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 »
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 »
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 »
Faced with a crumbling economy, a hostile population, and geopolitical isolation, the Taliban’s divided leadership may lead Afghanistan towards another civil war. More than three weeks after the fall of Kabul, the Taliban has finally announced an all-male Pashtun government comprised mainly of senior Taliban figures. While the news is scarcely surprising, the announcement came
The Taliban’s house of cards 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 »
