Issue Briefs

The Chabahar Port and India-Iran Agreement
On 13 May 2024, India and Iran signed a 10-year long-term contract for operation of Shahid Behesti terminal at the Chabahar port in Iran, eight years after concluding the general framework of cooperation on the Chabahar port. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in May 2015 for the development of this port by India and on 23 May 2016, the contract was executed during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Iran.
Widening gulf between Pakistan and AJK
Although most of the demands have been accepted― of course, not before securitizing the political issue by deploying FC, Rangers along with police to use force against the protesters― the people of AJK are unlikely to forget the ordeal they have had to pass through, for the last more than six months, which has certainly steeled their nerves.
National Report by China in the 45th UPR Session: Hiding More than it Reveals
China’s report on human rights in the 45th session of the UPR on 23 January 2024 has drawn the attention of human rights activists worldwide. It has painted a rosy picture of the human rights situation within China.


Comments
The Exile, who would be the King? Tarique Rahman and Bangladesh’s Managed Transition
Mohammed Shoaib Raza
Tarique Rahman’s homecoming signals a state-sanctioned shift in Bangladesh’s political architecture. This analysis explores how his return from exile serves to stabilise a fractured transition ahead of 2026.
Voice from Gilgit-Baltistan: Its Future Lies with India
Senge Sering
Gilgit-Baltistan remains under Pakistani occupation despite its legal accession to India in 1947. Pakistan’s demographic engineering, sectarian manipulation, and denial of local rights erode indigenous identity. Nationalists demand reinstatement of state subject rule, legislative autonomy, and reunification with India to secure cultural survival, resource control, and democratic self-determination.
The Faiz Hameed’s Case in Pakistan Politics: Power, (Dis)Loyalty, and Retribution
Syed Eesar Mehdi
This commentary analyses the rare public conviction of former ISI chief Faiz Hameed, framing it as a case study of Pakistan’s shifting civil-military relations. It argues his downfall reflects institutional recalibration after his political alignment with Imran Khan became a liability.
Pakistan Approaches the Northern Alliance to Subdue the Taliban
Senge Sering
This comment argues that Pakistan has approached Tajikistan and the Tajik-led NRF to secure a corridor to Central Asia, bypassing Taliban-controlled routes. Islamabad hopes this pressure will weaken Taliban support for the TTP, but risks alienating Pashtuns and complicating ties with China.