Cash-strapped Pakistan faces yet another financial setback as it must repay Saudi Arabia USD 3 billion within a year, with an additional four per cent interest per quarter. Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin informed the Senate on Friday, 11 February, deepening the already precarious state of Pakistan’s economy. In October 2021, Saudi Arabia had agreed to […]
Saudi Demand: Financial Woes Worsen for Pakistan Read More »
The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global watchdog against money laundering and terrorist financing, is set to review Pakistan’s performance next month. Pakistan was placed on the Grey List in June 2018 under enhanced monitoring for its persistent failure to curb terrorist financing. Since then, its progress has been periodically reviewed, only to
Pakistan Resorts to Usual Tricks as it Fails to Comply with FATF Regulations Read More »
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global watchdog against terrorist financing and money laundering, reviewed Pakistan’s progress during its October 2021 plenary session and decided to retain the country on its Grey List. Pakistan at the time claimed that Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar was “untraceable” and a proclaimed offender, while making a
Will the ‘Grey List’ Turn ‘Black’ for Pakistan at the FATF’s February Plenary? Read More »
Everything Afghanistan achieved over the last two decades has crumbled within months of the Taliban’s return. Since mid-August 2021, the pace of collapse has been as breath-taking as the disintegration of the former Islamic Republic itself: in just four months, the country has spiralled into hunger, mass unemployment, economic breakdown, an exodus of educated professionals,
Unravelling of Afghanistan Read More »
Ordinarily, the state cannot be held directly responsible for the acts of individuals. Yet Pakistan presents a striking exception. Decades of state-sponsored efforts to construct a religio-political identity have blurred the line between legality and zealotry, creating a culture in which private acts of extremism often mirror official narratives. With poor quality education and widespread
The Aafia Siddiqi Hostage Drama: What It Really Means Read More »
Thirteen years after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, in which over 160 people were killed, Pakistan has brazenly refused to prosecute the accused. This impunity has been enabled by the failure of the international community—especially powerful countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and China—to impose meaningful costs on Islamabad. The result: Pakistan has
Who is Responsible for Pakistan Becoming a Terror Sponsor? Read More »
Pakistan today faces an acute crisis of governance, with serious external policy and national security challenges compounding its already fragile internal situation. The shifting regional landscape—particularly after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan—has exposed Pakistan’s vulnerabilities. Yet, the government appears oblivious to the gravity of the crisis. The Afghan Crisis and Refugee Burden The turmoil in
Pakistan – A Crisis of Governance Read More »
Pakistan today remains the world’s most conspicuous safe haven for terrorism. It is the only state where thousands of militants operate with impunity, where terrorist training camps flourish, and where the army itself maintains open links with jihadi groups—often directing attacks against sovereign nations. Yet, unlike other states accused of sponsoring terrorism, Pakistan has avoided
Another Reason for Blacklisting Pakistan Read More »
The Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan has emboldened radical and extremist forces across the border in Pakistan. With a porous frontier and long-standing ideological ties, fears are mounting that instability could spill over, weakening Islamabad’s fragile control and raising the unthinkable prospect of Taliban access to Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. Growing Global Alarm Pakistan is
International Community Worried Over Pakistani Nukes Falling Into Taliban Hands Read More »
The Shadow of Sanctions The threat of US sanctions now looms over influential figures in both Ethiopia and Kazakhstan, countries increasingly drawn into China’s orbit. In Kazakhstan, the focus is on Timur Kulibaev, a powerful oligarch and board member of Gazprom, long regarded as Beijing’s preferred gateway into the country. Reports suggest he has benefited
The Dragon’s Grip: China’s Expanding Influence in Ethiopia and Kazakhstan Read More »
The collapse of Afghanistan’s government in August 2021 has produced one of the largest forced displacements in recent history, evoking comparisons with the “boat people” of Southeast Asia and the exodus from Syria. The crisis has been compounded by Pakistan’s restrictive border policies, leaving Afghans trapped between Taliban repression at home and hostility abroad. Escalating
Terrible Tragedy for Afghanistan’s ‘Unwanted’ Read More »
The Taliban’s Pakistan-assisted military takeover of Afghanistan has triggered a severe refugee crisis, exposing fragile regional security dynamics and posing complex challenges for international policy. The crisis is not only humanitarian but also geopolitical, with neighbouring states closing their borders and signalling an unwillingness to assume the burden of displaced populations. Scale of Displacement The
Pakistan Triggers Serious Refugee Crisis Read More »
