Al Qaeda, TTP and IS-KP: The Convergence and Divergence
![Al-Qaeda, TTP, ISKP in Pakistan's backyard: Pakistani troops observe the area from a hilltop post in Khyber district [File: Anjum Naveed/AP]](https://southasiatimes.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/AP21312682025351-1.webp)
Al Qaeda, TTP, and IS-KP pose a great threat to South Asia and the whole world. Sharing similar history and formation, these organizations converge on their origin. However, their beliefs in Islamic State and their area of influence provide a distinction among them.
Ethnic Multiplicity in Pakistan and Afghanistan: A Strength or a Weakness?

Both Pakistan and Afghan are home to number of ethnicities, having a history of ups and downs in their relations comparable to a sinusoidal wave. In contemporary times, these Ethnicities are not essentially in harmony with each other; with ethnic clashes in Afghanistan being much more violent than those in Pakistan.
US and Afghanistan: Old Foes, New Times

Recent talks between the US and Taliban officials offer a glimpse of hope for renewed engagement between the two countries, but existing fissures will demand greater effort and transformed strategies to cultivate durable peace.
October 8: Of Tremors and Resilience

Through its apocalyptic imagery, October 8 has since its tragic dawn in 2005 captured the zenith of both loss and resilience of the Pakistani nation faced with the continual threat of earthquakes. What does the risk analysis infer?
Caught in Limbo: Afghan Students in India

As 2500 Afghan students await Indian visas, it is crucial to ask whether transnational relations are relatively stronger for some communities than others, and perhaps if doubts can be cast after all on India\’s feelings for Afghans.
India in Afghanistan: Friend or Frenemy?

Despite ideological fissures between a deeply Islamophobic polity of India and the ‘Islamic Emirate’ of Afghanistan, as well as the specter of a troubled past, signs of rapprochement between the two are on the horizon. But at what cost?
UNGA 77th: Discourse on Afghanistan

Silence from Afghanistan at the UNGA session for the second consecutive year inspired leaders from a few other states to ensure the country was mentioned. Accorded a varied reception, the remarks reflect distinct national perceptions of, and interests in Afghanistan.
To Mourn or Not to Mourn, That is the Question

The death of Queen Elizabeth II has drawn varied reactions, including renewed anger from nations once subjected to British colonialism. To them, the occasion is yet another moment of reckoning; an opportunity to reveal the darker side of the extraordinary grandeur symbolized by the British Crown.
SCO Summit 2022: An Overview

The SCO Summit 2022 is yet another reminder of the significance of the organization\’s geostrategic scope and its membership in shared aspirations of regional connectivity. With theorized shifts in the global order, the degree of actualization of that vision remains to be seen.
The Question of Girls Education in Afghanistan

The Taliban regime\’s vagueness on the subject of reopening girls\’ high schools despite repeated promises reflects poorly on their image as an evolved group. The ongoing dilemma may very well be a watershed moment in their legitimacy and viability as rulers of post-war Afghanistan.