What all was left of the Middle East in the aftershock of the Arab Spring is now on fire with the onset of implosion within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The current crisis in the Gulf is the gravest that the GCC has faced in its nearly four decades of existence. Although Qatar’s relations with…
It will be an oversimplification to say that the current era is of geo-economics, at best geo-economics are striving to find a reasonably safe passage through the planet’s overly geo-politicized and securitized landscape. Even though one wishes that geo-economics take precedence over geo-politics, requisite processes have a long way to go. One Belt One Road…
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met with the Chinese President on May 13 on the eve of Belt and Road Forum, and interacted formally and informally with over 50 heads of sates and governments including President Trump on the sidelines of US-Arab-Islamic summit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also sent his emissary indicating his wish to…
These days Pakistan is facing a mini two front dilemma. The Line of Control in Kashmir and the international border with Afghanistan have gone prickly simultaneously. However there is nothing alarming, both could go only this far. Pakistan should continue to focus on degrading the capacity and capability of terrorist sleeping cells to carry out…
During recent days there have been mixed vibes from India with regard to its relations with China and Pakistan. Prime Minster Narendra Modi had promised to be tough with these two countries during his electoral campaign. However, due to prudent India policies of China and Pakistan, carrying forth of his electoral promise is not an…
After the change of administration, the Afghanistan issue is once again picking up momentum in the American calculus. The month of February saw a series of high profile terrorist attacks in various urban centers of Pakistan. Linkage between the two is quite complicated and very strong and that is why in the contemporary world there…
The recent Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit in Islamabad was an interesting event. It had symbolic as well as substantive significance. In the symbolic context the event negated Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s articulation about isolating Pakistan internationally. All ten members and three observers participated in the summit, even Afghanistan did not oblige Modi by…
In the wake of turmoil in the Middle East in general and in Yemen in particular, Saudi Arabia had announced the formation of a 34-state “Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism (IMAFT)”, to bolster counter terrorism effort in the Middle East region in 2015; now the coalition has 39 members, all these countries are members…
Another Afghan peace process has caught international attention, albeit belatedly. Russia, China and Pakistan got together in Moscow on December 27 for the third round of secretary level talks. Though earlier two rounds went almost unnoticed, the recent one invoked an overreaction from Kabul, while Washington also radiated a feeling of unease. Nonetheless, the outcome…
The father of Pakistan’s nuclear programme Abdul Qadeer Khan said while addressing a gathering in Islamabad on the 18th anniversary of Pakistan’s first nuclear tests, “We were able and we had a plan to launch nuclear test in 1984. But President General Zia-ul-Haq had opposed the move”. Zia thought it could invoke international military intervention…
