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 »
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 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 »
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 »
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 »
Following the latest outbreak of clashes between Hamas—the Palestinian quasi-state terrorist organisation—and Israel, a ceasefire was agreed that few believe will endure. For Hamas, this truce is merely a tactical pause in its violent campaign against Israel. Israel, too, does not expect it to last—not out of unwillingness, but because it knows Hamas will inevitably
The Dangerous Game between Hamas and Pakistan Read More »
Pakistan’s image as a sponsor of terrorism returned to sharp focus when France solemnly recalled the killing of 11 French nationals in Karachi on 8 May 2002. These citizens, employed on a French-Pakistani submarine project, were murdered in a bombing carried out by terrorists linked to a nexus of Pakistani generals, politicians, and middlemen angered
Pakistan’s Terror Haunts France Read More »
Remaining on the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for another year may be the least of Pakistan’s concerns. What poses a greater challenge is the FATF’s insistence that Pakistan investigate and prosecute leaders of UN-designated terrorist groups living on its soil—an expectation that directly clashes with Islamabad’s aspirations to shape the
Will Pakistan Act Against Terrorist Leaders? Read More »
For all Pakistan’s frenetic diplomatic efforts and loud expressions of outrage over the conflict between Hamas and Israel, the fragile ceasefire was secured not by Islamabad’s bluster but through Egypt’s quiet diplomacy and mediation. While Cairo played a constructive role behind the scenes, Pakistan indulged in diplomatic showmanship—indeed, one-upmanship—aimed largely at domestic audiences and imagined
Pakistan’s Paroxysm over Palestine Read More »
