Politics

Siblings who arrived from Afghanistan with their families are seen in Pakistan on Sept. 1. Thousands, if not millions, of people are expected to attempt to escape Afghanistan, leaving nations in the region anxious about a flood of refugees coming in. 
Asia Insight

Turkey, Iran and Pakistan raise entry bars for Afghan refugees

Nations across region worry influx could exacerbate political and social problems

7 September 2021
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and his government have launched an ambitious diplomatic campaign aimed at stabilizing the region around Afghanistan. (Source photo by Reuters)
Afghanistan turmoil

Pakistan lobbies neighbors to push for inclusive Afghan government

Islamabad ready to offer recognition if Taliban forms multiethnic regime

26 August 2021
India ramped up security in Kashmir after the February 2019 air strikes.
Afghanistan turmoil

India fears Kashmir terrorism after Taliban resurgence

Militant group's victory seen as chance for Pakistan to expand influence

26 August 2021
The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan may give Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, foreground, a boost, at least in terms of domestic security. (Nikkei montage/AP)
Afghanistan turmoil

Taliban likely to put squeeze on Pakistani militants: experts

Regime change in Afghanistan could mean less terrorism for Islamabad

19 August 2021
People on vehicles, holding Taliban flags, gather near the Friendship Gate crossing point in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border town of Chaman, Pakistan July 14.
International relations

Al-Qaida allied rebels back Taliban advance in Afghanistan

Uyghur, Pakistani, Tajik and Uzbek militants join hands in fight against Kabul

11 August 2021
Pakistan's government, led by Prime Minister Imran Khan, left, has replaced its head of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, in a move seen as being orchestrated by China, led by President Xi Jinping. (Source photos by Reuters) 
Belt and Road

Pakistan replaces its Belt and Road chief with Beijing favorite

Removal of retired army general from top position stirs debate among businesses

8 August 2021
The crossings of Torkham, pictured here, and Chaman remain open for trade but the rest of the border with Afghanistan has been sealed by the Pakistan Army. 
Afghanistan turmoil

Pakistan shuts door to further Afghan refugees

Islamabad tries to block growth of world's second largest refugee population

7 August 2021
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi claps after signing a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in fighting terrorism, with Afghanistan's then Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani, and Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and in Kabul in December, 2018.
Opinion

China moves swiftly to exploit the void in Afghanistan

US military exit is likely to become Beijing's strategic gain

27 July 2021
Imran Khan, pictured in Beijing in November 2018: the Pakistani Prime Minister is increasingly China's staunchest defender on the international stage.
Opinion

China is a habit that Pakistan cannot break

Ties with Washington further strained by the need to declare fealty to Beijing

23 July 2021
An ambulance arrives at a hospital in Dasu after a bus with Chinese nationals on board plunged into a ravine in Upper Kohistan, Pakistan, on July 14 following a blast. (Nikkei montage/Reuters/AP)
Belt and Road

China pressures Pakistan after losing 9 engineers in bus attack

Beijing postpones Belt and Road meeting and halts work on $4bn dam

21 July 2021
An Afghan policeman keeps watch at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Kabul.
Afghanistan turmoil

Afghan turmoil builds as US withdrawal reaches 95% mark

Taliban offensive, kidnapping and attack on presidential palace punctuate turbulent week

21 July 2021
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, talks to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in June 2019 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
International relations

Russia warms to Pakistan after three decades of cold ties

Moscow seeks new energy markets and to reclaim turf in geostrategic backyard

20 July 2021
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan hopes to woe Baloch insurgents to negotiations as tensions mount on the heels of the U.S. exit from Afghanistan. (Nikkei montage/Reuters/AP)
Belt and Road

Pakistan bets on talks with rebels to quell Belt and Road worries

US withdrawal from Afghanistan prompts PM Khan to reopen Baloch dialogue

13 July 2021
An Afghan National Army soldier walks through a marijuana field. Afghanistan's emerging security vacuum is catnip to drug traffickers, who thrive amid lawlessness and economic devastation.
Politics

Pakistan fears Afghan chaos will exacerbate narcotics problem

Senior official says Beijing is helping Islamabad's anti-narcotics efforts

10 July 2021
Pakistan is pouring increased amounts of money into servicing loans, which bodes ill for domestic spending on health care, infrastructure and other areas.
Economy

Interest payments consume one-third of Pakistan's budget

Over-reliance on loans bodes ill for fiscal sustainability and domestic needs

24 June 2021
A U.S. soldier keeps watch at an Afghan army base in Logar Province in 2018.
Interview

NATO exit risks Afghan 'security vacuum': Abdullah Abdullah

Top peace negotiator set to meet with Biden at White House on Friday

21 June 2021
A U.S. Marine shouts as he tries to protect an Afghan man and his child after Taliban fighters opened fire in the Helmand Province town of Marjah in Afghanistan in 2010.
International relations

Asian powers plot to fill US vacuum in Afghanistan

From Beijing to Ankara, the race for influence in Kabul is underway

17 June 2021
Cranes tower above a wharf at the port of Gwadar, Pakistan, in October 2017. Until the recent decision by Saudi Arabia, the city was being touted as the future "Singapore of Pakistan."
International relations

Pakistan's Gwadar loses luster as Saudis shift $10bn deal to Karachi

Infrastructure gaps behind Riyadh's decision to move oil refinery to more developed area

13 June 2021
Journalists and civil society advocates staged a protest in Islamabad on May 28 against the government's proposed consolidated media regulator, which they said threatens Pakistan's already weak fifth estate. 
Politics

Pakistan's draconian proposed press law stirs controversy

Super regulator will have total media oversight and suspension powers

11 June 2021
Soldiers and volunteers work at the site of a train collision in Ghotki district in southern Pakistan on June 7. 
8 June 2021
Indian and Pakistani flags are lowered during a daily retreat ceremony at the India-Pakistan joint border check post of Attari-Wagah in July 2015: if this colorful spectacle does not come back to life, that may be no bad thing.
Opinion

We would all be better off if politicians left history alone

Teaching the past is best left to professionals

5 June 2021
Pakistan, led by Prime Minister Imran Khan, has recently held high-level defense and national security talks with officials from the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden. (Source photos by AP and Reuters)
International relations

US's base search amid Afghan pullout stirs debate in Pakistan

Experts' views split over impact on China's Belt and Road from American presence

4 June 2021
China's People's Liberation Army Navy is reportedly eyeing the port of Gwadar as a base.
Interview

Pakistan's top diplomat warns China could fill void left by US

Exclusive: Qureshi says Washington should not view country through Afghan prism

26 May 2021
U.S. forces and Afghan commando patrol Pandola village in the Achin district of Jalalabad, east of Kabul, Afghanistan. 
International relations

Afghan pullout raises fears in US of China's 'unfettered access'

Pentagon admits 'number of countries' have potential to exercise influence

23 May 2021
Prime Minister Imran Khan, left, and Afghan Taliban fighters, shown celebrating the peace deal between the U.S. and Taliban in March 2020. (Source photos by Getty Images)
Belt and Road

Pakistan fears Afghan pullback by US will stall Belt and Road

Taliban militants increase border attacks as American influence wanes

10 May 2021