Step up for the Afghans
As the US was discussing the pullout of its troops from Afghanistan, several commentators were forecasting a long-drawn civil war between the 350,000 US-trained Afghan security forces and the Taliban.…
Afghanistan’s humanitarian disaster
AFGHANISTAN’s humanitarian crisis is about to deepen. It is not only about food scarcity and the looming harsh winter that are coinciding with the continuing systemic violence. The consequences of the lack…
The Afghans are calling
“We have not seen this level of near-universal poverty in any country in recent history,” said Ms Kanni Wignaraja, assistant secretary of the United Nations Development Programme, last month, while…
US, Afghanistan and IMF
A rare opportunity to extricate Pakistan's economy from its on-going tribulations has emerged by the recently started peace initiative in Afghanistan by the US. The process which began with meetings…
Crisis in Afghanistan
The growing risk of an unstable Afghanistan is not a new worry. Despite the fact that the Taliban regime is unable to bridge the gap between promises of inclusive governance,…
Why Afghanistan matters even more
Exit and forget. Escape and regret. These are the two modes and moods many countries are conducting themselves vis-a-vis Afghanistan. The first reaction of these countries was shock and disbelief.…
Revisiting Afghanistan’s ‘graveyard theory’—II
Metaphorically, Afghanistan may be termed a ‘graveyard’ as some invaders did face stiff opposition and relinquished ambitions to stay on due to the hardy warriors and forbidding terrains. The British…
‘Aid-to-Afghanistan Consortium’?
Afghanistan is facing a severe economic downturn that could throw many millions into poverty and hunger, may generate a massive wave of refugees from the war-torn country and indeed set…
Economy: a new strategy
Is the persistently high rate of inflation, particularly the Sensitive Price Index (SPI) which constitutes 51 essential items and therefore relates to the poor and the vulnerable more than the…
Economy: rising uncertainty
A number of factors have come together leading to greater uncertainty on the economic front. This level of uncertainty about the short-run and medium-run prospects of the economy of Pakistan…
