Taliban regime recognition
History is subject to strange twists and turns. One such is the decision by Russia to recognise the Afghan Taliban regime, the first and only country so far to do…
The Taliban character
THE Afghan Taliban’s character has remained tricky throughout their history. Their leadership is notorious for shifting positions and breaking its promises. Who knows better than Pakistan’s security institutions, which have…
A lesson from the Taliban
JUST a week before the third anniversary of the Doha Agreement, a high-profile delegation from Pakistan led by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif visited Kabul on Feb 22. It was not…
Taliban’s shadow
PAKISTAN and Afghanistan have always had a complex relationship that has been mishandled by both sides. Each has expected the other to make up for the failure of its own…
Taliban version of Islam
THE Taliban regime in Afghanistan has started enforcing Sharia laws based on their own interpretation of the precepts of Islam. Pakistan is among those Muslim countries that have distanced themselves…
Roots of the Taliban
PAKISTAN’S initial support for the Afghan Taliban regime proved short-lived — a surprising turn of events for many observers. After actively lobbying for international recognition for the Taliban administration, Pakistan…
Taliban & liberalism
IT has been 14 months since Afghanistan was handed over to the Taliban by the most fearsome military force the world has ever known, the US army. For most of this time…
Three years after Taliban return, economic woes loom large
Despite three years of improved security following the end of the Taliban’s insurgency, Afghanistan’s economy remains stagnant and its population is in the grips of a worsening humanitarian crisis. A…
Taliban on steroids
THE inspired but abortive effort a century ago by a king and his feminist queen to thrust Afghanistan into their vision of modernity offers a stark contrast with the proclivities…
Dealing with the Taliban
The 1990s saw the emergence of the Taliban and in the 2000s the TTP appeared to be distinct from the Taliban in Afghanistan. In this story we have had to…
