Comments

India China Bangladesh
Perspective from Bangladesh: Balancing Economics with Geography: Why Dhaka’s China Success Demands a Pivot to India


Simon Mohsin

While Tarique Rahman’s China visit delivered economic and political success, geography dictates that Dhaka must balance this by stabilising relations with India to effectively manage permanent, vital neighbourly and regional interests.

AJK
AJK (PoK)’s Political Pulse Amid Continuing Unrest: Reading Between the Lines


Nazir Ahmad Mir

The banning of the grassroots JKJAAC has sparked fatal unrest in AJK (PoK), exposing Islamabad’s rigid control, structural political manipulation, and the military’s violent suppression of genuine local governance.

PoK
Governance deficit, Grievances, and the Criminalisation of Dissent:  The Crisis of Constitutional Legitimacy in AJK(PoK)


Mohammad Usman Bhatti

This comment examines the constitutional crisis in the so-called Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), detailing how contested refugee seats and federal overreach sparked mass protests, leading to a state-sponsored anti-terrorism crackdown ahead of the 2026 elections

Issue Briefs

Pakistan-Middle East
The Paradox of the Periphery: Pakistan’s Strategic Entanglement in the Middle East


Mohammad Usman Bhatti

Pakistan’s Middle East strategy secures short-term gains—Saudi deposits, defence pacts, and mediation roles—yet its fragile economy and political dysfunction trap it in a “perpetual periphery.” Central enough to matter but too weak to consolidate influence, Islamabad’s diplomacy remains transactional, survivalist, and strategically unsustainable.

Operation Sindoor
Impact of ‘Operation Sindoor’ on Pakistan’s Fragile Economic Recovery


Mohammad Usman Bhatti

Pakistan’s economic crisis has reached a breaking point, with inflation exceeding 40% and foreign exchange reserves falling to critical levels.

Pakistan-Afghan
The Changing Contours of Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations


Ashish Shukla

Once strategic allies, Pakistan and Afghanistan are now engaged in direct military conflict. Despite Chinese mediation, cross-border airstrikes and TTP militancy have pushed bilateral relations to an unprecedented historic low.