MOST Muslim-majority nations are enduring yet another phase of the ‘politics of ummah’. However, heedful of their domestic challenges, they are also striving to readjust their geopolitical priorities in accordance with their own economic and political realities. The concept of ummah has always remained central to the Muslim world, mainly as a religious ethos of […]

PAKISTAN is trying hard to avoid being placed on the Financial Action Task Force’s blacklist. From the outset, state institutions deemed FATF compliance a punitive political tool and responded accordingly. But with growing pressure, the government has been gradually addressing deficiencies in its counter-terror-financing (CTF) regime. The process may take long, but it should not […]

FOR the locals, the short summer of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) may not be as vibrant and promising this year. While on the one hand, the coronavirus pandemic has badly hit tourism in the region, on the other, the upcoming regional assembly election, which many thought would add some exuberance to life, has been postponed. Political parties […]

THE recent upsurge in incidents of terrorist violence, mainly in Sindh and Balochistan, by violent ethno-nationalist groups has revealed two things. First, the threat of terrorism from both religiously inspired and nationalist groups persists. Secondly, the underlying factors of terrorism as well as conflict cannot be eliminated through force alone; it requires a holistic approach […]

THE Afghan Taliban surprised the world when they asserted that no organisation named Al Qaeda existed in Afghanistan. The statement will not affect the commitments they made to the US early this year as part of the peace deal. Although the Taliban have a history of employing ‘denial’ as a war tactic, their statement denying […]

WITH the geopolitical landscape of our region changing fast, many optimists say they are able to see a shift in Pakistan’s geostrategic approach. Some believe this shift is largely oriented towards geo-economics, and if established, it would be a major doctrinal shift. But so far, state institutions have not hinted at that in their statements. […]

The pandemic did not affect people’s fasting and praying activities much during the holy month of Ramazan. At first, provincial governments were a bit hesitant to ease the lockdowns, but soon gave in to an implied national consensus, and Ramazan was celebrated with full religious zeal across the country. As religious scholars occupied television screens […]

WHILE the world continues its struggle against the pandemic, nations, and organizations are also evaluating its human, economic and socio-psychological costs. The security threat matrix is increasingly being oriented around the perils of the virus, placing less focus on other non-traditional security challenges. Though the threat of terrorism has not shown any visible retreat — […]

THE Covid-19 pandemic has halted life as we know it but has also brought the world closer in facing a common enemy. Most of us follow similar routines — marked by fear, anxiety and frustration that are almost unprecedented in their intensity. New global sensibilities are coming to the fore; the emotions and concerns we […]

EVEN Covid-19 has failed to take attention away from the ongoing political stand-off in Afghanistan. The intensity of the Afghan political crisis is so great that the power stakeholders in the conflict have been unable to prioritise the coronavirus health emergency and appear more concerned about their political future. Since the US and the Afghan […]