USA and Five Central Asian Countries Vowed to Work-over Economic Integration of South & Central Asia

New Trade Ties

Washington has issued a joint statement this week, narrating the will to resolve the tension in Afghanistan. The Effort is to create economic and trade ties with the region as well as between markets of central Asia, South Asia, and Europe together.

To realize its plans, Washington has formed a group namely C5+1, which includes the United States, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. A working group is formed inspecting the transit and financial opportunities in Afghanistan and the wider region along with keeping an eye over the border security and violent extremism.

Needs to be Realized

In late May, The United States, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan agreed on the need to build a railway-based transportation network between central Asia and Pakistan. Also, the need for the construction of a gas pipeline from across Pakistan to India was highlighted during the meeting.

Iran and China have also agreed on a joint venture featuring a security and economic partnership. It is reported that the investment would be worth $400 billion over 25 years. The prospects of which will be the creation of new economic opportunities for Iran in particular and China at large.

Where does Pakistan turn?

The prevailing sentiment among the diplomatic observers is that the China and United States are desperately seeking and trying to seize economic opportunities in South and Central Asia. There is a “tug of war” observed on the part of both China and the United States, where the two are trying to get a major stake to their benefit in the emerging economic prospects.

In this display of power dynamics between the US and China, Pakistan will soon find itself in a decisive moment over taking-side with one of the parties. Whatever the decision may be, it will decide the future of Pakistan from both an economic and political standpoint.

An analysis of Qatar’s neutrality, Al Jazeera’s framing of Pakistan, and how narrative diplomacy shapes mediation and regional security in South Asia.

Qatar’s Dubious Neutrality and the Narrative Campaign Against Pakistan

Ibrahim Khalil December 26, 2025

Qatar’s role in South Asia illustrates how mediation and media narratives can quietly converge into instruments of influence. Through Al Jazeera’s selective framing of Pakistan’s security challenges and Doha’s unbalanced facilitation with the Taliban, neutrality risks becoming a performative posture rather than a principled practice. Mediation that avoids accountability does not resolve conflict, it entrenches it.

An analysis of how Qatar’s mediation shifted from dialogue to patronage, legitimizing the Taliban and Hamas while eroding global counterterrorism norms.

From Dialogue to Patronage: How Qatar Mainstreamed Radical Movements Under the Banner of Mediation

Alisha Zahra December 26, 2025

Qatar’s diplomacy has long been framed as pragmatic engagement, but its mediation model has increasingly blurred into political patronage. By hosting and legitimizing groups such as the Taliban and Hamas without enforceable conditions, Doha has helped normalize armed movements in international politics, weakening counterterrorism norms and reshaping regional stability.

AI, Extremism, and the Weaponization of Hate: Islamophobia in India

Filza Asim December 26, 2025

AI is no longer a neutral tool in India’s digital space. A growing body of research shows how artificial intelligence is being deliberately weaponized to mass-produce Islamophobic narratives, normalize harassment, and amplify Hindutva extremism. As online hate increasingly spills into real-world violence, India’s AI-driven propaganda ecosystem raises urgent questions about accountability, democracy, and the future of pluralism.

AQAP’s Threat to China: Pathways Through Al-Qaeda’s Global Network

SAT Editorial Desk December 25, 2025

AQAP’s threat against China marks a shift from rhetoric to execution, rooted in Al-Qaeda’s decentralized global architecture. By using Afghanistan as a coordination hub and relying on AQIS, TTP, and Uyghur militants of the Turkistan Islamic Party as local enablers, the threat is designed to be carried out far beyond Yemen. From CPEC projects in Pakistan to Chinese interests in Central Asia and Africa, the networked nature of Al-Qaeda allows a geographically dispersed yet strategically aligned campaign against Beijing.

The Enduring Consequences of America’s Exit from Afghanistan

SAT Commentary December 25, 2025

The 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan was more than the end of a long war, it was a poorly executed exit that triggered the rapid collapse of the Afghan state. The fall of Kabul, the Abbey Gate attack, and the return of militant groups exposed serious gaps in planning and coordination.

South Asia Times