Decoding Pakistan’s GTI Ranking
The release of the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2026 by the Institute for Economics and Peace has generated significant discussion regarding Pakistan’s top position. However, observers must not misread this metric as an indicator of state capability, governance, or support for extremism. The GTI specifically measures the physical impact of violence on a population, aggregating […]
Pakistan’s Enduring Commitment to Peaceful Nuclear Science
Pakistan’s nuclear programme, its exclusion from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the uneasy strategic equilibrium with India are the three key elements which helped shape Pakistan’s nuclear status in the international perception. But this dominant narrative hides another, however much less discussed: the seventy-year civilian nuclear program that has been developed, from the very […]
Is Pakistan a Dynastic State for Bureaucracy?
A familiar refrain echoes through our drawing rooms, our television panels, and our social media timelines: that Pakistan has been looted and distorted by its politicians, and that the legislature is the theatre in which the national tragedy unfolds. This is a seductive narrative, and like all seductive narratives, it is only half true. The […]
How Smaller Units of Government Can Improve Public Representation in Pakistan
A resident of Rajanpur wakes up to find her street still without a functioning water connection, three months after she first complained. She does not know whether to call her local councillor, if one even exists, her MPA in Lahore, the deputy commissioner, or the relevant provincial department. Each institution points to another. This is […]
Twenty-Five Years After 9/11: A Region Still Paying the Price
A quarter century after the September 11 attacks, the Atlantic Council’s retrospective on the War on Terror offers a verdict that resists easy categorisation, and that ambiguity is itself a damning commentary on how the conflict was conceived and conducted. Nowhere is this unresolved legacy more visible than in Afghanistan, where the very threats the […]
India’s witnessing a PhD boom. But the bigger question is what comes after
A 25-year-old from Haryana joined Delhi University in 2020 to pursue a PhD in Economics. That wasn’t the plan all along. His original plan was to complete his Master’s in commerce and work with a multinational firm, like many of his batchmates. The scholar says he changed his mind after developing an interest in academia […]
Afghan Soil Militancy Exposes Taliban Denial
The official narrative maintained by the interim Taliban administration in Kabul continues to deny harboring militant networks operating against neighboring states. However, empirical evidence on the ground paints a starkly different picture of cross-border aggression emanating directly from Afghan soil. In 2026 alone, terrorist attacks originating from Afghanistan have resulted in 1,327 Pakistani citizens martyred […]
Geneva Access Cannot Legitimize Separatist Violence
The Baloch National Movement (BNM) recently publicized a meeting in Geneva between its Chairman, Dr. Naseem Baloch, and the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. During this engagement, BNM submitted a report compiled by its advocacy arm, Paank, attempting to project international credibility. However, securing procedural access to UN special procedures is routine […]
Proposed KP Police Act 2026 Sparks Security Concerns
The proposed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police Act 2026 has triggered intense political and administrative debate across Pakistan. Critics argue that the proposed legislation systematically reverses the landmark institutional reforms enacted under the 2017 Police Act. Instead of safeguarding operational autonomy, the draft law consolidates command and operational control directly under the Chief Minister. In 2017, Pakistan […]