Politics

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
A soldier carries ballot boxes ahead of Pakistan's 2018 general election in Peshawar. The country is scheduled to go to the polls again on Feb. 8, 2024.
Politics

Pakistan security fears and Imran Khan factor fuel talk of election delay

Race off to slow start but government insists polls will go ahead on Feb. 8

12 December 2023
Lawyers in front of India's Supreme Court in New Delhi on Dec. 11.
Politics

India's top court upholds end of Kashmir's special status, orders polls

Decision buoys Modi government ahead of 2024 general election

11 December 2023
A stretch of northern Pakistan's Karakoram Highway. A deadly attack has renewed security concerns along the road to China.
Terrorism

Attack on Pakistan highway to China shakes key Belt and Road link

Bus shooting raises concerns over outlook for all-weather upgrade

6 December 2023
Pakistan's then Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks in Islamabad in June 2021. He was removed from office in April 2022.
Politics

Pakistan ex-PM Imran Khan steps aside to keep his party's hopes alive

PTI picks 'stopgap' chairman as election winds favor nemesis Nawaz Sharif

30 November 2023
Nawaz Sharif, center, waves to supporters in Lahore on Oct. 21 after returning from self-imposed exile.
Opinion

Pakistan's election will not be about change this time

Military is showing it wants Nawaz Sharif back as prime minister for fourth term

30 November 2023
Women wave flags as they gather in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza during a rally in Karachi on Oct. 20.
Politics

Pakistani Islamist parties tap electorate anger over Israel-Hamas war

Polls, boycott campaign highlight public outrage amid tepid government response

26 November 2023
Pakistani officials inspect a car belonging to a Chinese national that was fired upon in a July 2021 attack in Karachi. The authorities are now insisting that Chinese personnel working in the country must use bulletproof vehicles.
Belt and Road

Pakistan expands security for Chinese after Beijing's pressure

Officials insist on bulletproof cars as separatist merger raises fears of attacks

20 November 2023
Afghan Taliban fighters stand guard as Afghan refugees line up to register in a camp near the Torkham border crossing with Pakistan on Nov. 4.
Afghanistan turmoil

Pakistan points Afghan Taliban to militant hideouts, urges action

Islamabad says it shared 'evidence' of Pakistani Taliban presence Kabul denies

17 November 2023
Pakistan's then-Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari attends a news conference in Russia in January, when his Pakistan People's Party belonged to a ruling coalition led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.
Politics

Pakistan People's Party flirts with Imran Khan camp before elections

Shifting allegiances could shake up race as military banks on Nawaz Sharif's PML-N

15 November 2023
A Pakistani soldier stands guard during Independence Day celebrations in Karachi on Aug. 14. A recent report found that at least 386 security personnel had been killed in the first nine months of the year, an eight-year high.
Politics

Pakistani military adds enigmatic militant group to list of worries

Attack on air base hints at evolving threat ahead of national elections

12 November 2023
Supporters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif welcome him back from self-imposed exile in Lahore on Oct. 21, ahead of the 2024 general election.
Politics

With date set, Pakistan enters election season fraught with doubts

Feb. 8 polls raise concerns over security, fate of still-popular Imran Khan's PTI

6 November 2023
Pakistan ordered possibly 1.7 million undocumented Afghans out of the country by Nov. 1, creating chaotic scenes at Torkham and other border crossings. (Norwegian Refugee Council via Reuters)
Afghanistan turmoil

Taliban warns Pakistan about Afghan expulsions: Reap what you sow

Islamabad's repatriation policy fuels anger over lost businesses and assets

3 November 2023