Pakistan Rejects Iran’s Intelligence Sharing Allegations and Calls Them Disinformation Amid Diplomatic Engagements

A hooded figure surrounded by social media logos, warning symbols, and fake news headlines symbolizes the spread of online misinformation and disinformation across digital platforms.

Last week, a cluster of social media accounts began circulating a specific claim that Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had conveyed sensitive Iranian intelligence and nuclear-related messages to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during recent engagements in Washington. Pakistan’s Foreign Office categorically rejected the allegations, describing them as baseless, speculative, […]

Who is Behind PPDN and What Does It Actually Want?

A poster of the Pakistan Policy and Development Conference 2026, which is scheduled to take place on 6 June 2026

In early 2026, a previously unknown organization called Pakistan Policy and Development Network quietly registered itself in the United Kingdom. Two months later, it had secured a collaboration with the London School of Economics, arranged business class return tickets and luxury hotel accommodations for speakers flying in from Pakistan, and was operating with a reported […]

When Platforms Become Political Tools

A poster of LSE conference 2026

There is something worth pausing on when a two-month-old organization, with no published research record and no established academic footprint, manages to co-brand an international conference with one of the world’s most recognizable universities. The Pakistan Policy and Development Network may present itself as a policy forum, but the story behind the Pakistan Policy and […]

Vienna Dialogue on Pakistan’s Programme for Country Partnership 2025–2030: A Strategic Inflection Point

A UNIDO-backed industrial framework

The high-level engagement convened in Vienna over Pakistan’s Programme for Country Partnership (PCP) 2025–2030 signals a decisive shift in the country’s development trajectory. Signed by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar in February 2026, this UNIDO-led framework moves deliberately away from the cycle of short-term financial relief and toward a structurally grounded, climate-resilient model of industrial […]

Pakistan–Italy Visa Waiver Deal Marks New Phase in Bilateral Engagement

Pakistan-Italy

Pakistan and Italy have recently signed a landmark agreement to abolish visa requirements for holders of diplomatic passports, an accord finalized during a ceremony at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome. Signed by Pakistan’s Ambassador, Ali Javed, and the Italian Secretary General for Foreign Affairs, Riccardo Guariglia, the agreement is designed to facilitate […]

Kharjeeyat and the Ideological Roots of Pakistan’s Extremism Crisis

Taliban

Pakistan’s decades-long struggle against militancy has produced extensive security frameworks, significant military victories, and countless counter-terrorism operations. Yet the fundamental question remains inadequately addressed: what keeps producing these movements? The analytical lens has almost always focused on operational manifestations, attack frequencies, militant networks, and body counts, while the ideological architecture that sustains and regenerates extremism […]

The Architecture of Regional Destabilization

Taliban security personnel sit atop a military vehicle during a parade to celebrate the third anniversary of Taliban's takeover of the country in Kandahar

Pakistan’s representative, Counsellor Syed Atif Raza, at the Ninth Biennial Meeting of States (BMS-9) on the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons, highlighted the serious regional threat posed by advanced weapons stockpiles in Afghanistan. He described these as a direct risk to neighbouring countries, including Pakistan, noting that the illicit transfer […]

Treaty Obligations, Flows and Enduring Hydro-Politics

The Kishanganga River, which is a tributary of the Jhelum and is known as the Neelum in Pakistan.

The Kishanganga Hydroelectric Project stands as a  example of India’s aggressive water strategy against Pakistan. Built on the Kishanganga River known as Neelum in Pakistan, this 330 MW run-of-the-river dam diverts massive volumes of water through a 24 km tunnel into the Jhelum basin, directly reducing flows into Pakistan’s territory. Constructed at a cost of […]