Politics

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan, who entered office in 2018, was listed by Reporters Without Borders in 2021 as a "press freedom predator."
Politics

Pakistan's tough stance on 'fake news' threatens basic freedoms

Draconian measure meant to tackle rampant disinformation on social media

23 February 2022
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's response to devastating recent attacks by Baloch militants on security posts in Nushki District of Balochistan Province is being closely watched in Beijing and Islamabad. (Nikkei montage/Getty Images/AFP/Jiji)
Belt and Road

Pakistan on high alert following Baloch attacks on security posts

Insurgent group threatens China as PM Khan pledges a 'befitting response'

15 February 2022
Indian and Pakistani flags are lowered during a highly charged daily retreat ceremony at the Attari-Wagah border crossing between India and Pakistan when border gates are firmly shut. 
Afghanistan turmoil

Afghans starve for wheat stuck in India-Pakistan bureaucracy

Red tape ties up 50,000 tons of goodwill assistance for hungry until spring

13 February 2022
The Hyundai logo is seen at a Hyundai City Store, a company operated outlet, in Karachi, Pakistan on Tuesday.
International relations

Hyundai under fire in India over Pakistani dealer's Kashmir post

Delhi summons South Korean envoy to convey 'strong displeasure'

8 February 2022
A third generation of Pakistan Air Force JF-17 Thunders have been enhanced to outfox Indian air defenses. 
Politics

Pakistan to boost air strike power with 50 enhanced fighter jets

Stealthier JF-17s built with China may dodge India's S-400 air defenses

6 February 2022
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan, left, is laying the ground for meetings with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, right, and other top Chinese leaders in Beijing in February. 
Belt and Road

Pakistan to pay compensation for Chinese workers killed in attack

Unprecedented step for Dasu victims ahead of Khan's China trip next month

27 January 2022
China Machinery Engineering Corp. and Chinese bank loans are helping Pakistan expand an open-pit coal mining site in Tharparkar. Here, dump trucks work the mine.
Climate Change

Pakistan to burn more domestic coal despite climate pledge

Islamabad expands use of lignite to ease burden of expensive imported fuel

24 January 2022
Empty trailers meant to house workers at a gold and copper exploration site in the Pakistani province of Balochistan. The International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes has put Pakistan in a corner.
Economy

Pakistan struggles to settle delayed mining license dispute

Islamabad seeks to avoid billions in penalty and interest, but local opposition grows

14 January 2022
China has been sending aid to Afghanistan, which is on the brink of a humanitarian crisis, since the withdrawal of U.S. troops last August. 
The Big Story

Too big to fail: China eyes Afghanistan investment amid fears of state collapse

Allies China and Pakistan keen to maintain regional stability after U.S. withdrawal

12 January 2022
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan needs to make a difficult decision over a fiscal bill submitted in the National Assembly.
Economy

Pakistan considers higher taxes to meet IMF demands

Parliament to decide on indirect duties, as central bank role also under scrutiny

30 December 2021
A policeman stands guard at a mosque in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, in August at the height of terrorist attacks in Pakistan.
Politics

Attacks rise in Pakistan as Taliban-backed truce fails

Islamabad sees TTP as copying Afghan regime with tough demands and new attacks

21 December 2021
A monthlong protest has engulfed in Gwadar, the flagship Belt and Road Initiative port project in Pakistan, clouding prospects for more Chinese investment. (Source photo by Reuters and AP)
Belt and Road

Belt and Road sit-in at Pakistan port shows no sign of ending

Monthlong protest engulfs Gwadar, casting doubt on long-term investments

16 December 2021
A model of the Beidou satellite network, pictured in Beijing in September 2020: China's navigation system, an alternative to GPS, provides both civilian and military capabilities to Pakistan.
Opinion

Pakistan's cautionary tale of digital dependence on China

Beijing is successfully exploiting the need for connectivity in developing countries

3 December 2021
Millions of Afghans are facing food insecurity or worse as winter approaches. (Photo by Kanika Gupta)
Afghanistan turmoil

Afghanistan food crisis prods India, Pakistan to cooperate on aid

Archrivals close to arranging emergency transport of 50,000 tons of Indian wheat

2 December 2021
Stream article image
Asia Insight

China-Pakistan Belt and Road Initiative hits buffers

Disagreements, terrorism and COVID-19 stymie CPEC projects

30 November 2021
Pakistan's first-ever World Cup cricket thumping of India on Oct. 24 inflamed animosities in the already tense Kashmir region.
Politics

Kashmiris face sedition charges for cheering Pakistan cricketers

Indian police say online celebration 'might spoil' the nation's 'atmosphere'

5 November 2021
Abdul Qadeer Khan, pictured in Islamabad in February 2009: the nuclear scientist played a pivotal role in helping Pakistan develop nuclear weapons.
Opinion

Why the U.S. let Pakistan nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan off the hook

Decision could still come back to haunt Washington

18 October 2021
A member of Taliban forces rides on a pick-up truck mounted with a weapon in Kabul, Oct. 3. The new Afghan ruler started crackdown on a part of Pakistani militants hiding in the country.
Belt and Road

Taliban crack down on Pakistani militants targeting Belt and Road

New Kabul rulers move as pledged to U.S., but largely for Beijing's interests

15 October 2021
Heavily loaded trucks waiting last month to cross into Afghanistan from Pakistan at Friendship Gate near the Pakistani town of Chaman. 
Afghanistan turmoil

Afghan food prices soar as imports from Pakistan squeezed

Traders unable to settle payments after U.S. cuts off Taliban dollar access

8 October 2021
Prime Minister Imran Khan called China's planned $3.5 billion development of Karachi port a "game-changer." (Source photos by Getty Images and Reuters)
Belt and Road

Pakistan and China unveil ambitious plan to develop Karachi coast

Problematic Gwadar possibly out of favor, but experts say new project hard to implement

5 October 2021
Indian security forces patrol in Srinagar on Sept. 18: More foreign militants have infiltrated into the Kashmir region since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August.
Afghanistan turmoil

Foreign militant numbers rise in Kashmir for first time in 2 years

Fears over possible attacks grow following Taliban takeover in Afghanistan

30 September 2021
China systematically underreports its debt to the World Bank's Debtor Reporting System by lending money through special purpose vehicles, a study reveals. (Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
Belt and Road

$385bn of China's Belt and Road lending kept undisclosed: report

Beijing's loans to Pakistan cost 3.76% interest, while Western peers offer 1.1%

29 September 2021
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan is "extremely concerned" by an upturn in terrorist attacks on multiple targets by the Pakistan Taliban operating from bases in Afghanistan, where jihadi fanaticism has been rekindled by the fall of Kabul. (Source photos by Reuters and Getty Images)
Afghanistan turmoil

Islamabad deeply alarmed by rise in Pakistan Taliban terrorism

Fall of Kabul and US humiliation has rekindled jihadi spirit in the region

28 September 2021
Afghan family stand outside their tent at a refugee camp in Herat in October 2018; interminable fighting and drought have created millions of refugees.
Opinion

The 'nice' Taliban delusion

Wishful thinking dominates idea that religious movement has softened

15 September 2021
The departure gates at Kabul airport were damaged by throngs of people trying to flee as the Taliban entered the capital on Aug. 15. (Photo by Kanika Gupta)
Afghanistan turmoil

Afghan evacuation seekers enter Pakistan to head for Japan

Former staff at Japanese agencies left behind when SDF was ordered to withdraw

11 September 2021