No lessons learnt
Pakistan is a unique country in which the authorities seem incapable of learning from past experience. Here we are in the middle of trying to unravel the Independent Power Producers’…
The Syrian impact
THE triumph of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)-led resistance in Syria has further disturbed the geopolitical equilibrium in the Middle East and beyond. For Pakistan, this development should mean not only modifications…
Why the numbers matter
NO one knows the exact number of madressahs in Pakistan — not the government, not the madressah leadership, and not independent agencies. Each entity offers its estimates, claiming theirs to…
Foreign policy dilemmas
A NUMBER of foreign policy challenges lie ahead for Pakistan in 2025. They have to be met in an unstable global environment of mounting geopolitical tensions, intense US-China competition, preoccupation of…
How to counter insurgencies
IT is easy to say that the state must develop comprehensive and distinct counterterrorism and counterinsurgency strategies; however, what does comprehensive mean? This critical aspect is often missed in policy…
Rethinking Afghan policy
THERE is an immediate need for Pakistan to overhaul its Afghanistan policy, since the present one has failed to yield positive results. The Taliban regime in Kabul has not responded…
What ails Kurram?
Kurram Agency has once again been in the news for all the wrong reasons. A series of land dispute/sectarian clashes have once again been in evidence off and on since…
Year of unmet challenges
2024 saw intensifying political tensions and turmoil in Pakistan, which sharpened polarisation in the country and made political stability elusive. The year was marked by democratic regression and increasing autocratisation as the…
Kurram carnage
VIOLENCE in Kurram has spiked in frequency and magnitude recently. Fresh clashes erupted on Nov 21, when passenger vehicles were ambushed near Mandori. Forty-four persons lost their lives, including women and children. In revenge…
The lethal troika
MANY factors were responsible for the defeat of the erstwhile Soviet Union and then the US in Afghanistan. A common factor was the existence of a combination of extremely resilient…