Women’s protests against the Taliban’s Islamist gender terror are fading. Since mid-September, demonstrations in Kabul, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, and other cities have all but disappeared. It is as if the Taliban never really left Afghan women alone during the last 20 years. Silencing Urban Voices Initially, women braved the streets to demand their right to work,
Return of Taliban’s Gender Terror Complete in Afghanistan Read More »
The Taliban’s Pakistan-assisted military takeover of Afghanistan has triggered a severe refugee crisis, exposing fragile regional security dynamics and posing complex challenges for international policy. The crisis is not only humanitarian but also geopolitical, with neighbouring states closing their borders and signalling an unwillingness to assume the burden of displaced populations. Scale of Displacement The
Pakistan Triggers Serious Refugee Crisis Read More »
Have the Taliban truly “returned” after two decades? In terms of power, yes—but only by force. The reality is that they never left Afghanistan. For twenty years, despite US-NATO presence and a non-Taliban administration, the group regrouped, refined its strategies, embraced technology, and propagated its rigid interpretation of Islam, all with the steadfast support of
Prospects for Women in Afghanistan Read More »
The fall of the Ashraf Ghani government, collapsing like a house of cards, paved the way for the Taliban’s swift takeover of Afghanistan. With their return has come a new wave of rigid, orthodox rules—once again targeting women most severely. Reports of harassment and brutalities against women multiplied as the Taliban advanced across the country,
Afghan Women Challenge Taliban Read More »
The Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan last month, have rushed to form a ‘caretaker’ government. Three weeks after storming into Kabul, the movement has awarded the most important positions to religious hardliners and foot soldiers—choices facilitated by the careful midwifing of Pakistan. Pakistan’s Hand in the Power Balance Pakistan’s influence is unmistakable. Field commanders,
Hardliners Dominate in New Afghan Government Read More »
“Any state that fails to act to end Pakistan’s invasion & prevent further Taliban brutality are betraying the women & girls of Afghanistan & making a complete mockery of their commitment to women’s rights,” tweeted Christopher (Chris) Alexander, Canada’s first envoy to Kabul. His warning captures the growing sense of betrayal felt by Afghans—especially women—at
No Place for Women in Taliban’s Afghanistan Read More »
After twenty years of being wilfully misled by Pakistan, the Western world—led by the United States—still refuses to confront the reality that it has been deceived over Afghanistan. Even now, as the Taliban sweeps across the country, capturing nearly fourteen provincial capitals and forcing the surrender of the Kunduz-based Army Corps, Washington and its allies
Taliban: Pakistan’s First and Only Choice Read More »
The world has been left in shock and sorrow for the people of Afghanistan, who have once again fallen to the Taliban. A two-decade struggle for democracy and freedom has ended in humiliation for those who championed it. Human rights defenders, political leaders, and ordinary citizens fought valiantly against the Taliban’s resurgence, yet they were
Pakistan is to Blame for the Taliban’s Return Read More »
Blasphemy cases in Pakistan tell a disturbing story about human relationships, where individuals and communities often manipulate the country’s laws to settle personal disputes with members of minority groups. The blasphemy laws, which carry punishments as severe as life imprisonment or the death penalty, have become tools for arbitrary detention, intimidation, and violence. They have
Pakistan: Religious Minorities at Risk Read More »
When news broke of the death of Hamid Gul, former head of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Afghans celebrated in the streets. Gul had been instrumental in ensuring that no government in Kabul succeeded after the 1980s Afghan War and in nurturing the Taliban movement that plunged the country into perpetual conflict. Despite cultural and religious
Pakistan’s Support of the Taliban Enrages Kabul Read More »
A new axis of terror is taking shape in the Af–Pak theatre, forged through the convergence of interests between Pakistan, China and Turkey, with the Taliban eager to cooperate. The pretence is over; there is no longer any smoke screen. Pakistan has abandoned any illusion of being a reliable ally of the West, even though
Afghanistan–Pakistan: A New Axis of Terror Read More »
George Bernard Shaw once remarked: “Beware of false information, it is more dangerous than ignorance.” This observation is particularly apt in today’s hyper-digital world, where what we see online and what we perceive are often two sides of a coin. Verified accounts, hundreds of retweets and large followings have become the benchmarks of authenticity, yet
The USCIRF Chronicle: Provocation Against India? Read More »
A glaring loophole remains in Pakistan’s attempts to curb terrorist financing under international pressure, a gap that could place the country on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) blacklist. It is still unclear whether the omission in small savings schemes has been left deliberately to benefit terrorist groups—many of which enjoy state patronage—enabling them to
Gaping Hole in Pakistan’s FATF Compliance Read More »
