Latest Articles about South Asia
Modi Faces Pressing Questions About India’s China Policy
Traditionally, Indian policy toward China has been mostly characterized by continuity. As far as Beijing is concerned, in spite of regime change in the past, India has pursued steady engagement with its northern neighbor. Now that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the nationalist... MORE
Can Ashgabat Reconcile Kabul With the Taliban?
The government of Turkmenistan has begun mobilizing the country’s army reservists and has sent them to the border with Afghanistan. At least a few dozen reservists were deployed to the town of Serhetabad, (formerly known as Kushka) on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan border. The border situation worsened... MORE
Indian Investigations Reveal Funding System for Promoting Jihad in Kashmir
After pursuing a cross-border money laundering case for several years, Indian investigative agencies have zeroed in on the leadership of the Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) and its front charity organization for allegedly funding terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K, Indian-administered Kashmir) and beyond. On... MORE
Iran’s Sunni Baloch Extremists Operating from Bases in Pakistan
An Iranian Sunni extremist group operating out of hideouts in southwestern Pakistan, Jaysh al-Adl (JA - Army of Justice), has started to threaten Iran’s security and darken relations between Tehran and Islamabad. Days after JA abducted five border guards from a remote border post in... MORE
Will ‘Dostumistan’ Be Established Near Afghanistan’s Border With Uzbekistan?
In January 2014, the chairman of the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan party, General Abdul Rashid Dostum, a well-known politician and leader of ethnic Uzbeks in Afghanistan, made unofficial visits to Uzbekistan’s capital of Tashkent, the Kazakhstani capital of Astana, and Almaty—Kazakhstan’s largest city. According... MORE
India Unsettled by Proposed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Through Kashmir
On February 26, Pakistani officials announced a step forward in China’s plans to construct a transportation corridor through Kashmir to the Pakistani port of Gwadar. Gwadar Port Authority chairman Dostain Khan Jamaldini briefed the Senate’s Ports and Shipping committee after attending the second meeting of... MORE
From Foot Soldier to Terrorist Mastermind: Pakistani Taliban Leader Omar Khalid Khorasani
Abdul Wali, commonly known by his jihadist nom de guerre Omar Khalid Khorasani, is one of the most senior leaders in the Pakistani Taliban. He exemplifies the transformation that Pakistani Taliban’s leadership has undergone in recent years. Khorasani has risen from jihadist foot soldier to... MORE
The Quetta Shura: Understanding the Afghan Taliban’s Leadership
The Afghan Taliban, formally called the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, has proved to be resilient in its commitment to imposing its own version of Islam. The hardline movement is steered by a dozen veteran leaders collectively called the Rahbari Shura, better known as the Quetta... MORE
India-China Border Talks Shift From Resolving Disputes to Managing Them
The 17th round of India-China Special Representative Talks (SR Talks) on boundary disputes between the two countries concluded in New Delhi on February 11. China was represented by State Councilor Yang Jiechi, and India by National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon. An anodyne press release issued... MORE