Kashmir issue is on the agenda of the UN. Entire world, including India, acknowledges it as a dispute. However, Kashmir cause has not been able to attract required level of continuous sympathy at the international level. Nevertheless, there have all along been sporadic breezes of freshness through isolated efforts of Kashmiri and Pakistani diaspora. One…
Pak-Afghan relations have an interesting dynamics; just when there is a feeler of improvement, they nosedive into another crisis. Nonetheless, it is encouraging that soon after each crisis, both Islamabad and Kabul resume taking measured steps to bring the ties back on track. Latest rupture came last month when Afghanistan’s presidential spokesperson Aimal Faizi said…
Drone is a milder terminology used for the ‘Unarmed Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) being employed by the CIA and other clandestine troops on behalf of American Department of Defence. One wonders whether this class of undeclared combatants are covered by the UN mandate that authorised the use of military force in Afghanistan. Surely, there is…
Afghanistan is passing through unfortunate times. Three streams of fragile transition are in progress; all in an indecent haste to meet the 2014 timeline. These are in security, political and economic domains. Though political transition holds the key to success; it is the patchiest of all. Transfer of power to President Karzai’s successor having enough…
Commitment by all political parties of Baluchistan about their participation in the forthcoming general elections is rather refreshing. Chief Election Commission’s recent visit to Quetta was quite reassuring. He took various steps to address the difficulties being faced by prospective candidates from Baluchistan. Caretaker Chief Minister of Baluchistan has also resolved to make all efforts…
The unfortunate incident of Joseph Colony, Badami Bagh, Lahore, where homes, shops and Churches of the Christian community were set on fire, brought collective shame and embarrassment for the entire Pakistani nation. Each time an incident of violence against a minority community takes place, we think that it could not have been worse. But soon…
High profile inaugural ceremony of Iran-Pakistan (IP) pipeline on March 11, 2013, marked a watershed in the foreign policy of Pakistan. There was an interesting altercation during the weekly briefing at Pakistan’s foreign office, preceding the ceremony: Emerging regional pivot in our foreign policy is in our national interest; it is indeed reflective of public…
Wonderland of nuclear non-proliferation has a treacherous history; it is full of fantasies, rhetoric, dilemmas, deceit and duplicity. Third nuclear test by North Korea, an interesting statement by the Speaker of Iranian Majlis about the status of his country’s nuclear programme, and recent imposition of fresh American sanctions on four Chinese and two Belarusian entities…
There is an overwhelming perception backed by intelligence-based statements of the government functionaries that target killing of members of different sects, especially the Shiite, is part of the game to divide the Pakistani society. To keep Baluchistan on boiling point is also in the interest of those international players who are against Iran-Pakistan pipeline and…
For Americans, the Afghanistan war is entering its final phase. President Obama is ensuring that this war ends by his watch; he is also aware that none of the stated objectives of this war have visibly been achieved. Nevertheless, he would go down in the history as one of the most pragmatic presidents for pulling…
