What does Karzai want?
When I was in Kabul in the last week of November the main news was that President Hamid Karzai and his senior aides and political allies had a long meeting…
Karzai in Washington
By the time this article appears President Karzai will have arrived in Washington and possibly have had his first round of talks with President Obama and with a now recovered…
Manufacturing Modi’s popularity
REVELATIONS of a secret app apparently used by Hindutva affiliates to inflate the BJP’s popularity or to intimidate political opponents reinforces the belief many hold that it is bluster more…
Ensuring Afghan peace
Pakistan has intensified its pressure on the Taliban to talk to the Afghan government. There were also (conflicting) reports that a senior Afghan Taliban leader had been arrested ahead of…
Confusion and uncertainty in Kabul
On visiting Kabul and interacting with Afghans, there is a palpable sense of ‘uncertainty and confusion’ – all around in the streets and power corridors of the capital. The Afghans’…
For peace in Afghanistan
The road to a stable and prosperous Pakistan passes through Fata, Gilgit-Baltistan, Balochistan and Afghanistan. At present, this road is full of hurdles. The internal fragile security dimensions and the…
My enemy’s enemy
An enemy’s enemy is a friend. This may be sufficient reason for New Delhi and Kabul to court each other. Yet, there is much more to the growing Indo-Afghan ties.…
Pakistan and the Mattis surge
Last week, whilst Pakistanis watched their prime minister try to explain his wealth to an investigative commission, the US made a major decision with dramatic policy implications for Pakistan. President…
Afghanistan: our case
Pakistan considers itself a victim of the Afghanistan problem instead of its cause. Soon after 9/11, Pakistan broke ties with the Taliban government and joined the war on terror. Consequently,…
Still weighing options
The Taliban are still dithering over whether they should resume talks with the Afghan government to promote national reconciliation. Consequently, Afghanistan continues to wallow, occasionally in blood and perpetually in…
