Issue Briefs

Beyond Symbolism: Can Pakistan Become West Asia’s Net Security Stabiliser?
This issue brief explores whether Pakistan can evolve from a traditional “security contractor” into West Asia’s net security stabiliser. The September 17, 2025, Saudi-Pakistan Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement marks a pivotal moment, formalising decades of military cooperation between the two countries. Historically, Pakistan has trained Gulf forces, guarded monarchies, and provided military personnel, often in transactional arrangements....
From Protest to Power: Can JNP reshape Bangladesh’s Political Future?
The Jatiya Nagorik Party (JNP)— born out of the Students Against Discrimination (SAD) movement, that steered the July 2024 uprising in Bangladesh— is seeking to break the decades-long dominance of the Awami League and BNP, and advocating for a Second Republic through constitutional reform and centrist, pluralist governance. As it navigates entrenched power structures and competing opposition forces, it faces both great promise and uncertain challenges in its quest to reshape the nation’s political future.
Indonesia’s Balancing Act : Between Contestation and Cooperation with China
Indonesia, Southeast Asia's largest economy, balances economic ties with China while asserting its sovereignty amid tensions in the South China Sea. China's maritime claims and illegal fishing in Indonesia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the....



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The Securitisation Trap: How Military’s Defacto Rule Deepens Pakistan’s Regional Conflicts
Navneet Khan
Pakistan's political crises in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stem from federal marginalisation and economic inequality. Military securitisation of legitimate grievances deepens conflict; genuine political dialogue is essential for stability.
The Ballot and the Bullet: Electoral Politics, Constitutional Crisis, and the Struggle for Autonomy in AJK (PoK)
Mohammad Usman Bhatti
A critical examination of constitutional crisis, federal control, and popular protests in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, analysing how interim frameworks produce managed democracy rather than genuine self-determination.
India–Saudi Arabia Ties Today: Emerging Multifaceted Partnership amidst Geopolitical Churning
Mohammed Badrul Alam
Indo-Saudi Arabia bilateral relations are multidimensional and have withstood complex challenges and tectonic shifts amidst contemporary geopolitical tumult, globally and regionally.