Pakistan

Nawaz Sharif, center, addresses during an election campaign rally in Hafizabad, Pakistan on January 18.
Editor-in-Chief’s Picks

Letter from Nikkei Asia's editor: Nothing left to chance

Shin Nakayama shares his weekly reflections and recommendations

9 February 2024
A journalist is silhouetted against a screen as he checks live results of the general elections in Lahore, Pakistan, on Feb. 9.
Pakistan elections

Pakistan election results show unexpectedly tight race

Delayed count and promising signs for Imran Khan's PTI set up battle of narratives

9 February 2024
A man casts his vote during the general elections in Karachi, Pakistan, on Feb. 8.
Pakistan elections

Pakistan tallies election results after tense day of polling

Vote overshadowed by sidelining of Imran Khan's party, internet cuts, militant attacks

8 February 2024
Poll workers walk past police officers outside a voting station in Peshawar on Feb. 8.
Pakistan elections

Pakistan cuts mobile service on election day, PTI slams 'cowardly act'

Outages in name of security fuel suspicion over polls' legitimacy

8 February 2024
With the help of Pakistan's military, former three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to win the country's election on Feb. 8, amid a media blackout surrounding his main rival, PTI party leader Imran Khan. 
The Big Story

Pakistan's election tainted by military meddling as ex-PM Sharif set to win

Nothing left to chance as Imran Khan's PTI party disappears from airwaves

7 February 2024
A fruit vendor waits for customers in front of a makeshift Pakistan People's Party office in Karachi on Feb. 1. The country's economic crisis, including high inflation, is sure to challenge the next government.
Pakistan elections

Pakistan's economic crisis looms over last days of election campaign

Next government faces billions in debt bills, fallout from crackdown on Imran Khan

5 February 2024
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin
Your Week in Asia

Cambodian PM in Thailand, Taylor Swift visits Asia, Pakistan election

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

4 February 2024
Sher Afzal Khan Marwat, a senior PTI official, waves a cricket bat at a rally in Karachi on Jan. 14: The party has been barred from using its cricket bat symbol on election ballots. 
Opinion

Excitement about Pakistan's election is hard to find

Maneuverings to sideline Imran Khan and his PTI have left voters disheartened

1 February 2024
A supporter of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan attends a rally in Lahore on Jan. 28. This week, Khan was handed 10- and 14-year jail sentences on consecutive days.
Pakistan elections

Pakistan election battlegrounds heat up as Imran Khan hit by jail terms

Nawaz Sharif bets on biggest province Punjab; the smallest, Balochistan, matters to China

1 February 2024
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, left, meets with Pakistani Army Chief Gen. Syed Asim Munir in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on Jan. 29. (Inter Services Public Relations via AP)
International relations

Pakistan and Iran patch up ties but militants poised to play spoilers

Experts say root causes of border strikes unresolved as proxy warfare spreads

30 January 2024
A woman votes in Pakistan's 2018 election. The political landscape looks very different ahead of next month's polls, with former Prime Minister Imran Khan out and his rival Nawaz Sharif back in the game.
Pakistan elections

Pakistan elections: 5 people poised to shape the country's future

Three-time PM Nawaz Sharif seen as favorite with Imran Khan sidelined

27 January 2024
People sit outside a tea stall with political billboards in the background ahead of Pakistan's general elections in Larkana on Jan. 16.
Pakistan elections

Pakistan social media outages squeeze Imran Khan party's last bastion

Government blames glitches as analysts eye risk of total shutdown on election day

25 January 2024
A customer checks flags to be used for election campaigns at a shop in Karachi on Jan. 18.
Pakistan elections

Pakistan election battle focuses on fairness, security: 5 things to know

Economy on back burner as campaign puts a new spin on old problems

20 January 2024
A man watches a news report in Karachi after Pakistan's Foreign Ministry announced strikes inside Iran targeting separatist militants on Jan. 18.
International relations

Pakistan and Iran aim to dial down tensions as China offers mediation

Experts warn of proxy conflict in border regions after airstrikes 'shattered' trust

19 January 2024
Pakistani security officials conduct roadside checks in Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, on Jan. 17, after Iranian airstrikes against alleged militant bases in the province.
International relations

Pakistan fires back at targets in Iran as regional tensions boil

Diplomacy in crisis after Iranian airstrikes send Islamabad 'message' on militants

18 January 2024
A closed gate at the Pakistan-Iran border in 2020, after Pakistan sealed the border following the coronavirus outbreak.
International relations

Pakistan recalls envoy from Iran after 'unprovoked' missile strikes

Iran's foreign minister says it hit militants near border; Islamabad blames incident for deaths of 2 children

18 January 2024
Fishermen return from short expeditions in Ibrahim Hyderi, in Karachi. Animosity between Pakistan and India, disputed maritime boundaries, and the effects of pollution and climate change are all factors behind the arrests of seafarers, experts say. (Photo by Jamaima Afridi)
Asia Insight

Pawns in border clash, India and Pakistan fishermen desperate for change

Hundreds who were arrested for trespassing released by Islamabad as politics shift

16 January 2024
Pakistan's caretaker government is pushing a plan to turn the IT sector into a bigger source of revenue. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Reuters)
Economy

Pakistan faces hurdles on path to India-style tech takeoff

IT pros cite talent retention, internet shutdowns and payment limitations

15 January 2024
An Afghan girl looks out from a car window near a refugee repatriation center in Nowshera, Pakistan: More than 500,000 refugees have so far been returned to Afghanistan. 
Opinion

Expelling Afghan refugees won't boost Pakistan's security

Mass repatriation is creating a recruitment opportunity for militant groups

14 January 2024
Officials and residents offer prayers for police officers killed in a bombing during an anti-polio drive in Khar, Pakistan, on Jan. 8. Such attacks are cited by those who seek to delay the country's Feb. 8 election.
Politics

Pakistan in fight over election delay with less than a month to go

Experts warn democracy at risk but say caretakers' unpopularity may force polls

11 January 2024
Baloch activists hold portraits of missing family members during a sit-in in Islamabad on Dec. 25. They traveled from Balochistan province to highlight alleged forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
Politics

Pakistan women protesting disappearances tap anti-establishment mood

Experts link Balochistan movement's broad support with Imran Khan's criticism of army

3 January 2024
Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan leaves a court appearance in February 2023. 
Politics

Pakistan election or 'selection'? Imran Khan's exclusion all but sealed

Rejection of ex-PM's nomination seen as move to ensure establishment's pick

2 January 2024
Aftermath of 2018 attack by Balochistan separatists on the Chinese Consulate compound in Karachi, Pakistan
Terrorism

Anti-China Pakistan separatist group dissolves as leader surrenders

Baloch Nationalist Army part of militancy movement known for deadly attacks

28 December 2023
Bangladesh, Taiwan, South Korea and Sri Lanka are also set to go to the polls next year, while Asia's focus will shift to the U.S. Presidential race later in 2024. (Photo by Ken KobayashI)
Asia Insight

From India and Pakistan to Indonesia, Asia set for election-packed 2024

Over a billion people will be voting but democracy questions cloud some races

26 December 2023
Participants of the 2022 Women on Wheels rally ride their motorbikes in Pakistan's biggest city, Karachi 
Gender

Pakistan's 'Pink Riders' hit the road in battle against sexism

Once strictly taboo, women are starting to ride motorcycles in South Asian nation

16 December 2023