Political Transition in Afghanistan Require?
Since the Taliban government has been established in Afghanistan, the country presents a paradox as it has achieved a degree of political and territorial stability, yet remains far from a sustainable political settlement. The Taliban have consolidated control over the state and largely displaced the nationwide warfare that characterised the previous period, but control alone […]
Pakistan’s Agricultural Exports Beyond Textiles
For decades, Pakistan’s export story has been dominated by textiles, leaving agriculture largely viewed as a domestic sector rather than a source of high-value foreign exchange. Yet the country’s agricultural and food exports demonstrate that the export basket can extend well beyond garments and yarn. Rice, meat, fruits, seafood, vegetables, oilseeds, nuts and spices already […]
Can CMEC Help Advance a Resolution to the Rohingya Crisis?
When China launched the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC), it envisioned more than a network of roads, railways, ports and commercial projects. Stretching from Yunnan Province to the deep-sea port of Kyaukphyu on Myanmar’s western coast, the corridor represents a strategic artery within the Belt and Road Initiative. It gives China access to the Bay of […]
Indian Vlogger’s Kunar Encounter Adds to the Record on Taliban-TTP Nexus
An account attributed to an Indian YouTuber’s visit to Kunar has added a fresh, granular data point to a case Islamabad has been building for years: that Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan operates inside Afghan territory with a degree of freedom that is difficult to reconcile with the Taliban’s claims of sovereign control. The vlogger reported encountering individuals […]
China’s Green Energy is Promoting its Energy SecurityÂ
Energy is a crucial element for economic growth for any country. Energy security ensures national security; without it, a state can not survive because it is the backbone of economic stability. When it comes to renewable energy, the world often looks to China, not just as a participant, but as the engine driving the global […]