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Badakhshan and the Limits of What Kabul Controls

Years of reading situation reporting on Afghanistan teach you to distrust the loud claim and pay attention to the quiet one. Not the casualty count a group puts out within hours, that number is always a negotiating position, aimed as much at donors and diaspora audiences as at the enemy. What I trust is the […]

Badakhshan Is Burning: Is It Becoming the Epicentre of Afghanistan’s Next Ethnic Crisis?

According to ground sources in Badakhshan, the province is witnessing a clear expansion of anti-Taliban activity, fueled by public dissatisfaction over governance, resource control, particularly mining contracts, and the growing influence of the Kandahar leadership over provincial affairs. Ground sources indicate that senior figures associated with the Kandahar leadership have tightened oversight of provincial governance […]

Taliban Commander Killed in Clashes with Anti-Government Fighters in Badakhshan

A Taliban commander, identified as Faridullah Wahdat, was killed overnight in clashes with anti-Taliban fighters in the Zebak district of Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province, according to Taliban sources. The same sources said several members of the opposing armed group were also killed during the fighting, though exact casualty figures have not been independently confirmed. According […]

Pakistan-EU Relations in a Changing Security and Economic Landscape

With the world’s current state amidst all the geopolitical competition and wars, Pakistan and Europe are at a pivotal point in bilateral relations. The relationship is progressing economically, with multiple economic and development initiatives, but political partnership is not as strong. Both sides have different perspectives and policies about democracy, national security, and human rights. […]

When Outrage Replaces Investigation, Human Rights Advocacy Loses Its Credibility

Human rights advocacy draws its authority from one non-negotiable premise: that findings are built on verified fact, not on the narrative most readily supplied by an interested party. Amnesty International’s latest report on Pakistan’s precision strikes of March 16 and 17 fails this test. In substance and sequence, the report tracks closely with the account […]

Pakistan Shows the Gulf Needs More Diplomacy, Not More Deterrence

The latest breakdown between Iran and the United States should settle an argument that has gone on for too long. Coercion does not work. Sanctions, military pressure, and the threat of force can buy time, but they cannot buy peace. Every time this crisis flares up again, it proves the same point: without a real […]

Built on Sand: Amnesty’s Report on Pakistan’s Counterterrorist Actions

Amnesty International, once a beacon of human rights advocacy, has released a report that collapses under the weight of its own contradictions and evidentiary failures. The organisation’s assessment of Pakistan’s precision strikes on 16 March 2026 reads less like an objective investigation and more like a manufactured narrative. The report’s foundation is sand, and with […]

Pakistan’s Maritime Red Line: No Tolerance for Houthi Threats

Amidst the Houthi threat of blockading Saudi ports and threatening Red Sea shipping, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a firm condemntation. Islamabad reaffirmed its commitment to regional stability and maritime security, especially reserving the right to defend its own vessels and interests. From a geopolitical point-of-view, this is a significant moment. Pakistan’s defense […]

Pakistan’s Diplomatic Rise and Emergence As New Global Mediator

As the US-Iran war raises fears of wider global conflict, Pakistan shocked the international community by emerging as an effective peace broker. The recent US-Iran war shows that in international politics, power is no longer determined solely by military strength and economic hegemony. Rather, it also depends on the ability of a country’s diplomacy to […]